Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the fall of the Russian Empire, Finland declared itself independent. During the Finnish Civil War, Vyborg was in the hands of the Finnish Red Guards until it was captured by the White Guard on the Battle of Vyborg, April 29, 1918, and the city served as the actual starting point of the entire civil war, with which the war later spread throughout other Finland. In April–May 1918, 360–420 civilians were murdered by White Guards during the Vyborg massacre.