The unidentified remains of 48 Finnish soldiers killed in the second world war have been buried in a military funeral in Lappeenranta.
The funerals were held on the Commemoration Day of Fallen Soldiers, the third Sunday in May.
On the same day, President Sauli Niinistö laid a wreath in honour of fallen soldiers at the Hietaniemi cemetery in Helsinki.
Since 1992 the remains of some 1,600 Finnish soldiers have been discovered on WW2 battlefields on territory that now belongs to Russia.
Of those, around 400 have been buried in their home municipalities in Finland. Some 850 have been buried in Lappeenranta, with the last ceremony taking place in 2021.
This summer’s search for remains, which is normally conducted by volunteers, has been called off due to security concerns. It is estimated that around 10,000 Finnish soldiers’ remains are still to be found.
Source: Yle
