Soviet Shelling of Mainila: The Lie That Started the Winter War
Soviet forces shelled the village of Mainila on their own side of the Finnish border on November 26, 1939, then blamed Finland for the attack. Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov demanded Finland withdraw its troops 25 kilometers from the border. Finland denied responsibility and proposed a mutual withdrawal, offering to allow an independent investigation. The Soviet Union refused, broke off diplomatic relations, and invaded Finland on November 30, beginning the Winter War. The Mainila incident was a classic false flag operation: the Soviet government needed a pretext for invasion because the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact's secret protocol had assigned Finland to the Soviet sphere of influence. Soviet records declassified after the Cold War confirmed the shelling was self-inflicted. Finland fought the much larger Soviet army to a near-standstill before ceding territory in the March 1940 peace.
November 26, 1939
87 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Finland
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Winter War
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Soviet army
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Shelling of Mainila
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Shelling of Mainila
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Red Army
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Winter War
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Ukrainian War of Independence
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Bolshevik–Makhnovist conflict
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Makhnovshchina
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Noroeste
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Saint Petersburg
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Sudoeste
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Finland
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Soviet Union
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Russlanddeutsche
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