Who led the resistance movement in the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic - Yury Andropov or Gennady Kupriyanov?

When studying the resistance movement in the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), it is important to focus on the role of its key leaders: Yu. V. Andropov, the First Secretary of the Komsomol organization of the Karelo-Finnish SSR, and G. N. Kupriyanov, the First Secretary of the party organization of the union republic. This study is the first in Russian historiography to address the question of who actively organized resistance efforts behind enemy lines and who held a leadership position in the underground movement in name only. Particular attention is given to the unique characteristics of the Karelian underground, which exhibited several notable differences compared to similar movements in other regions of the USSR. Utilizing an analysis of memoirs, recent biographical studies, and previously inaccessible archival documents related to the party underground of the Karelo-Finnish SSR which the author presents for the first time this research establishes the contributions of the republic’s leadership to the organization of resistance activities in the occupied territories of Karelia.