On November 7, 2008 project Coördinator Pavel Razinov has died.

On January 16, 2006 message of Elena Rozhkovskaya from Murmansk appeared in the project's guestbook. After followed e-mail exchange it became possible to determine name of one more soviet soldier fallen near Suomussalmi during Winter (Soviet-Finnish) war of 1939-1940.

On November 16, 2004, the meeting of round table on the topic "Small wars and military involvements of 1939-1940 (Khalkin-Gol river engagement, Soviet-Finnish war)" was held in Russian main military archive.

Project coördinator from Russian side P.A.Razinov made a speech about results of the work on "Winter war Monument" project and memorizing of fallen Soviet soldiers near Suomussalmi in 1939-1940 winter.

In March 12-14, 2004 in Petrozavodsk (Russia) and Suomussalmi (Finland) took part a joint seminar dedicated to the results of "The Monument of the Winter War" project. The seminar started its work in Petrozavodsk on March 12. Russian workgroup members, leading Karelian historians, researchers from the Russian State Military Archives, volunteers of the Zhitomir region (Ukraine) Memory Book, representatives of veterans organisations and the management of the Military History Institution (Ministry of Defence of the Russian federation) participated in the seminar activities.

On the same day the seminar participants went to Suomussalmi where on March 13 – the day of the end of the 1939-1940 Winter War – the seminar was continued. The leading expert of the Military History Institution (Finnish defence forces Academy) Mr. Eero Elfvengren presented the opinion of the Finnish military historians. The seminar participants summed up the results of two years of the joint work and outlined perspectives of the further coöperation in perpetuation of the memory of Soviet and Finnish soldiers fallen in the battles of the Winter War.

In February 26, 2004 co-ordinating group of the "The Monument of the Winter War" project got the request from Nina Egorovna Shevko from Petrozavodsk. Nina Egorovna learn about the project from the press and wanted two know the fate of her two relatives, fallen in this war – Nikolay Alexeevich Koshelev, lost in battle on February 18, 1940 and Piotr Trofimovich Latkin, deceased in February 17, 1940.

In February 12 and 19, 2003 two E-mails from Valentina Mikhaylovna and Andrey Nikiforovich Sharamenko from Cherkassy region (Ukraine) came to the project address. They asked to help to find the burial place of their grandfather, Andrey Nikiforovich Grebenik, who served in 13 detached road battalion, missed at the battle on the Sumisalmo-Peranka (places names taken from the text of the archive information) highway. Some facts that were given by Sharamenko family are of great interest to the project.

In January 26, 2004 the Russian project co-ordinator got the letter from Mr. A.Makarchuk (Kololyanka village, Novograd-Volynsky district, Zhitomir region, Ukraine) with the request to find out the fate of his relatives and compatriots Zinovy Trofimovich Opanasyuk (born in 1916) and Polikarp Davidovich Makarchuk, who did not return from the Winter War. The Novograd-Volynsky military commissioner recommended him to contact the members of "The Monument of the Winter War" project.

In January 22, 2004 the project got the letter from Raisa Afanasievna Ukrainets (city of Zhitomir, Ukraine) with the request to find out the fate of her brother Afanasy Afanasievich Ukrainets (born in 1915), who fell in the Winter War.

In January 22, 2004 the project got the letter from Novograd-Volynsky city military commissioner and Nina Victorovna Nikitchina with the request to help to find out the fate of the father of Nina Nikitchina – Victor Timofeevich Nikitchin (born in 1903). According the information of the military commissioner office he was missed in battle, but according the information of his fellow-soldiers, was killed at the battlefield.

In January 11, 2004 the Russian project co-ordinator got the letter from Zinaida Pokropina (Ruzhin tounship, Ruzhin district, Zhitomir region, Ukraine). Mrs. Pokropina wanted to find out the fate of her father, Evstafy Sidorovich Tyshkevich, who, according the information of the military commissioner office was missed in battle. She stressed that might be the project will help to find the grave of her father and his memory will be immortalised.

In January 10, 2004 the project got the letter from Nadezhda Shinkarenko (Dneproprtrovsk, Ukraine) with the request to find out the fate of the father, Pietr Ivanovich Prokopenko (born in 1910), served in the 44th division and fallen in battle during the Winter War.

In November 29, 2003 to the project address there came a letter from the local administration of Popelnya village (Popelnya district, Zhitomir region, Ukraine) with the names of 20 village inhabitants, who did not return from the Winter War.

In October 16, 2003 there came the letter from Pietr Nikolaevitch Musyka, living in Berdichev (Zhitomir region, Ukraine). In his letter he writes about his father, Nikolay Klementievich Muzyka, born in 1904, who served in the 44th division, but, according to the information of the military commissioner office, was killed in October 9th 1940 during the Red Army attack at the city of Pitkäranta.

In October 16, 2003 the Russian project co-ordinator got the letter from the pupils and teachers of Mirolyubov high school (Zhitomir district, Zhitomir region, Ukraine). In this letter they informed about the first results of the tourist and regional studies expedition organised by them. The main aim of the expedition was to find people whose relatives did not return from the Winter War.

