Forward elements of the German troops began arriving in Finland on 1 June, while follow-on talks continued in Helsinki to 6 June, with the Finnish army mobilizing on 10 June 1941. Following the start of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June, the Soviet Air Force struck various targets in Finland. These included both military targets, such as airfields used by the Germans, as well as civilian targets in Helsinki and other major Finnish cities. Following the bombings, the Finnish parliament announced on 25 June that war had broken out between Finland and the Soviet Union. The Finnish Army of Karelia began offensive operations in south-eastern Finland on the night of 9–10 July 1941, with Finnish troops crossing the border soon after midnight. The Finnish forces reached Svir by 8 September, with forces of the Finnish VI corps arriving at Kuuttilahti, Lodeynoye Pole and the Svir railway station. The Finns crossed the river on 12 September, establishing a bridgehead that would eventually reach a width of and a depth of . It soon became clear, however, that the German forces would not be able to reach the Svir from the south. The Finns were hesitant to advance southwards, themselves, and the front stabilized into stationary or trench warfare. Despite the extremely close Finno-German collaboration, Finland consistently rejected a political alliance with Germany, instead framing its actions to the Western powers as a separate, defensive war. Over the winter of 1941–42, the Finnish leadership became increasingly worried about the direction of the war. Finland, however, remained dependent on Germany for both food and military supply. Only after the collapse of the siege of Leningrad in January 1944 and the bombing of several Finnish cities did the Finns prepare for peace talks. The Germans answered these peace feelers by a weapons and grain embargo, which further increased the Finnish dependence on German aid. The situation deteriorated further when the Soviet Union launched the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive on 9 June 1944. Negotiations The situation had not stabilized by 17 June, and the Finns were being pushed back, especially on the Karelian Isthmus, causing increasing concern among both the Finns and the Germans. It appeared to the Germans that Finnish forces would not be able to halt the offensive on their own, and preparations were made to evacuate all German citizens from Finland. The Finnish General Headquarters, meanwhile, estimated that six to eight German divisions would be