After
Finland declared independence from Russia, a number of
Finnish nationalists supported the idea of a
Greater Finland attained through the annexation of
East Karelia, which was controlled by the Russians. This was seen as an effort to form a unified country for
Balto-Finnic tribes, who were regarded as kindred by these activists. The resulting two incursions by Finnish volunteers into Russia, called the
Viena and
Aunus expeditions, are not considered wars against Russia in Finnish historiography. In Russia, this conflict, as well as the Finnish expeditions into East Karelia and the
Petsamo in 1918–1920, is considered a military intervention and called the
First Soviet–Finnish War. This period of disagreement and uncertainty about borders was ended with 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. According to
Arvo Tuominen, the Soviet Union failed to grant autonomy to Karelia as the peace treaty stipulated. "In that failure the Soviet Union did not adhere to its own Leninist policies of national self-determination, for according to them Karelia had every right to independence. At the
Bolshevik's All-Russian Party Congress in February 1917 it had clearly been stated, 'All peoples who belong to Russia must be granted the right to free secession and the formation of an independent state'." The motivation for the uprising was
East Karelians' year-long experience of the
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 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 metsäsissit (English:
Forest Guerrillas), and by autumn of 1921 a notable part of
White Karelia was under their control.
Before the Treaty of Tartu The parishes of
Repola and
Porajärvi of the
Olonets Governorate had voted in favor of secession from Bolshevist Russia 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. There had been uprisings in
White Karelia as early as 1920. After British forces left Karelia, Karelian ethnic nationalists arranged a meeting in
Ukhta (now Kalevala, Russia) 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 suppressed this uprising and in summer 1920 the Temporary Government fled to Finland. In its place, the
Karelian Worker's Commune was formed, an autonomous
oblast of the RSFSR. During the treaty negotiations, Finland proposed a
referendum in East Karelia, through which its residents could choose whether they wanted to join Finland or Soviet Russia. Due to opposition from Russia, Finland had to withdraw the initiative. In return of ceding Repola and Porajärvi back to Russia, Finland acquired
Petsamo and a promise of cultural
autonomy for East Karelia. However this cultural autonomy was poorly carried out. ==Preparations==