Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain , or by political entities such as governments , sovereign states , federated states , and other subnational entities . Political borders can be established through warfare , colonization , or mutual agreements between the political entities that reside in those areas.
146-724: The international border between Finland and Russia is 1,340 km (830 mi) long and runs approximately north to south, mostly through taiga forests and sparsely populated rural areas . It does not follow any natural landmarks, such as mountains or rivers. It is also an external border of the European Union and NATO . It is patrolled by the Finnish Border Guard and the Border Guard Service of Russia , who also enforce border zones extending, respectively, up to 3 km (1.9 mi) on
292-408: A conceptual artistic practice , however, opens up the possibility for artists to explore similar concerns of identity and national origin(s) but whose location is not specific to the U.S-Mexico border. A border can be a division, dividing groups of people and families. Borders can include but are not limited to language, culture, social and economic class, religion, and national identity. In addition to
438-611: A false flag attack on Finland, shelling the village of Mainila , located on the Soviet side of the Finland–Russia border, and then accusing Finland of being the aggressor. The Soviets used this as a pretext to instigate the Winter War , which began four days later on November 30. On 27 December 2015, Finland blocked access to people crossing the border by bicycle at Raja-Jooseppi [ fi ] and Salla . According to
584-423: A sudden increase in asylum seekers entering Finland via Russia, all border crossings were closed in late 2023. The northern endpoint of the border between Norway , Finland, and Russia forms a tripoint marked by Treriksrøysa , a stone cairn near Muotkavaara ( 69°03′06″N 28°55′45″E / 69.05167°N 28.92917°E / 69.05167; 28.92917 ( Muotkavaara tripoint ) ). On
730-646: A British fleet carrying 14,000 troops under Sir John Moore entered the port of Gothenburg . Due to various disagreements with the Swedish king, however, they never landed and sailed off to fight the French in Spain after leaving 16 battleships and 20 other ships at Sweden's disposal. The Swedish battlefleet which had been expelling Russians from Gotland was ordered to blockade the Hangö Peninsula and reached
876-773: A DMZ unexposed to human influence and thus developed into a natural border or wildlife preserve, such as on the Korean Demilitarized Zone , the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone , and the Green Line in Cyprus . Borders undermine economic activity and development by reducing trade activity. The presence of borders often fosters certain economic features or anomalies. Wherever two jurisdictions come into contact, special economic opportunities arise for border trade . Smuggling provides
1022-508: A Swedish flotilla , supported by the local population, compelled the small Russian force left on the main island of Fasta Åland to surrender, and then invaded the island of Kumlinge where the bulk of the Russian garrison on the Åland Islands was based. After a two-hour-long battle, the local militia, together with the Swedish landing force, overwhelmed their enemies and Colonel Vuich and his garrison were compelled to surrender. On May 26,
1168-523: A blockade of the Russian fleet at Baltiyskiy Port which continued until the sea started to freeze. The Swedish fleet suffered from outbreaks of scurvy and had been unable to maintain the blockade on its own. Skirmishes and landings continued in the Finnish archipelago from late summer into autumn. On 30 August, the Swedish coastal fleet defeated its Russian adversaries at the Battle of Grönvikssund , forcing
1314-490: A border may be a de facto military ceasefire line. In much of Europe, controls on persons were abolished by the 1985 Schengen Agreement and subsequent European Union legislation. Since the Treaty of Amsterdam , the competence to pass laws on crossing internal and external borders within the European Union and the associated Schengen Area states ( Iceland , Norway , Switzerland , and Liechtenstein ) lies exclusively within
1460-630: A border often requires the payment of excise tax , often collected by customs officials. Animals (and occasionally humans) moving across borders may need to go into quarantine to prevent the spread of exotic infectious diseases. Most countries prohibit carrying illegal drugs or endangered animals across their borders. Moving goods, animals, or people illegally across a border, without declaring them or seeking permission, or deliberately evading official inspection, constitutes smuggling . Controls on car liability insurance validity and other formalities may also take place. A border may have been: In addition,
1606-468: A border zone, where entry is legal only with a permit. It is 50 m at its narrowest and 3 km at its widest on land, varying in width according to terrain features. It is up to 4 km at sea. In Virmajärvi in Ilomantsi , it is delineated so that the easternmost point in Finnish territory is accessible without permit. The zone is marked in terrain with yellow signs, yellow straps or yellow painted rings around
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#17327868575201752-520: A cease-fire line, an LoC was first created with the Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan . Similar to a cease-fire line, an LoC is typically the result of war, military stalemates and unresolved land ownership conflict. A maritime border is a division enclosing an area in the ocean where a nation has exclusive rights over the mineral and biological resources, encompassing maritime features, limits and zones. Maritime borders represent
1898-477: A classic case; contrariwise, a border region may flourish on the provision of excise or of import – export services — legal or quasi-legal, corrupt or legitimate. Different regulations on either side of a border may encourage services to position themselves at or near that border: thus the provision of pornography , of prostitution , of alcohol , fireworks , and/or of narcotics may cluster around borders, city limits, county lines, ports and airports . In
2044-467: A clear reply. Although most Swedish officers were sceptical about their chances in fighting the larger and more experienced Imperial Russian Army , Gustav Adolf had an unrealistic view of Sweden's ability to defend itself against Russia. In Saint Petersburg , his stubbornness was viewed as a convenient pretext for Russia to occupy Finland , thus pushing the Russo-Swedish frontier considerably to
2190-427: A combination of mediums). They may at once be artists and activists , existing in multiple social roles at once. Many border artists defy easy classifications in their artistic practice and work. [REDACTED] Media related to Borders at Wikimedia Commons Finnish War Russian victory Sweden The Finnish War ( Swedish : Finska kriget ; Russian : Финляндская война ; Finnish : Suomen sota )
2336-571: A decision by the European Union . Amid the worsening of relations between the two countries, on November 16, 2023, the Finnish Government announced the closure of four border crossings in the south-east (Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala), effective November 18, 2023. One week later, they announced the further closure of all other crossings (namely, Kuusamo, Salla and Vartius), effective November 24, 2023. The one exception
2482-470: A decision). Fiat boundaries are typically the product of human demarcation, such as in demarcating electoral districts or postal districts. A relic border is a former boundary, which may no longer be a legal boundary at all. However, the former presence of the boundary can still be seen in the landscape. For instance, the boundary between East and West Germany is no longer an international boundary, but it can still be seen because of historical markers on
2628-538: A division, a border can also conceive a borderland area that can create a cohesive community separate from the mainstream cultures and identities portrayed in the communities away from the borders, such as the Tijuana-San Diego border between Mexico and the United States. Border art can be defined as an art that is created in reference to any number of physical or imagined boundaries. This art can but
