Soviet-Latvian mutual assistance pact signed

The offensive encircled Japanese forces and decisively changed the balance on the border. It shaped Japanese strategic calculations and gave Georgy Zhukov prominence.

The pact publicly committed both states to non-aggression and included a secret protocol dividing spheres of influence in Eastern Europe. It enabled Germany to invade Poland without immediate Soviet...

The invasion began the European war. The Soviet-German pact’s secret arrangements shaped the partition of Polish territory, while civilians faced invasion, occupation, and displacement.

Soviet forces crossed the Polish border as the Polish state faced German invasion. Soviet authorities described the move as protecting Ukrainians and Belarusians, while it also extended Soviet control...

The treaty revised the division of occupied Polish territory and formalized spheres of influence. Its confidential protocols show how great-power bargaining over borders overrode the sovereignty of...

The treaty transferred Vilnius to Lithuania but required Soviet military bases on Lithuanian territory. It combined a territorial concession with a powerful strategic foothold that compromised...

The Soviet government accused Finland of shelling Soviet positions and used the incident to intensify the crisis. Finland denied responsibility; the event became a pretext for terminating the...

Soviet forces crossed into Finland after negotiations over border security and territorial concessions failed. The invasion was an act of aggression that produced heavy civilian and military losses...

The League condemned the Soviet invasion of Finland and expelled the USSR. The decision exposed the weakness of collective security and the limits of Soviet claims to defend peace through...

Soviet forces entered Estonia and Latvia after ultimatums and entered Lithuania under a similar demand. The occupation followed the 1939 mutual-assistance pacts; subsequent controlled political...