In September 18, 2003 Karelian representatives of the workgroup of the "Winter War Monument" project took part in the work of the international seminar on the problems of protection and use of the military history object "Defensive engineering structures of the WWII in Medvezhiegorsk".

In September 2, 2003 the Russian co-ordinator of the project got the first letter from Olga Feodorovna Roshak (Zhitomir, Ukraine) in which she wrote about her father, Feodor Klimentievich Roshak, who served in the 44th division and was missed in battle.

In August 14, 2003 the Russian members of the "Winter War Monument" project held a "round-table" meeting.

In July 21, 2003 the Finnish-Russian workgroup of the "Winter War Monument" project and the leaders of the Suomussalmi commune and the union of communes of Kainu region met in RaatteenPortti museum near Suomussalmi (Finland). The meeting was dedicated to the interim results of the project and the results of the first year of its realisation.

In July 10, 2003 the workgroup representatives met with the specialists of the Ministry of Internal Affairs archives in the Republic of Karelia.

From June 30 till July 5, 2003 the joint Russian-Finnish scientific expedition, made up of the members of the "Winter War Monument" project, worked in the Kalevala (Uhtua) community. The aims of the expedition were to find, study and document the military memorials and sites of 1939-1940 and 1941-1944.

The expedition staff included also the historians, representatives of the Karelian Ministry of Culture and administrative workers of Suomussalmi (Finland) and Kalevala (Karelia, Russia) communes.

The expedition took place within the framework of the "Winter War Monument" project and was organised by the Republic of Karelia State Centre of the preservation and use of the historic and cultural monuments (V.Markova), History faculty of the Petrozavodsk State University (S.Verigin) and administration of Kalevala commune.

In July 3, 2003 the project workgroup met with the representatives of several Karelian archives. The main aim of the meeting was the concrete definition of the possibilities of each archive service to find the documents relating to the events of the 1939-40 on the Suomussalmi sector.

The members of the meeting stressed the necessity to find documents relating the activity of the frontier troops and ministry of interior troops that fought in this sector together with the regular 163 and 44 divisions of the Red Army.

In July 2, 2003 the members of the "Winter War Monument" project met with the military commissioner in the Republic of Karelia. Colonel A. Ionov. The latter confirmed the readiness of the Karelian military commission to actively assist in the project realization.

In June 26, 2003 Mr. S.Antropov confirmed that the Russian Committee of the Veterans of War and Military Service will take part in the activities of the "Winter War Monument" project and actively assist its success.

Contacts with the Russian Committee of the Veterans of War and Military Service were established by the efforts of the staff of the Russian military attache in Finland (Mr.S.Iliynsky) and the Karelian Council of the Veterans of War and Military Service (V. Gromov).

June 4-5, 2003 at the Post-Diploma Teacher' Training Institute of the Republic of Karelia there took place the Winter War Memorial project work-seminar. The representatives of the project from the Finnish side and from the archive-historical services of the Leningradian military district were present at the seminar.

April 2, 2003. The Winter War monument workgroup held a meeting at which the journalists of the Karelia State TV and Radio Company showed the prepared TV programme "Our War Youth".

On behalf of the Finnish and Russian participants of the project, a memorial sign was presented to the Soviet-Finnish War Veteran D.S.Alexandrov.

A.J.Petrenko, the representative of the Ukrainian Culture Society, informed the members of the work group about the results of his visit to the General Consulate of Ukraine in St.Petersburg.

March 30, 2003. The Russia-Karelia TV channel showed the TV programme "Our War Youth" dedicated to the 63rd anniversary of the end of the Soviet-Finnish War.

The authors of the programme, TV-journalists Anatoli Gordienko and Vladimir Volotovski, devoted the whole programme to the opening ceremony of the Memorial to Finnish and Soviet soldiers fallen during the actions of 1939-1940 on Raate Road.

In March 15, 2003 the editor of "Litsey" newspaper got the letter from Tamara Mikhaylova from Petrozavodsk. Tamara Mikhaylova wrote that the article by Natalia Krasavtseva "The bells on the stones field" reminded her of those far away times. Her uncle, Pietr Vasilievich Lulakov, was one of those missed on the 1939-40 Winter War. Later Tamara Mikhaylova met with the workgroup members and passed them over some photos of her uncle, by some miracle survived the WW II times, and made a request to find more information about him in archives and to immortalise his memory. Tamara Mikhaylova also told about one more of her relatives – Pietr Nikolaevich Mikhaylov, who was wounded during the Winter War. After the recovery he was drafted again and participated in the Great Patriotic War.

March 13, 2003. The first phase of the Winter War Memorial complex opened. Present at the ceremony were the Governor of the Oulu Province Eino Siuruainen, representatives of the Lutheran and Orthodox Churches of Finland, leaders of the Regional Kainuu Union, spokesmen of the military public of Finland, Finnish veterans of the Winter War, the leadership and citizen of the Suomussalmi commune, representatives of the Russian and Ukrainian Embassies, and the participants of the working group of the Winter War Monument project from both the Finnish and Russian sides were present at the ceremony.