2774-778: A further 36,000 in Norway. This forced the Swedes to allocate forces to southern Sweden and along the Norwegian border (23,000 troops). Denmark had declared war on Sweden on 14 March and some battles and skirmishes were fought along the Norwegian border. In April Napoleon began to devote more attention to the situation in Spain, and the British navy remained a continuous threat for troop movements between Denmark and Sweden. By November 1808, Russian forces had overrun all of Finland. On 19 November,
2920-517: A land on the other side of the sea"). According to two 2015 studies by political scientists Jan Teorell and Bo Rothstein, Sweden's loss in the Finnish War led to reforms of the Swedish bureaucracy. Prior to 1809, Sweden had a reputation as one of Europe's most corrupt countries, but the loss in the war created the perception of an existential threat in the east for Sweden and motivated Swedish elites to reform its bureaucracy. The motivation behind
3066-564: A more active approach immediately, namely Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Möller (fi) who advocated for taking an immediate offensive and Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt who supported actively delaying the advancing enemies in co-operation with the garrisons on the southern coast. In the end, instructions which the new Swedish commander in Finland, General Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor , received from the king were an unsuccessful and open-ended mixture of ideas from these very different plans. Russia had gathered
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#17327868575203212-408: A more planned and official context, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) often tend to cluster near borders or ports. Even if the goods are not perceived to be undesirable, states will still seek to document and regulate the cross-border trade in order to collect tariffs and benefit from foreign currency exchange revenues. Thus, there is the concept unofficial trade in goods otherwise legal; for example,
3358-600: A particular state of mind for human activity. As such frontiers have been applied to borderlands identifying and claiming them as terra nullius , such as Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica , the only territory in Antarctica unclaimed by any sovereign nation. In places where smuggling, migration, and infiltration are a problem, many countries fortify borders with fences and barriers , and institute formal border control procedures. These can extend inland, as in
3504-560: A period of six months. The measure was later removed. Finland began constructing a border barrier in 2023 due to the Russo-Ukrainian War . Russia introduced a bill on 21 May 2024, aiming to redefine its maritime boundaries in the Baltic Sea. The proposed changes would expand its territorial waters by altering the maritime borders it shares with Finland and Lithuania , effective from January 2025. Initially published on
3650-467: A portion of the troops that had been intended to participate in the landing actually reached the Finnish coast, and this resulted in another withdrawal on 28 September. The Swedish situation was further weakened by being at war with France and Denmark, both of whom threatened Sweden's possessions, with a joint invasion force of 45,000 troops in Denmark (under French Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ) and
3796-551: A result, border traffic has not yet returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, though it still remains significant. By July 2023, there had been 973,337 border crossings, most of which occurred over land borders. Most people crossing the border had multiple-entry visas issued before 2019 or Schengen visas issued by other member states. Entering Finland via Norway still remains legal, as Norway does not restrict tourist visas. On September 16, 2023, Finland banned vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their territory, in accordance with
3942-506: A southern border crossing to the Soviet exclave . Border crossings were in Luoma (checkpoint) [ fi ] and Tähtelä [ fi ] . In 1947, Finnish trains were allowed to pass through the base, but the passenger car windows were blinded and the locomotives replaced while crossing through. Porkkala was returned to the Finnish government in 1956. During the Cold War ,
4088-546: A wealth of information from Finland using spies and other sources. The level of detail was so great that Russian maps of Finland were in many respects more accurate than their Swedish counterparts. The Russians used the services of General Georg Magnus Sprengtporten when forming their plans. Sprengtporten suggested going on to an offensive during the winter since Finland would be mostly isolated when seas were frozen. His ideas were further developed by General Jan Pieter van Suchtelen before General Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden
4234-581: Is a general agreement of vertical airspace ending at the point of the Kármán line . The Kármán line is a peak point at the altitude of 62 mi (100 km) above the Earth's surface, setting a boundary between the atmosphere (airspace) and outer space (which is governed by space law ). The frontier is a border that is open-ended to one side, identifying an expanding borderland to one side. This type of border can be fairly abstract and has been identified as
4380-454: Is explained by an array of factors, some of which illustrate regional problems. Airspace is the atmosphere located within a country's controlled international and maritime borders. All sovereign countries hold the right to regulate and protect air space under the international law of Air sovereignty . The horizontal boundaries of airspace are similar to the policies of " high seas " in maritime law. Airspace extends 12 nautical miles from
4526-479: Is not limited to social , political , physical, emotional and/or nationalist issues. Border art is not confined to one particular medium . Border art/artists often address the forced politicization of human bodies and physical land and the arbitrary, yet incredibly harmful, separations that are created by these borders and boundaries. These artists are often "border crossers" themselves. They may cross borders of traditional art-making (through performance, video, or
Finland–Russia border - Misplaced Pages Continue
4672-622: The 38th Parallel (between North and South Korea), Western Sahara conflict , and Kashmir region conflicts between India and Pakistan. A border conflict can occur due to several reasons. Most commonly, territorial disputes can result in border conflicts, as it is the case with the Kashmir conflict . Borders have sometimes been significantly shaped by physical border constructions and openings. From border crossings, over border markers to border barriers these constructions fulfill many different functions. Such as also providing crossover. Even
4818-713: The Anglo-Russian War (1807–1812) was declared. Referring to the treaties of 1780 and 1800, the emperor demanded that Gustav Adolf close the Baltic Sea to all foreign warships. Although he reiterated his demand on November 16, 1807, it took two months before the king responded that it was impossible to honor the previous arrangements as long as the French were in control of the major Baltic ports. King Gustav Adolf did this after securing an alliance with Britain on 8 February 1808. Meanwhile, on 30 December 1807 Russia announced it would be forced to act should Sweden not give
4964-548: The Arctic region, Russia maintains its 500-year-old border patrol, with plans to upgrade Soviet -era technologies to reduce costs and improve efficiency by 2020. The border can be crossed only at official checkpoints, and at least one visa is required for most people. Major border checkpoints are found in Vaalimaa and Nuijamaa , where customs services on both sides inspect and levy fees on imported goods. In an attempt to curb
5110-474: The Battle of Jutas for Sweden on 13 September, Kamensky gained the most important victory at Oravais on 14 September. Swedish attempts to land more troops near Åbo were stalled by Lieutenant-General Pyotr Bagration 's prompt actions. In Eastern Finland, the guerrilla movement was gradually extinguished. As a consequence, Russia's situation in Southern Finland improved significantly. In the north,
