During a segment on the Russian television channel Solovyev Live, the hosts stated that the nations that were freed from Soviet occupation after the collapse of the Soviet Union are “fake”. The host falsely states that “the states on the former territory of the Soviet Union are fictional. They are fake. They are all fake.”
This is a recurring Russian government disinformation theme that is intended to cast doubts about the legitimacy of the sovereignty of all nations that reclaimed their independence after the end of Soviet occupation and colonization in 1991. This narrative directly denies the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, Ukraine and nations in the Caucuses and Central Asia. Russia today, continues to colonize dozens of nations within Russia.
The Russian government deploys such narratives to justify its war against Ukraine and potential future aggression towards Russia’s neigbours.
THE FACTS:
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were independent between the two world wars. In June 1940, the Soviet Union forcibly annexed them after occupying them militarily and installing puppet governments.
Historical context:
On August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a non-aggression pact (the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) that secretly divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and on September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east.
The pact gave the Soviet Union a free hand to invade, occupy and colonize The Baltic states.
The Soviet Union used threats to impose a series of “mutual assistance” treaties on the Baltic states, allowing it to station troops in their territories. In June 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and in August 1940, it annexed them.
The Soviet occupation of the Baltic states lasted for 50 years. During that time, the Soviet Union deported hundreds of thousands of Baltic people to Siberia and other parts of the Soviet Union. It also suppressed Baltic culture and languages and plundered these territories.
Conclusion:
The Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, Ukraine, the Caucuses and Central Asia is a well-documented historical fact as is their sovereignty and their right to decide their own futures, their security alliances and allies.
