Raate Road, Suomussalmi
The battlefield where the 44th Division from Zhytomyr region perished in January 1940; a Ukrainian monument stands here.
The 44th Rifle Division was formed in 1919: its headquarters stood in Zhytomyr, with units in Shepetivka and Novohrad-Volynskyi. In December 1939 it was moved to Karelia, and between 1 and 8 January 1940 Finnish troops cut its thirty-kilometre column on the Raate Road and destroyed it piece by piece. Estimates of the losses differ: the official report of the Soviet Stavka gives 4,674 men, more recent Finnish research 7,000–9,000 killed and 1,300 taken prisoner. Today the former battlefield holds the Winter War Monument by Erkki Pullinen, with its field of a thousand stones. The Ukrainian monument is of light granite, with a figure of the Protectress Mother of God and the inscription "Ukraine prays for the souls of the fallen"; the plaque on it is from the city of Novohrad-Volynskyi.
The coordinate is the Ukrainian monument itself by the road, Kuhmontie 105, Suomussalmi, unveiled on 30.08.2009 (reiskatjareppu.com blog, 05.04.2025); access to it is free. The Raate Gate Winter War museum (Raatteentie 2) charges admission and is seasonal: in 2026 it is open from 23.05 to 04.10, 10:00 to 16:00, and an adult ticket costs 15 € (museum website, checked 01.10.2026).