5256-609: The Continental System . The king, who viewed Napoleon as the Antichrist and Britain as his ally against Napoleon's France , was apprehensive of the system's ruinous consequences for Sweden's maritime commerce. He instead entered into negotiations with Britain in order to prepare a joint attack against Denmark , whose Norwegian possessions he coveted. In the meantime, the Royal Navy attacked Copenhagen and
5402-565: The Continuation War (1941–44), the land border was demarcated in the Treaty of Paris (1947). As a result, approximately half of Finnish Karelia (including Finland's fourth-largest city Vyborg ), parts of Salla , and all of Petsamo were ceded to the Soviet Union. The new border cut through what was previously Finnish territory, severing many rail lines and isolating many Karelian towns from Finland. The Soviet Union demanded
5548-482: The European Union provides financial support to cross-border regions via its Interreg programme. The Council of Europe has issued the Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation , providing a legal framework for cross-border co-operation even though it is in practice rarely used by Euroregions. There has been a renaissance in the study of borders starting with the end of the 1990s, partially from
5694-542: The Finns Party noted that the influx of immigrants was causing disturbances for Finns driving to the Russian side to purchase petrol, as the border was being held up by lengthy immigration proceedings. In March 2016, Finland and Russia temporarily closed the Raja-Jooseppi and Salla border crossings to third country nationals . Only Finnish, Russian and Belarusian citizens were allowed to use these crossings for
5840-519: The French Revolution or in Europe since the 1940s, de-emphasizes border-based economic activity and fosters free trade . Euroregions are similar official structures built around commuting across boundary. Political borders have a variety of meanings for those whom they affect. Many borders in the world have checkpoints where border control agents inspect persons and/or goods crossing
5986-628: The Grand Duchy of Finland from the territory obtained from Sweden, and would attach the areas gained from Sweden in the 18th century (so-called Old Finland ) to the new Grand Duchy in 1812. The Grand Duchy of Finland was to retain the Gustavian constitution of 1772 with only slight modifications until 1919. Almost all Finnish soldiers in Sweden (most of them in the Umeå area) were repatriated after
Finland–Russia border - Misplaced Pages Continue
6132-605: The Middle East . The Canada–United States border follows the 49th parallel for roughly 2,175 miles (3,500 km) from Lake of the Woods ( Ontario and Minnesota ) west to the Pacific Ocean . A generalization of the idea of geometric borders is the idea of fiat boundaries by which is meant any sort of boundary that does not track an underlying bona fide physical discontinuity ( fiat , Latin for "let it be done",
6278-464: The Schengen Area —are open and completely unguarded. Most external political borders are partially or fully controlled, and may be crossed legally only at designated border checkpoints ; adjacent border zones may also be controlled. For the purposes of border control , airports and seaports are also classed as borders. Most countries have some form of border control to regulate or limit
6424-520: The Winter War , leading to the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty the following year. The treaty had Finland cede several border areas to the USSR. The naval border was established in 1940 and more accurately defined in 1965. Between 1940 and 1941, the Soviet Union rented Hanko Peninsula as a military base , thereby creating an additional border crossing leading to the exclave. After
6570-717: The 3,600 km (2,200 mi) US-Mexico border is probably "the world's longest boundary between a First World and Third World country". Historic borders such as the Great Wall of China , the Maginot Line , and Hadrian's Wall have played a great many roles and been marked in different ways. While the stone walls , the Great Wall of China and the Roman Hadrian's Wall in Britain had military functions,
6716-622: The African Borderlands Research Network and the founding of smaller border research centres at Nijmegen and Queen's University Belfast . Border art is a contemporary art practice rooted in the socio-political experience(s), such as of those on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands , or frontera . Since its conception in the mid-1980s, this artistic practice has assisted in the development of questions surrounding homeland , borders, surveillance , identity, race , ethnicity , and national origin (s). Border art as
6862-582: The Cold War, they did not protect illegal border crossers and instead returned them to the Soviet authorities if captured. As a result, illegal border crossers had to arrive in a third country, for example Sweden, in order to defect to the West . Both states verified the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity in the first Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe in 1975. The Finnish side has
7008-477: The Convention of Olkijoki was signed and the Swedish army was forced to leave the Finnish countryside. The Russian emperor was, however, now eager to bring hostilities to the territory of Sweden proper, which was certain to bring the war to a victorious end. With this objective in mind, Kamensky suggested a daring plan, whereby the Russian army was to cross the frozen Gulf of Bothnia at two locations: one unit
7154-427: The European Union and NAFTA, have spurred the establishment of cross-border regions. These are initiatives driven by local or regional authorities, aimed at dealing with local border-transcending problems such as transport and environmental degradation. Many cross-border regions are also active in encouraging intercultural communication and dialogue as well as cross-border economic development strategies. In Europe ,
7300-492: The Finnish Border Guard, this measure was to limit illegal immigration and ensure safety on slippery roads. The Finnish Border Guard stated that organized traffickers were making their clients cross the border by bike in order to avoid being captured on the Finnish side and prosecuted for organizing illegal immigration, which is a felony in Finnish law. In response to the prohibition, asylum seekers started to cross
7446-532: The Finnish archipelago, against which Sweden could deploy only 7 galleys and 30 gun sloops. Swedish efforts to harass the Russians with landings continued, with roughly 1,000 volunteers under Captain Anders Gyllenbögel landing on 1 August to support Swedish-led uprisings on the coast south of Vasa. The landing succeeded, and together with Swedish troops advancing from the north, they managed to drive
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#17327868575207592-487: The Finnish archipelago. The Russians utilized the guns from the burned ships, and from those which burned during the winter, and constructed several fortifications on the coast, both in Hangö as well as along narrow passages leading to Åbo. Under Colonel Carl Johan Adlercreutz the Swedish army counter-attacked at Siikajoki and began to halt the Russian offensive. Soon after at the Battle of Revolax (Finnish: Revonlahti ),
7738-401: The Finnish government announced an extension. The Finnish government said the measures were taken to curb the influx of illegal entries into the country, which they claim is being "aided and encouraged" by Russia. The Finnish government has also accused Russia of deliberately using refugees as weapons as part of its hybrid warfare strategy. On 26 November 1939, the Soviet Union carried out
7884-405: The Finnish side and at least 7.5 km (4.7 mi) on the Russian side . A permit is required for entry to these border zones. Electronic surveillance on the Finnish side is concentrated most heavily on the southernmost 200 kilometers (125 miles). In addition, the Finnish Border Guard conducts irregularly scheduled dog patrols multiple times daily to catch illegal entries into the border zone. In
