23 February 1940 - DAY 86 of Winter War
The commander of the Army of the Isthmus orders his group commanders to prepare for withdrawal to the
backline defensive positions.
A Finnish force in Viipurinlahti bay retakes Lasisaari island, but the general situation forces it to withdraw from the island in the evening and during the night.
The enemy mounts a forceful attack on Petäjäsaari island in Lake Ladoga and takes control of the southern tip of the island for 24 hours.
In the far north, army intelligence reports that the enemy has 23 fighter aircraft and 49 bombers in Petsamo.
In Ladoga Karelia the enemy attacks in
Pitkäranta across the entire breadth of the front, but without success.
During the afternoon Foreign Minister Tanner receives a communication from Stockholm containing a precise statement of the Soviet Union's terms for peace.
The terms are a shock, and the shock is further compounded by Sweden's refusal to allow Allied troops to pass through Sweden en route to Finland.
The Soviet Union responds to Sweden's protest over the bombing of Pajala in northern Sweden.
The TASS news agency describes the reports of the bombings by Soviet aircraft as "mendacious and malicious allegations".
In Moscow, the Red Army celebrates its 22nd anniversary with exceptionally little pomp and without the traditional parade through Red Square.
Izvestija, the chief organ of the Soviet Government, praises the achievements of the Soviet forces in the Finnish war by saying that despite the "treachery" of the Finns the Red Army will in the end prevail.
Daily Finnish Losses: 412