Why did the Soviet Union invade the Baltic States?
The Soviets demanded the conclusion of a treaty of mutual assistance to establish military bases in Estonia. The Estonians were thus coerced to accept naval, air and army bases on two Estonian islands and at the port of Paldiski. The corresponding agreement was signed on 28 September 1939.
Did the Soviet Union invade Latvia?
In October Latvia had to sign a dictated treaty of mutual assistance by which the U.S.S.R. obtained military, naval, and air bases on Latvian territory. On June 17, 1940, Latvia was invaded and occupied by the Red Army.
How did the Baltic States win their independence?
The collapse of the German and Russian empires during World War I allowed the Baltic peoples to establish independent states. The road to independence was similar in all three. In 1918, while the Baltic homelands were under German occupation, national councils declared independence and established governments.
Who did Latvia fight for in ww2?
the Soviet Union
On October 5, 1939, Latvia was forced to accept a “mutual assistance” pact with the Soviet Union, granting the Soviets the right to station 25,000 troops on Latvian territory.
Is Estonia Baltic?
Baltic states, northeastern region of Europe containing the countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The Baltic region is dotted with more than 7,000 lakes and countless peat bogs, swamps, and marshes.
Were the Baltic States illegally invaded by the Soviet Union?
The Baltic states themselves, the United States and its courts of law, the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations Human Rights Council have all stated that these three countries were invaded, occupied and illegally incorporated into the Soviet Union under provisions of the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.
What happened to the Baltics during WW2?
When the Nazi German Army invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Baltic states came under Nazi rule. The Baltic peoples suffered, and a terrible toll—the Holocaust—was exacted on the Jewish population of the region. As the Nazi German Army retreated before the Red Army in 1945, the Baltics were again annexed by the Soviet Union.
How many tanks did the Soviet Union have in the Baltic?
Soviet occupation. The Soviet troops allocated for possible military actions against the Baltic states numbered 435,000 troops, around 8,000 guns and mortars, over 3,000 tanks, and over 500 armoured cars. On 3 June 1940 all Soviet military forces based in Baltic states were concentrated under the command of Aleksandr Loktionov.
How did the Soviet Union invade Latvia Lithuania and Latvia?
The Soviet troops attacked the Latvian border guards at Masļenki before invading Latvia and Lithuania on June 16. According to a Time magazine article published at the time of the invasions, in a matter of days around 500,000 Soviet Red Army troops occupied the three Baltic states – just one week before the Fall of France to Nazi Germany.