8030-402: The Finnish side is mostly not fenced. It is marked by a border vista and two or three boundary markers. The Finnish side has blue and white striped poles, tall enough to be visible in deep snow, displaying a Finnish coat of arms. Russians have a corresponding pole in red and green. A short white pole marks the actual border. In 2023, Finland began constructing a Finland–Russia border barrier at
8176-572: The Grand Duchy of Finland so-called " Old Finland " territories previously held by Sweden. In the period following Finland's declaration of full independence in 1917, during the Finnish Civil War and Russian Civil War , Finnish activists often crossed the border into Soviet territory in order to fight in the " heimosodat " wars surrounding Finnish ethnic self-determination and possible annexation into Finland. This ended in 1920 when
8322-517: The Russian fleet, which turned and attempted to reach the relative safety of Baltiyskiy Port . The British ships were far superior sailing ships compared to those of either the Swedes or Russians, and engaged the withdrawing Russian squadron (nine ships of the line and several frigates) on their own. The last of the Russian ships of the line was disabled and then captured and burned by the British ships. More Royal Navy ships (including HMS Victory , Mars , Goliath , and Africa ) arrived to oversee
8468-414: The Russian threat he received in early 1808. Most of the Swedish plans assumed that warfare would be impossible during winter, disregarding the lessons from recent wars. In addition, several new good roads had been built into Finland greatly reducing the earlier dependency on naval support for any large operation in Finland. The Swedish plan was to first passively defend and hold on to the fortifications in
8614-421: The Russians also forced the Swedes to withdraw. The king was quite unprepared for the attack, especially as war was not declared until April. About 21,000 Swedish troops were stationed in various fortresses in Finland, while the rest of his army was unable to leave southern Sweden for fear of Danish attack. The Russian advance was swift. On the first day of the war they had captured the town of Lovisa and besieged
8760-456: The Russians to abandon their plans to invade Åland and concentrate on defense. On 17 September, the Swedes landed again , this time at Lokalax (Finnish: Lokalahti ), while the coastal fleet covering the landing managed to keep the Russians away in the Battle of Palva Sund on 18 September. The troops that landed were forced to withdraw to their ships on 18 September, but landed in Finland again on 26 September. However, owing to bad weather, only
8906-403: The Russians towards Björneborg (Finnish: Pori ). Swedish patrol ships (consisting of armed merchant vessels) scouted and raided the coast, taking Russians prisoners to Åland. These raids caused much confusion, and Russian responses to them thinned their strength along the coast. Also the Swedish southern army of Finland, consisting of roughly 4,000 men under Major General Eberhard von Vegesack ,
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#17327868575209052-508: The Russians were driven from Central Finland, their forces stretched along the line of Pori – Tampere – Mikkeli . Having received considerable reinforcements, their numbers increased to 55,000, as opposed to the 36,000 estimated for Sweden. On 14 August, Count Nikolay Kamensky decided to use this numerical superiority to launch a new offensive. Kamensky's 11,000-strong corps achieved important victories at Kuortane (1 September) and Salmi (2 September), and although Georg Carl von Döbeln won
9198-588: The Russian–Finnish Treaty of Tartu in 1920 defined Finland as an independent country and established the border between the two countries. Despite this, Finnish fighters took part in the East Karelian uprising and Soviet–Finnish conflict of 1921–22 . In 1922, the Finnish government closed the border to volunteers and food and munitions shipments. In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland in
9344-650: The Schengen area. In 2015, 9.1 million individuals crossed the border, half of which went through Vaalimaa and Nuijamaa . Traffic across the border was interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2023, Finland stopped issuing new tourist visas to Russians due to the Russo-Ukrainian War , and downgraded their travel advisory for Russia to "avoid all travel". New Finnish visas can only be issued for travelers in certain categories, such as people with family in Finland or people who currently reside or work in Finland. As
9490-575: The Swedes and reach the Gulf of Bothnia towards Uleåborg (Finnish: Oulu ) and Vasa (Finnish: Vaasa ) to cut off the retreat of the main body of the Swedish army. On February 21, 1808, 24,000 Russian troops under Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoevden crossed the border in Ahvenkoski and took the town of Lovisa (Finnish: Loviisa ). Since Klingspor had not arrived, Lieutenant General Karl Nathanael af Klercker acted as Swedish commander in Finland. He
9636-414: The Swedes had several hundred local men-in-arms. The Russians, however, were able to send reinforcements to the area which were, in addition to being numerically superior, both far better trained and equipped than the peasants and militia the Swedes had raised. By the end of July the small forces Sweden had landed and the men that had supported them were either beaten or withdrawn back to their ships. After
9782-500: The Swedes. The strength of the Swedish coastal forces deployed to the Finnish archipelago was equal in size to the coastal fleet that the Russians had obtained by the Sveaborg surrender. To prevent the Russians from gaining strength, the Swedish coastal fleet's unit under Rear Admiral Claes Hjelmstjerna tried to engage them twice in battle. The first was at the Battle of Rimito Kramp on 30 June, and after Russians withdrew closer to Åbo,
9928-467: The Swedish Navy's failure to tightly block the coastal sea route past Hangö . The 200th anniversary of the war was selected as the main motif for a high value commemorative coin, the €100 200th Anniversary of Finnish War commemorative coin , minted by Finland in 2008. The motif on the coin is the passage of Finland from Sweden to Russia. The same coin depicts both the pre-war Finnish history, with
10074-418: The Swedish army under Colonel Johan Adam Cronstedt started an advance towards the south. These successes yielded a promotion to Field Marshal for Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor . The Swedish advance was very slow however, as operations were often halted due to the thaw. An exception was the brigade under Colonel Johan August Sandels , which swiftly advanced towards Kuopio . Nikolay Tuchkov , a Russian general who
10220-434: The Swedish blockades in the archipelago, to cut contact between Åland and Sweden, and to stop Swedish supply transports sailing in the Gulf of Bothnia . The Russian fleet reached Hangö on 6 August and chose not to engage the scattered Swedish fleet elements in the vicinity. On 20 August, two British ships of the line ( HMS Implacable and Centaur ) joined the Swedish fleet. The allied fleet moved on 25 August 1808 to engage
10366-412: The Swedish sea fortress of Svartholm . Borgå (Finnish: Porvoo ) was captured on 24 February and Helsingfors (Finnish: Helsinki ) on 2 March. Abandoned Swedish fortifications on the Hangö Peninsula (Finnish: Hanko ) were taken and manned on 21 March and on the same day the Russian army took Åbo (Finnish: Turku ) while a small detachment was sent to Åland . Before the end of March 1808 even Vasa
10512-860: The United States where the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service has jurisdiction to operate up to 100 miles from any land or sea boundary. On the other hand, some borders are merely signposted. This is common in countries within the European Schengen Area and on rural sections of the Canada–United States border . Borders may even be completely unmarked, typically in remote or forested regions; such borders are often described as "porous". Migration within territorial borders, and outside of them, represented an old and established pattern of movement in African countries, in seeking work and food, and to maintain ties with kin who had moved across
