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East Karelian Uprising 1921–1922 or Soviet–Finnish conflict 1921–1922
Part of Heimosodat
Karelian and Finnish kindred warriors fight side by side against Russian Bolsheviks, January 9, 1922, west of Rukajärvi in Tšolmo.
Date October-November 1921-January-February 1922 Location East Karelia Result East Karelians did not avoid annexation to RSFSR. Close to 30 000 Karelian refugees fled to Finland. The civil liberties of East Karelians were limited severely. East Karelians were summarily executed and collectively punished. Territorial changes No territorial changes.
Belligerents
Karelians: forest guerrillas farmers kinship warriors veterans Finnish volunteers: kinship warriors jägers White Guard members	Red Army
Commanders and leaders
Karjalan Metsäsissijärjestö: military commander Jalmari Takkinen ideological commander Ukki Väinämöinen council member Ossippa Borissainen	Red Army: November 1921 Meževyh December 1921 Aleksandr Sedjakin
Strength
Finnish volunteers 550 East Karelians 2500 Total: 3050	Red Army 13 000
Casualties and losses
50 killed, 150 wounded, 500 frostbitten	1506 killed, 200 wounded, ~10 POW

The East Karelian Uprising (Finnish: itäkarjalaisten kansannousu) or in Russian history the Soviet–Finnish conflict 1921–1922 (Russian: вторжение финских войск в Карелию) broke out when East Karelians rose against the bolshevik rule in hopes of an independent East Karelia on November 6, 1921. The conflict ended on March 21, 1922 with the Agreements between the governments of Soviet Russia and Finland about the measures of maintenance of the inviolability of the Soviet–Finnish border. The conflict is regarded one of the heimosodat - War for the Kindred in Finland.

Background for the uprising

Although East Karelia never was a part of the Swedish–Finnish state or the Grand Duchy of Finland, it had been populated since the subarctic stone age by Comb ceramic culture, later in written history Novgorodian Primary Chronicle mentions people generally called Vepsians who are Vepsian, Karelian, and Ingrian. All ethnically, linguistically, and culturally Finnic. Some Finns supported the idea of Greater Finland for Karelian annexation to form an unified homeland for Finnic tribes, whereas some wanted to help East Karelian "brothers" to gain their own independence as with Estonia in 1919-20. Some had a hatred for bolsheviks for their own reasons (notably for the mutual war crimes of both the White Guard and Red Guard in the recent Finnish Civil War) or thought they were saving christianity, and some were adventurers. Finnish expeditions to Russian East Karelia and the Russian region of Kola in 1918–1920 are called by Russian historians as First Soviet–Finnish War.

The different attitude of Finnish and Russian vews on correct history is evident in the Finnish terms: Viena expedition and Aunus expedition and as a part of a whole (Heimosodat) instead of a war between nations. Grand Duchy of Finland had sworn allegiance directly to the house of the Czar, not to Russia, and the Czar and his family had been murdered. These probing expeditions to rally anti-bolshevik Karelians in territories which did not exist de jure as a state, were ended by the Treaty of Tartu, where Finland and the Baltic states first recognised The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic as a sovereign state, and established the border between Finland and RSFSR.

The motivation for the uprising was East Karelians' year long experience of bolshevik regime not respecting promises of autonomy, food shortages, the will of nationalistic kindred activists to amend the results of the "shameful peace" of Tartu, and the longing of East Karelians exiled in Finland to return home. Finnish kindred activists, notably Jalmari Takkinen, the deputy of Bobi Sivén, the bailiff of Repola, had been touring in the summer of 1921 to rouse the East Karelians to stand up to the bolshevik belligerents of the ongoing Russian Civil War. East Karelian more martial farmers called themselves Karjalan metsäsissit (English: Forest Guerrillas), and by autumn of 1921 a notable part of White Karelia was under their control.

Towards Treaty of Tartu

The parishes of Repola and Porajärvi of Olonets Governorate had decided not to join the Bolshevist Russia. In late 1919 the Russian White Army retreated towards them. The Finnish government led by Juho Vennola decided in February 1920 that Finland should defend the dissidents. Foreign minister Rudolf Holsti sent a message to his counterpart Tshitsherin stating that Finland would disarm the White troops if the Red Army does not occupy the parishes. Agreement was honoured by both parties, although there were minor skirmishes between Finnish troops and the Red Army. These fights led to armistice negotiations in Rajajoki, which ended unsuccessfully after two weeks.

