Viipuri massacre

 

Viipuri was both the second largest city in Finland with 49,000 inhabitants and one of the most diverse. In 1910, Viipuri had minorities of Swedes (5,000) and Russians (3,200–4,000),^[1] as well as smaller ethnic groups of Germans, Jews and Islamic Tatars.^[4]

During the Finnish Civil War, the identification of Finnish Reds as ethnic Russians among the Whites became widespread, and anti-Russian sentiment may have been the most prevalent in western Finland, especially in the White stronghold of Ostrobothnia, leading to the manifestation of ethnic hatred that escalated into violence.^[5]

Historian Teemu Keskisarja considers a spark that set off the killings was the news that a gang of drunk Red Guards led by Hjalmar Kaipiainen (Kaipiainen was himself captured and executed on 23 May 1918) had entered Viborg County Gaol during the Battle of Viipuri and murdered 30 White Guard prisoners.^[6] Those of other ethnic origins were only killed because they were simply assumed to be Russians.^[1]

White Guard-associated newspapers spread the myth of Judeo-Bolshevism and a rumor spread among the White Guard that the Jews of Vyborg had aided the Red Guard, and a group of Jägers planned to round up and execute all the Jews living in the city. The plan was never executed in its planned extent, though a number of Jews were executed in the massacre.^[7]

The massacre started on April 28 during the Battle of Viipuri, escalating on the next, final day of the battle. Westerlund notes descriptions by jaegers Nurmio and Grandell of difficulty of identifying the Reds, as they hid amongst the population.^[8] Street combat and sniper skirmishes colored the final day of the battle.^[8] The largest mass executions were committed at the Annenkrone fortification on the western side of the city and in the yard of Viipuri Castle, but mainly the killings took place randomly in the streets and yards. Some managed to survive as the Finnish or Swedish residents were hiding them.^[6][9]

Executions were committed by the Vaasa and Kajaani regiments, which were parts of the Eastern Army of the White Guards, led by the General Major Ernst Löfström. Vaasa Regiment was led by the Swedish military adventurer Martin Ekström, who later became a leader of the Swedish Nazi organization National Socialist Bloc. Both regiments were filled with men from other parts of Finland who were not from the Viipuri area. The local White Guards did not directly take part in the killings.

After Mannerheim heard about the massacres on May 2, he ordered an investigation and the punishments of the culprits. The next day on May 3 Rudolf Walden sent the following telegram from Mikkeli to G. A. Finne, the new city commandant: "Take the strongest actions to prevent violence towards innocent Polish, Ukrainians and Russians. Investigate each case."^[10] Even after this, a group of Jägers that had arrived from Germany intended to kill the whole Jewish population of Viipuri but the plan was stopped by the local police chief K. N. Rantakari.^[11]

Orders for conducting the executions were mainly given by the officers of the Jäger Movement. For example, the Jäger Major Harald Öhquist admitted that his company had shot some 150 "Red Ruskies", but did not mention who had given the order. After the war, General Karl Fredrik Wilkama was considered to be responsible for the massacre, but neither he nor anyone else was ever convicted or even charged in a court of law. Wilkama himself described the massacre as a "little accident".^[9]

On May 10 Löfström sent a telegram to headquarters requesting permission to distribute aid, especially monetary, to Russians who had suffered and had been robbed of personal property. Later on, more aid was given. Westerlund says that it is not possible to calculate the full amount from the surviving records, but states that the final sum was considerable.^[12]

 

Different estimations of the total number slain have taken place over the years. Soikkanen approximated the number at about 200, Tanskanen at 100, Upton at 50+, Russian newspapers noted by Vihavainen at 500-600, Rustanius and Jouni Eerola at 200, and lastly Jaru and Jouni Eerola at 350-550.^[13] Westerlund estimates the number at 360-420. Teemu Keskisarja estimates it at about 400.^[6]

37 of the slain were members of other ethnic groups living in Viipuri, including 23 Polish soldiers of the Imperial Russian Army, several Ukrainians, Estonians, Jews and Tatars, two Italians and one Baltic German. At least half of the murdered Russians were affiliated with the army.^[14] It is notable that they did not fight with the Reds, but were mostly unarmed. Only few of the victims had any connections with the Red Guards, most of them even supported the Whites and greeted them as liberators.^[15][9] The victims were of all social classes. Most of the killed Russian civilians were workers as well as administrators working for the City of Viipuri, merchants, businessmen or handicraftsmen, also several noblemen were executed. The youngest victims were only 12–13-year-old schoolboys. Two of the murdered teenagers were the 13 and 15-year-old sons of Lieutenant Colonel Georgi Bulatsel who was one of the highest ranked Russian officers fighting for the Reds. He had been executed after the Battle of Tampere on 28 April.^[9] There had been at least three women amongst the slain Russians.^[16] Not all caught Russian were slain, as there are numerous mentions of spared Russians in the committee records.^[17]

References

Bibliography

• Westerlund, Lars (2004). "Me odotimme teitä vapauttajina ja te toitte kuolemaa – Viipurin valloituksen yhteydessä teloitetut venäläiset". Venäläissurmat Suomessa 1914–22: Osa 2.2. Sotatapahtumat 1918–22. Prime Minister's Office of Finland. ISBN 952-5354-45-8.