10658-570: The War Minister Arakcheyev to Finland in order to pressure Knorring into action before joining the army himself. As Russian forces embarked upon their unprecedented march across the frozen gulf, King Gustav IV, accused of fatal mistakes leading to the loss of Finland—was dethroned by a coup in Stockholm on 13 March, and his uncle was proclaimed Charles XIII of Sweden . Four days later, Bagration's corps of 17,000 men occupied
10804-504: The border by car, often using dilapidated cars purchased in Russia. On 23 January 2016, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini , member of the Finns Party , visited the Salla border crossing, where he talked about human smuggling across the border and claimed that there was "probably" an entity on the Russian side that was organizing the inflow of immigrants. Furthermore, a representative of
10950-468: The border constituted part of the perimeter of the Iron Curtain . Crossing the border was not possible for much of its length. Only a very limited number of border crossing points existed, and the Soviet government permitted only escorted trips to select cities; border zones were off limits to tourists. There was little contact between cities that were relatively close to each other on opposite sides of
11096-527: The border eastward. As a result of the Ingrian War and the resulting Treaty of Stolbovo (1617), Sweden gained a large tract of land through the acquisition of the Nöteborg fortress , Kexholm and its large province, southwest Karelia and the province of Ingria . The Treaty of Nystad in 1721 and the Treaty of Åbo in 1743 moved the border westward. Generally, the native populations on both sides of
11242-463: The border were ethnically Finnish. However, the border region was marked by religious differences, with the Russian side being predominantly Orthodox , while the Swedish side was initially Catholic , and later, Lutheran Protestant . After the peace of Stolbovo in 1617, the Orthodox population faced persecution and many fled to the Russian side or converted to Lutheranism. The displaced population
11388-468: The border's bounds. A DMZ can act as a war boundary, ceasefire line, wildlife preserve , or a de facto international border. An example of a demilitarized international border is the 38th parallel between North and South Korea . Other notable DMZ zones include Antarctica and outer space (consisting of all space 100 miles away from the earth's surface), both are preserved for world research and exploration. The prohibition of control by nations can make
11534-549: The border, such as Imatra and Svetogorsk . The Soviet side maintained extensive electronic systems and patrols to prevent illegal crossings. Soviet border surveillance began at a great distance from the actual border, and was as extensive as elsewhere along the Iron Curtain. The first surveillance systems were installed in railway stations in cities, where the militsiya monitored potentially suspicious traffic. The border zone began at 120 kilometres (75 mi) from
11680-477: The border. A special permit was required for entry, and the first line of control was equipped with electronic alarms. At 60 kilometres (37 mi), there was a raked sand strip (to detect footprints) and a thin alarmed tripwire . At 20 kilometres (12 mi), there was a 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall barbed wire fence, with a top that curved inwards towards their own territory to prevent Soviet citizens from leaving. The fence had an electronic alarm system. However, it
11826-519: The borderland's natural geography and its building requires tremendous human labour and financial investment. Geometric boundaries are formed by straight lines (such as lines of latitude or longitude), or occasionally arcs (Pennsylvania/Delaware), regardless of the physical and cultural features of the area. Such political boundaries are often found around the states that developed out of colonial holdings, such as in North America , Africa and
11972-458: The borders separating said territories. They occur when one party constructs identities or interests related to the border which are incompatible with the other party's identities and interests . Border conflicts or the potential of such are the reason why many borders feature fortifications and zoning like no man's lands , demilitarized zones , demarcation lines and buffer zones . Examples of border conflicts include skirmishes and wars, such as
12118-495: The boundary itself, the area around the border is called the frontier . In the pre-modern world, the term border was vague and could refer to either side of the boundary, thus it was necessary to specify part of it with borderline or borderland . During the medieval period the government's control frequently diminished the further people got from the capital . Therefore borderland (especially impassable terrain) attracted many outlaws , as they often found sympathizers. In
12264-413: The boundary. Some borders require presentation of legal paperwork like passports and visas , or other identity documents , for persons to cross borders. To stay or work within a country's borders aliens (foreign persons) may need special immigration documents or permits ; but possession of such documents does not guarantee that the person should be allowed to cross the border. Moving goods across
12410-527: The cape on 10 June. Due to bad weather and poor visibility the fleet under Admiral Rudolf Cederström chose to stay relatively far from the coast. Upon approaching the coast on 21 June, Cederström learned that the Russians had already passed the cape some time earlier. Attempts to stop the Russians deeper in the archipelago were also unsuccessful. Failure to block the Russians led the king to relieve Cederström of his duties and replace him with Commander Henrik Johan Nauckhoff . Major General Eberhard von Vegesack
12556-401: The coast of a country and it holds responsibility for protecting its own airspace unless under NATO peacetime protection. With international agreement a country can assume the responsibility of protecting or controlling the atmosphere over International Airspaces such as the Pacific Ocean . The vertical boundaries of airspace are not officially set or regulated internationally. However, there
12702-506: The coastal sea route from Russian ships. Total British control of the Gulf of Finland was a large obstacle to the Russian supply network and required sizable garrisons to be posted all along the Finnish coast. The Royal Navy captured 35 Russian ships and burnt 20 others before leaving the Baltic Sea on 28 September 1809. In August, Charles XIII, anxious to improve his position at a peace settlement, ordered General Gustav Wachtmeister to land in
12848-745: The creation of a counter-narrative to the discourse about the world becoming a borderless and deterritorialized place, which has accompanied theories about globalization . Examples of recent initiatives are the Border Regions in Transition network of scholars, the International Boundaries Research Unit at the University of Durham , the Association for Borderlands Studies based in North America ,
12994-556: The cross-border trade in livestock by pastoralists in the Horn of Africa . Ethiopia sells an estimated $ 250 to $ 300 million of livestock to Somalia , Kenya and Djibouti every year unofficially, over 100 times the official estimate. Human economic traffic across borders (apart from kidnapping ) may involve mass commuting between workplaces and residential settlements. The removal of internal barriers to commerce , as in France after
13140-457: The dismay of Alexander I. The emperor refused to ratify the truce and replaced Buxhoeveden with a new commander-in-chief, Bogdan von Knorring , in December of that year. In the south, the Swedish battle fleet remained anchored within the Finnish archipelago, blocking some of the deeper coastal sea routes from Hangö towards Åbo. Russian ships continued to arrive from the east but remained within
13286-424: The eleventh century. Such a border is political in the sense that it is human-demarcated, usually through a treaty . However, a landscape border is not demarcated by fences and walls but instead landscape features such as forests, mountains, and water bodies. It is different from a natural border, however, in the sense that the border landscape is not natural but human-engineered. Such a landscape usually differs from
