Fort Ino
Encyclopedia
Fort Ino or Fort Nikolaevsky ( or форт Николаевский) is an abandoned early 20th-century Russia
n coastal
fortification
situated on the northern shore of Neva Bay
in the Gulf of Finland
. The fort is close to the present-day settlement Privetninskoye (Former name was Ino before 1946) of Vyborgsky District
of Leningrad Oblast
, opposite the Krasnaya Gorka fort
on the southern shore. Fort Ino is still under Russian control. The ruins of the fortress, with an extensive system of underground tunnels, are now abandoned and are partially accessible to the public.
, within the borders of Viipuri Province
of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland
. It was intended to protect the capital city of Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) and the naval base at Kronstadt
, and was served by a railroad and a harbor. As Finland
had become independent, on March 1, 1918, during the Finnish Civil War
, in a friendship treaty the Finnish Red Guards
' Edvard Gylling
and Oskari Tokoi
in the name of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
ceded the fortress to Soviet Russia. However, the Finnish White Guards
, who ultimately came out victorious in the civil war, demanded the fortress back, and on April 24 the 5th Jaeger Regiment under Major Hugo Viktor Österman
laid siege to it. On May 8 Germany
demanded Soviet Russia return the fort to Finland, and the Soviet government
for fear of violating the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
withdrew its support to the crew. On May 14, 1918, the Soviet crew destroyed the batteries and evacuated to Kronstadt
aboard the battleship Respublika
. With the Treaty of Tartu
in 1920, Finland undertook to disarm it completely within a year.
in 1939, the advancing Soviets examined Fort Ino and found it damaged beyond repair. After World War II
there was a Soviet navy
installation researching radiological weapon
s.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n coastal
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
situated on the northern shore of Neva Bay
Neva Bay
The Neva Bay , also known as the Gulf of Kronstadt, is the easternmost part of the Gulf of Finland between Kotlin Island and the Neva River estuary where the city of St. Petersburg is sited....
in the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
. The fort is close to the present-day settlement Privetninskoye (Former name was Ino before 1946) of Vyborgsky District
Vyborgsky District, Leningrad Oblast
Vyborgsky District is a district of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, on the Karelian Isthmus, established in 1940 when the territory had been ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union by Moscow Peace Treaty as a result of the Winter War. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the town of...
of Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
, opposite the Krasnaya Gorka fort
Krasnaya Gorka fort
Krasnaya Gorka is a coastal artillery fortress west of Lomonosov, Russia on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, opposite Kotlin Island and the Baltic Fleet's base at Kronshtadt...
on the southern shore. Fort Ino is still under Russian control. The ruins of the fortress, with an extensive system of underground tunnels, are now abandoned and are partially accessible to the public.
Early history
Fort Ino was constructed in 1909-1916 on the cape Inoniemi on the Karelian IsthmusKarelian Isthmus
The Karelian Isthmus is the approximately 45–110 km wide stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia, to the north of the River Neva . Its northwestern boundary is the relatively narrow area between the Bay of Vyborg and Lake Ladoga...
, within the borders of Viipuri Province
Viipuri Province
The Viipuri Province was a province of independent Finland from 1917 to 1947 but had already been founded in 1743.-History:The province was established in 1743 by separating the city of Viipuri and territories ceded from the Swedish Empire to Russia by the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, from the Saint...
of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
. It was intended to protect the capital city of Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) and the naval base at Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
, and was served by a railroad and a harbor. As Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
had become independent, on March 1, 1918, during the Finnish Civil War
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
, in a friendship treaty the Finnish Red Guards
Red Guards (Finland)
The Red Guards formed the army of Red Finland during the Finnish Civil War in 1918. The combined strength of the Red Guard was about 30,000 at the beginning of the Civil War, and peaked at 90,000-120,000 during the course of the conflict....
' Edvard Gylling
Edvard Gylling
Edvard Otto Vilhelm Gylling was a prominent Social Democratic politician in Finland, later leader of Soviet Karelia....
and Oskari Tokoi
Oskari Tokoi
Antti Oskari Tokoi was a Finnish socialist who served as a leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. During the short-lived Revolution of 1918, Tokoi participated as a leading figure in the revolutionary government....
in the name of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic was a short-lived Finnish socialist government, established by a revolution just prior to the Finnish Civil War and in the aftermath of the October Revolution...
ceded the fortress to Soviet Russia. However, the Finnish White Guards
White Guard (Finland)
The White Guard was a voluntary militia that emerged victorious over the socialist Red Guard as part of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918...
, who ultimately came out victorious in the civil war, demanded the fortress back, and on April 24 the 5th Jaeger Regiment under Major Hugo Viktor Österman
Hugo Viktor Österman
Hugo Viktor Österman was a Finnish Lieutenant-General during World War II. He was commander of the Finnish Army 1933-1939....
laid siege to it. On May 8 Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
demanded Soviet Russia return the fort to Finland, and the Soviet government
Council of the People's Commissars
The Council of People's Commissars , was a government institution formed shortly after the October Revolution in 1917. Created in the Russian Republic the council laid foundations in restructuring the country to form the Soviet Union...
for fear of violating the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, mediated by South African Andrik Fuller, at Brest-Litovsk between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany, marking Russia's exit from World War I.While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year,...
withdrew its support to the crew. On May 14, 1918, the Soviet crew destroyed the batteries and evacuated to Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
aboard the battleship Respublika
Andrei Pervozvanny class battleship
The Andrey Pervozvanny class were a pair of predreadnought battleships built in the mid-1900s for the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. They were conceived by the Naval Technical Committee in 1903 as an incremental development of the Borodino class battleships with increased displacement...
. With the Treaty of Tartu
Treaty of Tartu (Russian–Finnish)
The Treaty of Tartu between Finland and Soviet Russia was signed on 14 October 1920 after negotiations that lasted for four months. The treaty confirmed the border between Finland and Soviet Russia after the Finnish civil war and Finnish volunteer expeditions in Russian East Karelia. Ratifications...
in 1920, Finland undertook to disarm it completely within a year.
Mid 20th century
Following the start of the Winter WarWinter 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 advancing Soviets examined Fort Ino and found it damaged beyond repair. After 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...
there was a Soviet navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
installation researching radiological weapon
Radiological weapon
A radiological weapon or radiological dispersion device is any weapon that is designed to spread radioactive material with the intent to kill, and cause disruption upon a city or nation....
s.
Sources
- Гольянов, Владислав. Форт Николаевский - стройка века. Прошлого, "Выборг" № 17 (16118), February 5, 2009.
- Михаленя, К.К. Форт "Ино". Строительство и разрушение. "Цитадель" № 2, 1996 - № 1, 1997.