Both my parents was from Karelian Isthmus and had to leave their homes in 1944 when Karelia was ceded to the Soviet Union after the Continuation War. I've only visited Karelia once with my mother and that was in the mid-90:ies at a Homecoming Day at mother's home parish of Muolaa, but I've always been aware of how much the loss of their homeland meant to both of my parents. Now they are both dead and I can't ask them if they would like to have Karelia back or not. Somehow I believe my father would like it, his home parish was close to the present border between Russia and Finland and his youngest brother lives within walking distance to the border. But I'm not as sure if mother would like to have Karelia back, the places where she grew up were very changed and there was only the steps left of the parish church and we couldn't find any traces of her childhood home. The land itself, the buildings and fields also looked a bit dilapidated and I would guess that it would need a lot of money to get it back to what it once were. Then there's also the question of all the people who now live in Karelia, who have moved there after the war and have lived there for more than 60 years. They are ethnic Russians and it's not certain than they want to become Finnish citizens, what would happen to them, a new displacement of people? Almost all of the Finnish citizens was evacuated when Karelia was ceded to the Soviet Union, and who was born in Karelia before the wars are now in their mid-60:ies and older and it's not certain that their children and grandchildren wants to move back to places where they never lived.
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