13432-436: The entire length of the world's international boundaries. Natural borders are geographical features that present natural obstacles to communication and transport. Existing political borders are often a formalization of such historical, natural obstacles. Some geographical features that often constitute natural borders are: Throughout history, technological advances have reduced the costs of transport and communication across
13578-620: The entirety of the Roman borders were very porous, which encouraged Roman economic activity with neighbors. On the other hand, a border like the Maginot Line was entirely military and was meant to prevent any access in what was to be World War II to France by its neighbor, Germany; Germany ended up going around the Maginot Line through Belgium just as it had done in World War I . Border conflicts are disputes between territories that occur at
13724-506: The expeditionary force had been authorized to disembark, it would have enabled the Swedes to release at least 10,000 trained soldiers for the Finnish War. As it happened, the bulk of the Swedish army, including the best units, were kept out of the Finnish War by the king, who reserved them for his plans for conquering either Sjælland or Norway. Swedish landings were invariably made with poorly equipped and trained forces, often with troops who had very low morale. Landings were further complicated by
13870-472: The fights ended with a decisive winner, the overall strategic victory went to Russia, who gained advantage in the Finnish archipelago by managing to link up their separate coastal units. Sweden performed several small landings along the coast near Kristinestad (Finnish: Kristiinankaupunki ) and Kaskö (Finnish: Kaskinen ) and managed to raise local men to oppose the Russians. The first occurred on 3 July with several others taking place soon after. Altogether
14016-547: The freedom of internal movement of its citizens, as for example in the former USSR. However, only a handful of nations have deregulated open borders with other nations, an example of this being European countries under the Schengen Agreement or the open Belarus-Russia border . Open borders used to be very common amongst all nations, however this became less common after the First World War , which led to
14162-468: The frozen gulf further north; they entered Umeå on 24 March. The third force, commanded by Count Shuvalov, struck against Torneå and, braving fierce frost, encircled a Swedish army, which capitulated on 25 March. Six days later, the tsar arrived in Åbo and, on learning about the truce, not only revoked Knorring's signature but named Barclay de Tolly as the new commander-in-chief. Hostilities thus continued until May, when Shuvalov finally reached Umeå, where he
14308-435: The island of Kimito (Finnish: Kemiönsaari ), a Swedish force of gunboats was deployed to the narrows. They met the Russians first at Tallholmen on 21 July and again on 2 August in the Battle of Sandöström . Swedish attempts to land troops and artillery in support of the gunboats at Vestankärr on 2 August ended in failure, though the attempt came very close to capturing General Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden . While none of
14454-552: The jurisdiction of the European Union, except where states have used a specific right to opt out (United Kingdom and Ireland , which maintain the Common Travel Area amongst themselves). The United States has notably increased measures taken in border control on the Canada–United States border and the United States–Mexico border during its War on Terrorism (See Shantz 2010). One American writer has said that
14600-644: The jurisdictional borders of a maritime nation and are recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea . Maritime borders exist in the context of territorial waters , contiguous zones , and exclusive economic zones ; however, the terminology does not encompass lake or river boundaries, which are considered within the context of land boundaries. Some maritime borders have remained indeterminate despite efforts to clarify them. This
14746-456: The landing force. By the morning of 20 June, the Swedish forces were forced to withdraw. In addition, Colonel Johan Bergenstråhle landed 1,100 Swedes just a few kilometers northeast of Vasa on 25 June and managed to quickly advance to the town. The Russians, however, managed to gather a force of 3,000 men which was able to force the ill-trained Swedes to withdraw. The advance of the Russian coastal squadron beyond Hangö created difficulties for
14892-530: The landscape; it remains a cultural and economic demarcation in Germany . Other examples include the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam (defunct since 1975) and the border between North and South Yemen (defunct since 1990). Occasionally a relic border is reconstituted in some form, for example the border between British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland ceased to exist when
15038-699: The most fortified borders reserve specific places to allow crossing. The many forms of borders have different ways of enabling and controlling passage. Borders can have a significant impact on and function for movement. It can enable and stop movement, across as well as along borders. The permeability of borders depends on its construction, availability of crossings, regulation and types or scope of activity. The permeability can vary, borders can be barriers for humans, but also for animal migration or types of pollution . Borders facilitate or block hybrids like border overlap and cooperation beyond mere encounter and exchange. Macro-regional integration initiatives, such as
15184-829: The most regulated borders in the world include: Australia , the United States , Israel , Canada , the United Kingdom , and the United Arab Emirates . These nations have government-controlled border agencies and organizations that enforce border regulation policies on and within their borders. An open border is the deregulation and or lack of regulation on the movement of persons between nations and jurisdictions. This definition does not apply to trade or movement between privately owned land areas. Most nations have open borders for travel within their nation of travel, though more authoritarian states may limit
15330-416: The movement of people, animals, and goods into and out of the country. Under international law, each country is generally permitted to legislate the conditions that have to be met in order to cross its borders, and to prevent people from crossing its borders in violation of those laws. Buffer zones may be set up on borders between belligerent entities to lower the risk of escalation. While border refers to
15476-523: The movement of persons and trade between nations and jurisdictions . Most industrialized nations have regulations on entry and require one or more of the following procedures: visa check, passport check or customs checks. Most regulated borders have regulations on immigration, types of wildlife and plants, and illegal objects such as drugs or weapons. Overall border regulations are placed by national and local governments and can vary depending on nation and current political or economic conditions. Some of
15622-490: The natural borders. That has reduced the significance of natural borders over time. As a result, political borders that have been formalized more recently, such as those in Africa or Americas, typically conform less to natural borders than very old borders, such as those in Europe or Asia, do. A landscape border is a mixture of political and natural borders. One example is the defensive forest created by China's Song dynasty in
15768-661: The new Swedish royal house , in 1818. After the Russian Emperor Alexander I concluded the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon , Alexander, in his letter on 24 September 1807 to the Swedish King Gustav IV Adolf , informed the king that the peaceful relations between Russia and Sweden depended on Swedish agreement to abide by the limitations of the Treaty of Tilsit which in practice meant that Sweden would have been required to follow
