Suvorov military canals

Suvorov military canals (Suvorov canals) is a series of four open canals on Saimaa lake in Finland. The four canals of Kutvele, Käyhkää, Kukonharju and Telataipale are located in Puumala, Ruokolahti and Sulkava. They were built between 1791–1798 as part of the South-Eastern Finland fortification system and are the oldest canals in Finland. The canals are named after general Alexander Suvorov who ordered their construction.

After the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) Sweden ceded the Lappeenranta fortress and Olavinlinna castle in Savonlinna to the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Åbo. The treaty divided Saimaa lake in two, with Sweden controlling the strait of Puumala and requiring toll payments from water traffic between Savonlinna and Lappeenranta and denying military traffic altogether. After the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790) Russia began to improve the defences in Finland by building the South-Eastern Finland fortification system. The war had also showed the importance of Saimaa water ways and as part of the fortification system it was decided to construct a series of canals to bypass Puumala.

Construction of Kutvele, Käyhkää and Telataipale canals began in fall 1791 under Ivan Laube. Construction of Kukonharju canal began later in 1794. The smaller canals had some 300 men working in their construction while the larger Kukonharju canal had around one thousand men. Kukonharju and Kutvele canals were finished in 1796 and Käyhkää and Telataipale in 1798.

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