On the foot of the Monument to the Finnish and Russian soldiers perished on this territory during the military campaign of 1939-1940. Wreathes were laid from the President of Finland, Russian and Ukrainian Embassies.

The Memorial opening ceremony was widely covered in the Finnish Mass Media, and particularly in the news on the 1st Finnish TV channel. The Memorial opening was also widely covered by the Karelian Mass Media.

March 14, 2003. The project work-seminar took place at Raatteen Portti Museum under the guidance of Marko Seppänen, the director of the Museum and Head of the "Winter War Monument" Project. Paavo Keränen, Head Coördinator of the EU Program "Interreg IIIA – Karelia" in Regional Council of Kainuu, took part in the seminar. For health reasons the Karelian Veterans could not go to the seminar and on behalf of the veterans, D.S.Alexandrov made an address to the participants of the seminar. The address was video taped in Petrozavodsk before the departure of the work group participants for the Memorial opening.

The results of the previous stage of the project were summed up at the seminar. Also discussed in detail was the prospect of elaboration of the list of servicemen of the 163rd and 164th infantry divisions of the Workers` and Peasants` Red Army who perished on this territory.

March 15, 2003. Representatives of the Winter War Memorial project work-group took part in the opening of the traditional skiing holiday commemorating the end of the Winter War. The inhabitants of the Suomussalmi commune, athletes, servicemen, and frontier-guards took part in the skiing holiday. This year the skiing holiday was dedicated to the opening of the first phase of the memorial complex. Starting the race was Erkki Pullinen, one of the fathers of the idea of dedicating the monument and the memorial complex to all the Finnish and Soviet warriors that perished on this territory in 1939-1940, started the race.

March 11, 2003. The Winter War Memorial project work-group held a seminar in Petrozavodsk. The Winter War veteran D.S.Alexandrov and distinguished Karelian journalists and historians took part in the seminar.

Unfortunately, for health reasons none of the Karelian War Veterans invited to the first phase memorial complex opening ceremony could go to Suomussalmi. D.S.Alexandrov video taped a welcoming address to the inhabitants of the Suomussalmi commune and the Finnish Winter War Veterans on their behalf. In his address, D.S.Alexandrov acknowledged them for the initiative of perpetuating the memory of all the Finnish and Soviet warriors that perished on those territories.

Rudolf Sykiäinen, the prominent journalist, translator, and researcher, told the seminar participants about the fate of the Soviet prisoners of war in Finland. He illustrated the story with a video featuring Finnish historians devoted to this aspect of relations between the Soviet Union and Finland.

February 3-4, 2003. The Project work-seminar was held in Petrozavodsk. The interim results of the first phase of the project were summed up at the seminar.

Together with the Petrozavodsk work group (project coördinator Pavel Razinov), present at the seminar were the "Interreg IIIA-Karelia" project coördinator Paavo Keränen, the project secretary of the Kainuu region Johanna Keränen, the representative of Suomussalmi authorities Erkki Pullinen, the director of the Raatteen Portti Marko Seppänen, the representative of the National Defence College Eero Elfvengren, the researcher from Joensuu University Jussi Kämäräinen, and the well-known (both in Finland and Russia) journalist, writer, and publicist from Moscow Rudolf Sykiäinen.

November 29-30, 2002. At Raatteen Portti Museum (Suomussalmi, Finland) there took place the first joint work seminar and work meeting of the Winter War project attended by participants from both the Finnish and Karelian sides. The seminar and the meeting were dedicated to the official opening of the realization of the project.

The public representatives of the Kainuu region, Suomussalmi commune, Finnish and Russian Mass Media, and a representative of the Russian Embassy in Finland took part in the seminar.

November 26, 2002. At the Post-Diploma Teacher' Training Institute (Petrozavodsk) there took place the presentation of the Internet-site and the press conference dedicated to the official opening of the Winter War project.

The project is implemented within the framework of the frontier coöperation "Interreg IIIA – Karelia" Programme. On the initiative of the Suomussalmi commune the aim of the project is setting up a Memorial Complex dedicated to all the Finnish and Soviet warriors that perished on this territory during the Soviet-Finnish War in 1939-1940 and immortalizing the name of each perished soldier on a separate memorial stone.

The representatives of Mass Media, participants of the project work group, veterans and their relatives were present at the seminar.

November 15, 2002. The representatives of the Petrozavodsk work group met the leaders of the War History Institute and War Memorial Centre of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defence. They also visited the Main Russian War Archive on the basis of which the authors of the All-Russian Memorial Book (1939-1940) work. Among other names, it contains the names of those servicemen of the 163rd and 164th infantry divisions of the Red Army, who perished in Suomussalmi during the Soviet-Finnish War.

The Head of the of the War History Institute of the RF Ministry of Defence A.A.Koltykov informed the representatives of the project work group about the activities carried out by the President and the Government aimed at perpetuating the memory of the Soviet soldiers who perished in the Soviet-Finnish War in 1939-1940. A.A.Koltykov also told the participants of the project about the work on the All-Russian Memorial Book dedicated to the warriors who perished in military actions during that period.