15914-465: The north of Sweden and to attack Kamensky's rear. Engagements at Sävar and Ratan proved inconclusive and Kamensky succeeded in neutralizing this belated counter-offensive, following up with a final victory over the Swedes at Piteå. Wachtmeister's action was only a prelude to the peace negotiations that opened in August and resulted in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn (17 September), in which Sweden ceded
16060-556: The official website of the Registry of Laws, the text of the bill was later taken down. Regular border checkpoints, ordered from north to south, are as follows: In addition, there are provisional border crossing points: The following are Finnish ink passport stamps issued at the Finnish–Russian border. International border Some borders—such as most states' internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within
16206-582: The past, many borders were not clearly defined lines; instead there were often intervening areas often claimed and fought over by both sides, sometimes called marchlands . Special cases in modern times were the Saudi Arabian–Iraqi neutral zone from 1922 to 1991 and the Saudi Arabian–Kuwaiti neutral zone from 1922 until 1970. In modern times, marchlands have been replaced by clearly defined and demarcated borders. Political borders are imposed on
16352-578: The previously porous borders of their homelands. When the colonial frontiers were drawn, Western countries attempted to obtain a monopoly on the recruitment of labor in many African countries, which altered the practical and institutional context in which the old migration patterns had been followed, and some might argue, are still followed today. The frontiers were particularly porous for the physical movement of migrants, and people living in borderlands easily maintained transnational cultural and social networks. Regulated borders have varying degrees of control on
16498-409: The regulation of open borders, making them less common and no longer feasible for most industrialized nations . An example of Open orders include the Schengen Area where 29 European nations mutually abolished their border control. A demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border separating two or more nations, groups or militaries that have agreed to prohibit the use of military activity or force within
16644-432: The second was a battle at Pukkisaari on 4 July. Fighting ended in a stalemate, but can be viewed as a Swedish failure since they failed to decisively defeat the Russians. Having been alerted to the approach of additional Russian coastal units from Sveaborg, the Swedish forces moved to intercept them before they could link up with the Russian coastal unit now bottled up at Åbo. Learning that the Russians intended to go around
16790-417: The shallow narrows where the Swedish ships of the line could not reach. Small boat actions took place during the night time of 17–18 July which became known as the skirmish at Lövö ( Finnish : Lövön kahakka ). However, the Swedish fleet dropped its blockade on 22 August, allowing the Russian coastal units to unite. Odds were very much against the Swedes as the Russians had nearly one hundred coastal ships in
16936-456: The situation was more complicated. Tuchkov's battered unit strained to hold its own against Sandels, while the progress of a relief force under General Alekseyev was contained by guerrilla fighters. It was not until 26 September that Prince Dolgorukov (Alekseyev's replacement) managed to join his forces with Tuchkov's, inducing Sandels to retreat. Three days later, Buxhoeveden—pressed by the early onset of winter weather—signed an armistice, much to
17082-510: The south, the boundary is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland , in which there is a maritime boundary between the respective territorial waters , terminating in a narrow strip of international waters between Finnish and Estonian territorial waters. The first treaty concerning the border was signed in Nöteborg in 1323 between Sweden (to which Finland belonged) and the Novgorod Republic . The Treaty of Teusina in 1595 moved
17228-493: The southern coast of Finland, in which Sweden had strong garrisons, while the rest of the Swedish Army retreated to the north. Then in the spring, counterattack simultaneously from north and south, when the Swedish army would have naval support and the Russian army would be spread over Finland and thus have long supply lines. The basic reason for the plan was to avoid major decisive battles. Some advocates existed for taking
17374-399: The southernmost part of the border. Little reliable information is available on the status of the infrastructure on the Russian side after the Cold War. However, it is known that the border zone is much deeper on the Russian side, and that patrolling against genuinely unpermitted traffic is efficient. In 2011, Finland issued the most Schengen visas to Russians out of all the countries in
17520-474: The strategic Åland Islands , while Kulnev led a vanguard further across the frozen sea that on 19 March reached the Swedish shore within 70 km from Stockholm. When news of Kulnev's incursion spread to the Swedish capital, the new king sent an embassy to Knorring, proposing a truce. The Russian commander agreed and speedily recalled Kulnev back to Åland. Meanwhile, the other Russian contingent—5,000 men under Barclay de Tolly —endured great hardship in crossing
17666-551: The strongest of the Swedish fortresses, Sveaborg, still had several of its planned fortifications missing, most notably all the land side fortifications designed to protect against a besieging enemy. In 1808 a British expeditionary force under John Moore arrived in Sweden, but after months of idleness departed for the beginning of the Peninsular War . Had the king accepted the landing of 10,000 British troops in Skåne , where
17812-536: The territories be emptied, and Finns were subsequently evacuated from the area and resettled in Finland. The areas that they left were then settled by Soviet immigrants. In the Moscow Armistice signed in 1944 between Finland, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, a small peninsula towards the Gulf of Finland, Porkkala , was rented to the Soviet Union as a military base. This created in effect
17958-422: The trunk of a tree, and in waters, with buoys, signs and placards. The zone is not always uninhabited; inhabitants obtain permanent permits. Entering the border zone without permit is an offence punished with fines. In minor cases, foreigners are deported without punishment. Roads pass through the border zone to the border, and leaving the road is not permitted. Although there are fences near major border crossings,
18104-485: The two colonies merged to form the independent state of Somalia in 1960, however when the former British Somaliland declared independence in 1991 it claimed the former British-Italian line as its eastern border. A line of control (LoC) refers to a militarized buffer border between two or more nations that has yet to achieve permanent border status. LoC borders are typically under military control and are not recognized as an official international border. Formally known as
18250-428: The war with a garrison of 6,000 men, over 700 cannons, and enough stores to last until the summer of 1808. Defenses were strong enough to prevent the Russians from trying to storm the fortress by surprise. Instead the Russians laid siege to Sveaborg . The fortress surrendered on 6 May 1808 after prolonged negotiations with the Russians as the commanding officer Carl Olof Cronstedt and his council believed that resistance
18396-521: The war. Sufficient stocks of supplies had not been prepared for the Swedish army, since King Gustaf IV Adolf thought it might be taken as provocative by the Russians. Furthermore, Swedish strategy relied on the outdated plans for Finland which took into account neither the advances in weaponry, mobility of the armed forces or the greatly improved road networks of Finland. Most of the fortifications in Finland had not been completed and those that were completed had mostly fallen into neglect and disrepair. Even
18542-416: The west of the Russian capital and safeguarding it in case of any future hostilities between the two powers. The situation was problematic for Sweden, since it once again faced both Denmark and Russia as potential enemies requiring the Swedes to split their forces. The king had thought it impossible to defend Finland should the enemy attack during the winter and chose largely to ignore the repeated warnings of
