Ukki Väinämöinen (), born Vasily Leontievich Sidorov (), also known as Vaseli Levonen (1855 – 11 January 1942), was a Karelian ideological leader known for his role in the East Karelian uprising.

Life

Vasily Sidorov was born in 1855, in the

Karelia Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...

n village of Tunguda, then a part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

Karelian uprising

Sidorov was elected as the leader of the Finnish Forest Guerrillas, who had led a conflict against the Russian Bolsheviks and Karelian Labor Commune during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. Sidorov was a zealous Christian and an

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

, and was very popular among the Karelians. Sidorov gained the nickname "Ukki Väinämöinen" () from his resemblance to the hero

Väinämöinen () is a deity, demigod, hero and the central character in Finnish folklore and the main character in the national epic ''Kalevala'' by Elias Lönnrot. Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, magical sing ...

of Finnish mythology, as both had a short, stocky stature and long beard. By the end of December 1921, the Karelian rebels, supported by the White Guard, controlled a significant part of Northeast Karelia. In response, Bolshevik leadership formed the Karelian Front led by Alexander Sedyakin, numbering around some 20,000 servicemen. The Bolsheviks captured

Ukhta Ukhta (; , ''Ukva'') is an important industrial town in the Komi Republic of Russia. Population: It was previously known as ''Chibyu'' (until 1939). History Oil springs along the Ukhta River were already known in the 17th century. In the mid- ...

, the rebel stronghold, by mid-February 1922, and the Karelian resistance was finally broken. Ukki Väinämöinen fled to Finland with the other rebels. He died on 11 January 1942 in

Vuokatti Vuokatti is an urban area that is a physically separate part of the municipality of Sotkamo, Finland. It is home to more than 6,000 inhabitants, making it the second most populous urban area in the region of Kainuu, after the main urban area of ...

Life

Karelian uprising

References

Sources

Further reading