Soviet Ultimatum to Lithuania

The Soviet Union presented Lithuania with an ultimatum that was followed by Soviet occupation of the country.

After the 1939 pact, the Baltic states came under increasing pressure from Moscow. The Soviet government demanded the formation of a new government and the admission of additional Soviet troops.

Lithuania accepted the ultimatum; on 15 June Soviet troops occupied strategic positions. A similar scenario was soon imposed on Latvia and Estonia.

Behind the formal changes to political institutions lay forced incorporation into the Soviet Union, which much of the Western world did not recognise as lawful.

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