18688-507: The whole of Finland and all of its domains east of the Torne river (the north-eastern parts of what was then called Västerbotten , today Norrbotten ) to Russia. Sweden then joined the Continental System and closed its harbours to British ships, leading to a formal declaration of war on Great Britain . A few months later, on 6 January 1810, the Russian government mediated the Treaty of Paris between Sweden and France. Russia would create
18834-437: The withdrawing Swedish crown on the reverse side, and the post-war future of the country, with the Russian eagle symbol on the obverse side. In memory of the 200th anniversary of the Finnish War, all Swedish 1 krona coins minted during 2009 featured a stylised depiction of the sky and the sea on the reverse side, flanked by a quote by Anton Rosell: Den underbara sagan om ett land på andra sidan havet ("The wonderful story of
18980-422: The world through human agency. That means that although a political border may follow a river or mountain range, such a feature does not automatically define the political border, even though it may be a major physical barrier to crossing. Political borders are often classified by whether or not they follow conspicuous physical features on the earth. William Miles said that Britain and France traced close to 40% of
19126-689: Was Raja‑Jooseppi, located in the Arctic Circle , through which asylum seekers could still cross. Additionally, on November 23, Frontex announced that the EU would help Finland secure its eastern border by deploying more personnel. Only five days after the closure of Kuusamo, Salla and Vartius, the last remaining crossing, Raja-Jooseppi, was temporarily closed for a period of two weeks. The closures, which apply to all traffic, including Finnish citizens, will last until April 14, 2024. Initially, they were slated to reopen on February 11, 2024, but on February 8,
19272-487: Was appointed as the commander of the Russian army in Finland in December 1807. The plan involved using the series of fortifications built after 1790 as staging grounds for the Russian advances into Finland. In southern Finland, armies were to isolate the fortifications and first take control of the whole of southern Finland before advancing further to the north. Forces in Savolax (Finnish: Savo ) were to press hard against
19418-521: Was chosen to lead the first Swedish army to Finland. He was to lead a force of 2,600 men, land somewhere between Nystad (Finnish: Uusikaupunki ) and Åbo , and then capture the latter. Von Vegesack instead chose to land his force at the Lemo (Finnish: Lemu ) manor house a few kilometers south of Åbo. The landing began on 19 June and was initially successful. The surprised Russians garrisoned at Åbo reacted quickly, however, and deployed over 3,000 men to stop
19564-477: Was dispatched to the north of Finland, left garrisons in every fort along his way. This reduced his unit to 4,000 troops, which proved insufficient to pacify the hostile country. The Finns rose up in guerrilla fighting as far east as Frederikshamn (Finnish: Hamina ) within the Old Finland province of Russia. In May, the Russians suffered further setbacks when they were driven from Gotland and Åland, where
19710-771: Was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars . As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire. Other notable effects were the Swedish parliament 's adoption of a new constitution and the establishment of the House of Bernadotte ,
19856-540: Was futile. The Russians gained the main body of the Swedish archipelago fleet intact as well as large stores of supplies and munitions. The Russians had advanced considerably but they had also gained the long and vulnerable coastline with it. After the sea would be clear of ice there would be nothing to prevent Swedish forces from landing troops on the shore. With the Royal Navy supporting the Swedish Navy there
20002-412: Was ill-prepared for a war. While the garrison was 700 men strong, only a third of the men had actually functioning weapons, while most of the fortress' guns had no carriages. The fortress had fallen into disrepair and lacked both adequate food and ammunition stores. Even the wells were found to be unusable. After starting the siege on 21 February, the Russians issued a surrender demand for the fort, but this
20148-559: Was largely replaced by immigrants from Finland, most of whom were Savonians who spoke Finnish instead of the closely related Karelian . After the Finnish War , the Treaty of Fredrikshamn transferred Finland from Sweden to the Russian Empire with the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Finland , an autonomous state ruled by the Russian Czars. In 1812, the Finnish–Russian border reverted to its pre-1721 location, granting
20294-503: Was little the Russian Baltic Fleet could accomplish. Capture of the main body of the Swedish archipelago fleet had resulted in a real advantage to the Russians since it allowed them to gain superiority in the narrow waters of the Finnish archipelago where large ships of the line could not operate. Even the powerful explosion at Sveaborg which destroyed several of the captured ships did little to change Russian superiority in
20440-420: Was moved from Åland to Finland, and landed at Kristinestad in late autumn, joining with von Döbeln's forces. However, since von Vegesack had been ordered to land his men at Björneborg , the king, after pursuing the matter unsuccessfully in military tribunals, condemned von Vegesack to lose his rank and title. A Russian battle fleet under Admiral Pyotr Khanykov (also Chanikoff ) sortied in late July to clear
20586-423: Was not protected underground and tunnelling under it was possible. At the international border, there was a border vista . On the Finnish side, there was a border zone where entry was allowed only with a permit. In Northern Finland, there was a reindeer fence intended to stop crossing by privately owned reindeer , but this was not designed as an obstacle to persons. Since Finland was a neutral country for most of
20732-419: Was notified of the Russian invasion already on 21 February and since it was impossible to hold the predefined defense lines as the army had not yet fully assembled, he ordered the army to assemble at Tavastehus (Finnish: Hämeenlinna ). Before the engagement started, Klingspor finally arrived on 2 March and assumed command. Instead of facing the Russians at Tavastehus, he ordered the army to withdraw. In Savolax
20878-416: Was refused by the Swedes. The demand was repeated on 2 March but without success. After a meager Russian bombardment, Gripenberg agreed to negotiations on 10 March. The fortress surrendered to the Russians on 18 March after a siege that had lasted roughly a month, with just one man having been wounded in action. Sveaborg (Finnish: Suomenlinna ) under Admiral Carl Olof Cronstedt had been well prepared for
21024-509: Was succeeded by Kamensky. A British Royal Navy fleet under Admiral James Saumarez had arrived in Sweden in May and he concentrated his ships, 10 ship of the line and 17 smaller ships, to the Gulf of Finland. The presence of the British naval units kept the Russian battlefleet strictly confined to Kronstadt , and after the British constructed artillery batteries to the Porkkala cape they cut off
21170-413: Was taken. In Savolax, Russians also advanced rapidly and took Kuopio on 16 March. Swedish forces had mostly just withdrawn before the advancing Russian often destroying usable materials. For example, the Swedish archipelago fleet 's ships that had been docked in Åbo (nearly 50 gun sloops) were torched to prevent their capture. The Swedish fortress of Svartholm, commanded by Major Carl Magnus Gripenberg,
21316-418: Was to march from Vasa towards Umeå and the other from Åbo to Åland and thence towards the vicinity of Stockholm . A third unit was to advance into Sweden by land, going around the gulf and through the town of Torneå (Finnish: Tornio ). Although Knorring was urged to execute the plan as quickly as possible, he regarded the idea as unrealistic and procrastinated until March, when the emperor dispatched
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