This led to the Red Guard commander Eero Haapalainen urging people to rise up in the city on 29 January 1918, via a telephone call, however this did not have any effect.

[5] At approximately 1 o'clock on 26 April, the German Baltic Sea Division initiated the encirclement of the city, this caused panic amongst the local Red Guardsmen and civilians, prompting many of them to flee to the east in hopes of reaching Bolshevik Russia.

[5] The Baltic Sea Division began to march towards the city centre from the directions of Harviala [fi], the Red Guardsmen moved towards Idänpää [fi] to try and hold back the Baltic Sea Division back in order to protect the refugees moving northward.

[3] The Red Guard surrendered and raised white flags on-top of the roof of the Town Hall and provincial government house later that same day.

[5] Following the capture of the city, the White troops immediately began with home inspections and arrests of those suspected to have worked with the Red Guards.