As capital of Soviet Karelia, Petrozavodsk (Petroskoi to the Finns) held clear value as a symbolic target. If the Finns hoped to keep Karelia after the war, Finnish leaders believed, they would have to take Petroskoi by force of arms. Realizing this, the Soviets fought ferociously for the small city. A month-long campaign in the Karelian forests brought the Finnish VII Corps to the city's gates, but the Red Army would not surrender the town without a fight.

The mix of Red Army units in Petrozavodsk fought hard for the city, making the Finns take it by assault. Already the Finnish Army had lost far more casualties than in the entire Winter War, but pressed the attack here. After savage close-quarters combat, the Finns finally ejected the last Soviet soldiers from the town, but at enormous cost.