A head tailor of the Royal Swedish Opera had received an order in 1788 to sew a number of Russian military uniforms that later are used in an exchange of gunfire at Puumala, a Swedish outpost on the Russo-Swedish border, on June 27, 1788.

The staged attack, which causes outrage in Stockholm, is to convince the Riksdag of the Estates and to provide Gustav with an excuse to declare a "defensive" war on Russia.

This is important since Gustav III does not have the constitutional right to start an offensive war without the agreement of the estates, who have already made clear that their acquiescence will not be forthcoming.