East Karelian uprising: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox military conflict

|author = General-Lieutenant G.F.KRIVOSHEYEV

|year = 1993

|url = http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/SovietLosses.pdf

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}}

The '''East Karelian Uprising''' (Finnish: ''itäkarjalaisten kansannousu, [[Karelian language|Karelian]]: päivännouzu karjalan kanzannouzu'') and the '''Soviet–Finnish conflict 1921–1922''' were an attempt by a group of [[East Karelia|East Karelian]] separatists to gain independence from the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]]. They were aided by a number of Finnish volunteers, starting from 6 November 1921. The conflict ended on 21 March 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''.<ref>[http://kirjazh.spb.ru/biblio/pohleb1/pohleb3.htm Text of the Agreement in Russian. Signed in Moscow. Representative of Finland: Charge d'Affaires ad interim Antti Hackzel, representative of RSFSR: Member of the Board of the National Commissariat for Foreign Affairs Yakov Ganetski]</ref> The conflict is regarded in Finland as one of the ''[[heimosodat]]'' – "Kinship Wars".

== Background ==

 

 

The motivation for the uprising was [[East Karelia|East Karelians']] year-long experience of the [[Bolshevik]] regime – not respecting promises of autonomy, food shortages, the will of nationalistic [[Kinship|kindred]] activists to amend the results of the "shameful peace" of Tartu, and the wish of exiled East Karelians. Finnish kindred activists, notably [[Jalmari Takkinen]], the deputy of [[Bobi Sivén]], the bailiff of [[Repola]], had been conducting a campaign in the summer of 1921 in order to rouse the East Karelians to fight against the Bolshevik belligerents of the ongoing [[Russian Civil War]]. East Karelian paramilitary units called themselves ''Karjalan metsä[[Sissi (Finnish light infantry)|sissit]]'' (English: ''[[Forest Guerrillas]]''), and by autumn of 1921 a notable part of [[White Karelia]] was under their control.<ref name="Niinistö, Jussi p. 239">Niinistö, Jussi: "Heimosotien historia", p. 239. SKS 2005</ref>

The parishes of [[Repola]]<ref>{{lang-ru|Реболы}}, Rebola from 31 August 1918</ref> and [[Porajärvi]]<ref>{{lang-ru|Поросозеро}}, Porosozero from 1919</ref> of the [[Olonets Governorate]]<ref>{{lang-ru|Олонецкая губерния}} Karelian: Aunuksen Kuvernmentti</ref> had voted in favor of secession from Bolshevist Russia {{fact|date=October 2017}} and had been occupied by Finland later that year. In late 1919 the Russian [[White Army]] retreated towards the Finnish border to the Repola-Porajärvi area. The Finnish government led by [[Juho Vennola]] decided in February 1920 that Finland should intervene to help the dissidents by diplomatic means. Foreign minister [[Rudolf Holsti]] sent a message to his counterpart [[Georgy Chicherin]] stating that Finland would disarm the retreating Russian 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.<ref>Niinistö, Jussi: "Heimosotien historia", p. 216. SKS 2005</ref>

 

|last = Olson

|first = James

==Preparations==

Following the signing of the treaty, irredentists of the Repola county devised a contingency plan with the silent approval of the Finnish ministry of foreign affairs, titled [[Karhunpesäsuunnitelma]] (Project ''Bear's Den''). They acquired a shipment of 500 Japanese rifles and 100 000 cartridges from [[Elmo Kaila]], one of the [[Jäger Movement]] leaders. They also had two [[MG 08|Maxim]] machine guns and four [[Lewis Gun]]s. Weapons shipments for Project ''Bear's Den'' were an [[open secret]] and overlooked by Finnish customs officials.

