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The occupation of the Baltic states was a period of annexation of Estonia, ... Latvia followed on 5 October 1939 and Lithuania shortly thereafter, on 10 October 1939.
5 October 1939, Soviet Union begins negotiating with Finland for bases and territory exchanges. 10 October 1939, Lithuania accepts Soviet bases. Soviet Union transfers control over the Vilnius region to Lithuania. 18 October 1939, First Soviet units move into the designated military bases in Estonia. 13 November 1939, Finland rejects Soviet ...
The background of the occupation of the Baltic states covers the period before the first Soviet occupation on 14 June 1940, stretching from independence in 1918 to the Soviet ultimatums in 1939–1940. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia gained independence in the aftermath of the Russian revolutions of 1917 and the German occupation which in the ...
Soviet expansion in 1939–1940. After the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939, in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact the Soviet forces were given freedom over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, an important aspect of the agreement to the Soviet government as they were afraid of Germany using the three states as a corridor to get close to Leningrad.
As a result of the German-Soviet Invasion of Poland part of Vilnius Region was under Lithuanian administration in the period lasting from the takeover of the city from the occupying Soviet administration on October 27, 1939, to the occupation of all of Lithuania including Vilnius on June 15, 1940.
In August 1939, Nazi Germany and Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact whereby dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. The Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) became part of the Russian sphere. The Soviet Union began preparations for the occupation and incorporation of these territories.
The loss of its only port to the Baltic Sea was a major blow to the Lithuanian economy. Between 70% and 80% of foreign trade passed through Klaipėda. [7] The region, which represented only about 5% of Lithuania's territory, contained a third of its industry. [7] Lithuania also lost its heavy investments in the port's infrastructure.
The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were part of the Russian Empire during the 19th century, achieving independence in the aftermath of World War I.The rise of Nazi Germany during the 1930s created Soviet fears of a German invasion, [3] further aggravated by German expansion to the East, such as the ultimatum to Lithuania in March 1939, as a result of which the nation was ...