Discussions about Karelia becoming its own state emerged in 1906, when on 3 August, the Union of White Karelians [ru] was created in Tampere, Grand Duchy of Finland.

[1] In 1911, the Union was banned, but it was later revived in 1922 as the Academic Karelia Society, to take a direct part in the creation of the Republic of Uhtua.

They were a series of expeditions with the final goal of annexing the Baltic Finnic peoples territories into the Finnish State.

[3] The Republic was created during the Finnish Civil War, after White Guard units, which occupied the area in late March 1918, placed the villages of Vuokkiniemi and Uhtua under direct order from Carl Wilhelm Malm.

In the villages and the surrounding counties, a local government was organized under the leadership of patriotic supporters for the independence of Karelia from the RSFSR - The Committee of Uhtua (Finnish: Uhtuan toimikunta), which was led by Tuisku.

[4] The state took shape on 21 July 1919, together with the establishment of the Provisional Government of White Karelia, headed by S. Tikhonov.

Most of the locals were largely uninterested in the matter of becoming an independent state, but rather were seeking Finnish protection from the crossfire of Bolsheviks, Allies and the White Army.

The war flag was made in the same style but had three plaits and a complementary Bear with a vesuri in the clutches (there is evidence that in the center of the black cross on it was a red square).

[11] During the negotiations between the RSFSR and Finland, the Finns promoted territorial claims to Karelia, but due to the Red Army's size, the Finnish government was forced to abandon the idea.

In November and December 1921, the Finnish troops reoccupied part of the regions of Karelia, which began the Soviet–Finnish conflict.