Operation Bagration begins

The United States, Britain, and Soviet Union affirmed Iran’s independence and territorial integrity and promised economic assistance. The declaration addressed commitments made by occupying powers...

The Red Army ended the 872-day siege. Hundreds of thousands of civilians had died, overwhelmingly from hunger and disease; survival involved mass mobilization and profound disparities in access to...

Soviet authorities deported Chechens and Ingush to Central Asia and Siberia, accusing entire populations of collaboration. The operation involved forced transport, deaths, abolition of the...

Soviet authorities forcibly deported the Balkar population to Central Asia and Siberia and later abolished their autonomous district. Collective punishment based on ethnicity transformed the...

The NKVD began deporting Crimean Tatars to Central Asia, accusing the population collectively of collaboration. The removal destroyed homes and community life; the Crimean ASSR was later abolished and...

The Red Army launched an offensive that drove German forces west and brought Soviet troops into central Europe. It advanced the defeat of Nazi Germany while extending Soviet military and political...

Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met to negotiate postwar arrangements, the occupation of Germany, and the United Nations. Decisions about Poland and Eastern Europe exposed tensions between...

Soviet forces launched their final major offensive against Nazi Germany’s capital. The operation caused heavy military and civilian casualties and brought Soviet occupation power into the center of...

The meeting of Soviet and American forces symbolized the collapse of Nazi Germany’s remaining front. The event represented military cooperation while foreshadowing disputes over occupation, borders,...

The surrender ended organized German resistance in Berlin after weeks of combat. Civilians faced destruction, displacement, sexual violence, and shortages, while Soviet authorities began imposing...