There had been uprisings in White Karelia already in 1920. After British forces left Karelia, Karelians arranged a meeting in Ukhta in March–April 1920 where they elected 117 representatives. In the meeting they decided that White Karelia should become an independent nation. Some parishes of Olonets Karelia joined in and the Väliaikainen toimikunta (Temporary Commission) renamed itself to Karjalan väliaikainen hallitus (Temporary Government of Karelia). However, the Red Army attacked them and in midsummer 1920 the Temporary Government escaped to Finland.

Finland sought a diplomatic compromise, where East Karelians could have a Referendum whether they wanted to join Finland or Bolshevik Russia. Due to Russian opposition Finland had to withdraw the initiative and cede Repola and Porajärvi. In return Finland got Petsamo and the Russian promise of cultural autonomy for East Karelia. The East Karelian autonomy promised never realised after the Treaty of Tartu was signed in October 21, 1920.

Anticipating this, Bobi Sivén, the bailiff of Repola county and his comrades had devised a contignency plan with the silent approval of Finnish ministry of foreign affairs titled Karhunpesäsuunnitelma (Project Bear's Nest) and got a shipment of 500 Japanese rifles and 100 000 cartridges from Elmo Kaila, one of the jäger movement leaders. They also had two Maxim machineguns and four Lewis Guns. Weapons shipments for Project Bear's Nest were an open secret and overlooked by Finnish customs officials.

In January 6th, 1921 foreign minister Rudolf Holsti's aide demanded official account for the weapons, and Sivén did not take that too seriously as the ministry of foreign affairs was well aware of th Bear's Nest. After the defeat in Tartu negotiations, Sivén received a crypted letter from the foreign ministry stating: "Due to extraordinary situations you must do your utmost to prevent the people of Repola and Porajärvi from arming." January 12th, the dismayed Sivén, feeling East Karelia sold and betrayed by his fatherland, having left several letters of resignation and expressed his will to stay in Repola as a civilian turned down, and the last plea from Finnish government to return to Finland, he committed suicide with his service pistol. Due to succeeding events Sivén was elevated to a status of a minor Finnic national hero and martyr akin to Eugen Schauman, whose method of suicide he also imitated either on purpose or coincidentally, leaving several nationalistic pathos ridden suicide letters behind him before shooting himself in the heart instead of head typical of male sidearm suicides. Gradually the resistance and Finnish government interest in the Bear's Nest dwindled.

Uprising Leadership

The pivotal moment in the uprising was the council meeting of Karelian Forest Guerrillas in mid October 1921. It concluded in a vote to secede from Soviet Russia. The key leadership was formed by military leaders Jalmari Takkinen, Finnish-born, aka. Ilmarinen, and Ossippa Borissainen. Particularly Vaseli Levonen aka. Ukki Väinämöinen, as a short, white-haired, long-bearded grizzled old man with prominent Karelian features was particularly suitable for his role as an ideological leader. In addition some 550 Finnish volunteers joined the uprising, acting mostly as officers and squad leaders. Most famous of them being Paavo Talvela and Erik Heinrichs of the jäger movement, who later served as high ranking staff officers in Finnish Winter War and Continuation War.

The People rise

The uprising is a peculiarity among heimosodat as this time the initiative was not taken by Finns, but by East Karelians. After Tartu, the uprising was in East Karelian hands, and the last fighting units standing were East Karelian. The uprising started wyith the immediate summary execution of any known or suspected pro bolsheviks. The uprising escalated to military combat in October-November of 1921. The success of circa 2 500 Forest Guerrillas was good at the start despite their lack of proper equipment.

The East Karelians got the publicity they wanted from abroad. They especially expected Finland to come to their aid, but got dissappointed. Finnish government denied requests of arranging official enlistment, but neither did it prevent private Finnish volunteer activists from crossing the border. Finland did agree to send humanitarian aid to East Karelians, despite realising RSFSR could drag it into a war. Still, Russia insisted the Finnish government was supporting the uprising in a military manner.

