Motti is a Finnish military slang for an encircled enemy unit. This tactic of envelopment was used extensively by the Finnish forces in the Winter War and the Continuation War to a good effect.

The idea was to cut the enemy columns or battlegroups into smaller groups and then encircle them by light and mobile forces, such as ski-troops during winter. This was especially effective against some of the mechanized units of the Soviet Army, as they were effectively restricted to the roads. The Finnish troops on the other hand could move quickly through the forests and strike weak points in the formations. The smaller pockets of enemies could then be dealt with individually by concentrating forces on them.

If the encircled enemy unit was too strong or attacking it would've caused too much friendly casualties, e.g. because of a lack of heavy equipment, the motti was usually left to "cook" until it ran out of supplies and ammunition and was ready to be eliminated. Some of the larger mottis held until the end of the wars, because they were resupplied by air.