The municipality of Porosozero was established in 1873. After
Finland's declaration of independence during the
Russian Civil War, the parish became an issue in
Finnish–Russian relations when its population held a vote in August 1918 to join Finland. The Finnish Army moved to occupy Porosozero in October. In the 1920
Treaty of Tartu, Finland gave up its claims on Porosozero and the neighboring
Reboly, and instead received
Petsamo in the far north, which had been annexed by Finland in 1918. The inhabitants of Porosozero, however, did not give up, and in 1921 they started a rebellion against the
Bolsheviks. The resistance movement, the
Metsäsissit (literally
Forest Guerillas) recruited volunteers from Finland and managed to capture large parts of
East Karelia. The Bolsheviks fought back, and in 1922 the last guerillas withdrew to Finland. During the
negotiations preceding the
Winter War,
Joseph Stalin offered Reboly and Porosozero in exchange for a smaller area on the
Karelian Isthmus. The offer was rejected.{{citation ==References==