Altogether, there were some 550 Finnish volunteers who went to East Karelia, the first of them reached Repola at the end of November, 1921. Most of them joined the Repolan Pataljoona (Repola Battalion). The command of the Repola Battalion in Olonets Karelia was first taken by Gustaf Svinhufvud and thereafter by Talvela, at the middle of December 1921.

In Northern White Karelia the smaller Vienan Rykmentti (Viena Regiment) was formed, and combined, there were 2 500 East Karelian resistance fighters.

The Conflict

On November 6, 1921 the Finnish and Karelian forces began the new expedition to East Karelia. According to Finnish historians, on that day Karelian guerrillas and Finnish volunteer forces attacked in Rukajärvi. Russian historian Alexander Shirokorard claims this force would have been 5 000–6 000, twice of the whole strength of East Karelians and Finnish volunteers combined reported in Finnish records.

By the end of December 1921, the volunteer Finns and Forest Guerrillas had advanced to the Kiestinki Suomussalmi – Rukajärvi – Paatene – Porajärvi lines. Meanwhile the ca. 20 000 troops of the Red Army led by Alexander Sedyakin [1] reached the Karelian front. With the Red Army there were also Red Finns who had emigrated to Soviet Russia after their defeat in the Finnish Civil War. Such as the ski battalion commander Toivo Antikainen's unit of 200 Red military school cadets.

According to Russian historian Alexander Shirokorad the troops of the Red Army had crushed the main group of the Finnish and Karelian troops by the beginning of January 1922 and occupied Porajärvi and Repola. On January, 25 the Northern group of the Soviet troops had occupied Kestenga and Kokkosalmi, and by the beginning of February occupied the settlement Uhtua (Karelia).

Defeating the Uprising

Finnish people supporting the East Karelians with volunteers and the government with humanitarian aid despite the Treaty of Tartu caused a notable regression on Finnish and Russian diplomatic relations. Lev Trotsky, the commander of the Red Army announced he was ready to march into Helsinki and Soviet Russian troops would strike the East Karelians with 20 000 men via the Murmansk railway. At the onset of winter the resistance of Forest Guerrillas collapsed under bolshevik superior numbers, famine, and freezing cold. The East Karelians panicked, and their troops started to retreat towards the Finnish border. Despite defeat seeming inevitable, the war was still tried to be prolonged.

At the final stages of the uprising the Red Pork mutiny occurred in Finland, and the kindred warriors hoped this would urge Finnish government to intervene in the actions of Soviet Russia. Thus did not happen, and minister of interior Heikki Ritavuori tightened border control and closed the border from food and munitions shipments and prohibited volunteers crossing over to help the East Karelians. The assassination of Ritavuori, February 12, 1922 by a Finnish nationalist activist did not change the situation.

Last unit standing in the uprising was the remnants of Viena Regiment, which left Tiirovaara on February 16, 1922 at 10.45 am and reached the border at 1 pm.

The Aftermath and Legacy

In June 1, 1922 in Helsinki Finland and Soviet Russia signed an Agreement between RSFSR and Finland about the measures providing the inviolability of the Soviet–Finnish border. In the treaty both parties agreed to cut the number of border guards and to keep those who do not reside permanently in the border zone from freely crossing the border from either side to the other. Towards the end of the uprising some 30 000 East Karelian refugees evacuated to Finland.

Of the 350 000 ethnic East Karelians left in Soviet Russia, Finnish troops advancing in the Continuation War to occupy East Karelia found 8 000.

In June 3, 2009, OSCE noted in the Vilnius Declaration: Noting that in the twentieth century European countries experienced two major totalitarian regimes, Nazi and Stalinist, which brought about genocide, violations of human rights and freedoms, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sources

• Niinistö, Jussi. Heimosotien historia. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2005, ISBN 951-746-687-0
• Shirokorad. Alexander. Finland – Russia. Three unknown wars, 2006, ISBN 5-9533-1084-6

References

Category:Wars involving Finland Category:Wars involving the Soviet Union Category:1921 in Finland Category:1922 in Finland Category:Finland–Russia relations Category:Finland–Soviet Union relations