Their aim was to annihilate Stedingk's division, or at least to force him to retreat and thus expose the flank of the main army to a decisive attack.

Stedingk was later forced to retreat to Jorois, northeast of St. Michel, but succeeded here in stopping further Russian advances, after which the Savolax front was stabilized.

Gustav III had in the meantime awaited the development of events in Savolax, but after the news of the Swedish victory at Porrassalmi, he decided to try to ease the pressure on Stedingk's division, by going offensive himself against the Russians on his front.

Major General Kaulbars, was ordered to protect the Swedish main army's left flank by taking a position at Heinola.

Gustav III now ordered Generals Siegroth and von Platen to join him with their detachments at Värälä, which happened on June 25, after which the main Swedish force now amounted to 5,000-6,000 men.

The Swedish vanguard immediately went on the attack, which is why the entire Russian army division lined up in battle order about 3 km west of Utti's village.

However, these were met with fierce resistance from Russian hunters, and the king then separated his 24 life dragoons who had to sit down and form hunting units that cleared the forest for the Westerners' second battalion.

During the next hour the Swedes advanced in pouring rain towards the enemy; Gustavus III kept himself at the head of the troops at all times, spurring them forward by exhortations of encouragement and by speaking to officers and individual soldiers.

Both sides fired volley upon volley at each other, but without much effectiveness due to the poor visibility and it all developed into a skirmish on a larger scale, rather than a veritable battle, before the king and von Platen finally decided to repeat the earlier ruse , by sending a battalion of Crown Bergers around the left flank of the Russians, while attacks were ordered along the entire line.