Viena expedition

Viena expedition
Part of Heimosodat

Initial Finnish Advance
Date21 March – 2 October 1918
Location
Result Failure of the expedition
Territorial
changes
Treaty of Tartu
Repola and Porajärvi joined Finland
Belligerents

White Guard (Finns)[Notes 1]

Russian SFSR
Red Guards (Finns)
United Kingdom Murmansk Legion
United Kingdom Royal Marine Light Infantry
Karelian Regiment
Commanders and leaders
Kurt Martti Wallenius
Carl Wilhelm Malm
Toivo Kuisma
Oskari Tokoi
United Kingdom Philip James Woods
Strength
Finland 1,500 Red Guards and Karelians 1,550
Royal Marines 130
Casualties and losses
122 dead Red Guards and Karelians 100-150

The Viena expedition (Finnish: Vienan retkikunta, Swedish: Vienaexpeditionen) was the military expedition in March 1918 by Finnish volunteer forces in order to annex White Karelia (Vienan Karjala) from Soviet Russia. It was one of the many "kinship wars" (Heimosodat) fought near the newly independent Finland during the Russian Civil War. Russian East Karelia was never part of the Swedish Empire or the Grand Duchy of Finland, and was at the time mostly inhabited by Karelians. However, many advocates of a Greater Finland considered these Karelians "kindred" to the Finnish nation, and therefore supported Finnish annexation of Russian East Karelia.
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