Kollaa River
Encyclopedia
The Kollaa River is a 76-kilometre long river in the Republic of Karelia
Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas...

, Russia. It starts from Lake Kollasjärvi in the Suoyarvsky District
Suoyarvsky District
Suoyarvsky District is an administrative district , one of the fifteen in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Suoyarvsky Municipal District. Its administrative center is the town of Suoyarvi. District's population: 24,028 ; Population of Suoyarvi accounts for...

 and flows to Lake Tulmozero  in the Pryazhinsky District
Pryazhinsky District
Pryazhinsky District is an administrative district , one of the fifteen in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Pryazhinsky Municipal District. Its administrative center is the urban locality of Pryazha...

.

Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the source of the river was a part of the Finnish municipality Suistamo and it flowed further through Suojärvi to Tulemajärvi on the Russian side. During the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...

 in 1939, the area was a scene of the Battle of Kollaa
Battle of Kollaa
The Battle of Kollaa was fought from December 7, 1939 - March 13, 1940 in the Ladoga's Karelia, Finland as a part of the Winter War.Despite having far fewer troops than the Soviets, the Finnish forces repelled the Red Army because the Soviets were only prepared to proceed along roads...

. The river became part of Finnish history, as the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

 failed to break through there. A memorable quote, "Kollaa holds" (), became a legendary motto for the Finns. The river and area are associated with the exploits of the Finnish marksman Simo Häyhä
Simo Häyhä
Simo Häyhä , nicknamed "White Death" by the Red Army, was a Finnish sniper. Using a modified Mosin–Nagant in the Winter War, he has the highest recorded number of confirmed sniper kills - 505 - in any major war....

, the gunman with the highest number of confirmed kills in any major war. The battle areas around the river are a preserved monument and tourist site.

The asteroid 1929 Kollaa
1929 Kollaa
1929 Kollaa is a main-belt asteroid discovered on January 20, 1939 by Yrjö Väisälä at Turku, Finland. It is named after the Kollaa River in Karelia, the focal point on the Winter War.- External links :*...

is named after the river.
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