On 6 January 1921, an aide of the Finnish minister of foreign affairs [[Rudolf Holsti]] demanded an official account for the weapons. Eventually, the leader of the Repola irredentists, Bobi Sivén, received a letter from the Finnish foreign ministry stating: "Due to extraordinary circumstances you must do your utmost to prevent the people of Repola and Porajärvi from arming themselves." On 12 January, Sivén committed suicide with his service pistol. In several suicide letters he left behind, he expressed his resentment at Finland "betraying" the East Karelians, and his wish to rather die for East Karelians than return to Finland. He had answered earlier requests from Finnish government to return to Finland by stating he resigns from his bailiff office, and prefers to live as a civilian in Repola. 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, shooting himself in the heart instead of head in addition to the similar nationalistic pathos letters. Gradually these early uprisings and Finnish government's interest in supporting them dwindled.<ref>Niinistö, Jussi: Bobi Sivén - Karjalan puolesta, p. 9–280. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2001. {{ISBN|951-746-241-7}}</ref>

 

The East Karelian rebels got some publicity in international media, but they had expected Finland to intervene with its defence forces. However, the Finnish government denied requests of arranging official enlistment, but it did not prevent private Finnish volunteer activists from crossing the border. Finland did agree to send humanitarian aid to the East Karelian rebels, taking the risk of provoking a war with the RSFSR.<ref>Niinistö, Jussi: ''Heimosotien historia'', p. 250. SKS 2005 (translation: "Although official Finland did not support the rebels, there was a risk that the war could extend.")</ref> Soviet historians, however, stipulated that the Finnish government did support the uprising in a military manner, and was intervening in an internal conflict.<ref>Shirokorad Alexander: ''Finland – Russia. Three unknown wars'', p.63</ref>

 

The first Finnish volunteers reached Repola at the end of November 1921. The volunteers acted as private citizens and were not considered a government intervention by Finland, but the Russian view differed. This controversy caused considerable friction in diplomatic relations between Finland and RSFSR. Most of the volunteers joined the ''Repolan Pataljoona'' (Repola Battalion). Command of the Battalion in [[Olonets]] Karelia was first taken by [[Gustaf Svinhufvud]] and thereafter by Talvela, at the middle of December 1921.<ref>Niinistö, Jussi: ''Heimosotien historia'', p. 248. SKS 2005</ref>

 

== Defeat of the uprising ==

Finnish support of the uprising with volunteers and humanitarian aid caused a notable regression on Finnish-Russian diplomatic relations. [[Leon Trotsky]], the commander of the [[Red Army]], announced that he was ready to march towards [[Helsinki]] and Soviet Russian troops would strike the East Karelian rebels with an army of 20,000 via the [[Murmansk railway]].<ref>Niinistö, Jussi: "Heimosotien historia", sivu 250. SKS 2005</ref>

At the onset of winter, the resistance of Forest Guerrillas collapsed under superior numbers of the Red Army, famine, and freezing cold. The rebels panicked, and their troops started to retreat towards the Finnish border. According to 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 had retaken [[Porosozero]] and [[Reboly]]. On 25 January the northern group of the Soviet troops had occupied Kestenga and [[Kokkosalma|Kokkosalmi]], and by the beginning of February occupied the settlement [[Kalevala, Russia|Ukhta]].<ref>Shirokorad Alexander: Finland – Russia. Three unknown wars, p.64</ref>

 

* [[Leon Trotsky]]. ''Order No 141 of the Revolutionary Military Counsel of the Republic to the Red Army and Red Navy in connection with the expelling of the White-Finnish occupants from the territory of Soviet Karelia'', issued on 11 February 1922.

 

{{DEFAULTSORT:East Karelian Uprising And Soviet-Finnish Conflict 1921-1922}}

[[Category:Anti-Bolshevik uprisings]]

[[Category:Conflicts in 1921]]

[[Category:Conflicts in 1922]]

[[Category:20th-century rebellions]]

[[Category:1921 in Finland]]

[[Category:1922 in Finland]]

[[Category:History of the Republic of Karelia]]