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The Finnish army, the Karelian high command, stopped on the old border as Hitler said that he will annhilate the city and its people, and we didn't want to take any part of it. Neither did we make any attempt to disrupt the lifeline above the frozen Lake Ladoga. Not a single Finnish bomb or artillery shell was ever dropped on Leningrad. Genocide was not our policy.
Oh, yeah, you didn't drop the bombs because Hitler had plenty - Finns are very economical.
Don't worry, none one is going to war against you, we don't kill idiots.
The case of the WWII would be a very bad example of it. Russia was a real target of all German actions, so in this case Russia definitely can be considered being provoked, since all the attacks/takeovers of the territories were clearly preventive measures. What wouldn't have served Russian interests, would have served German interests sooner or later - plain in simple. Eat or be eaten.
The German-Soviet non-aggression pact of August 1939 gave Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Bessarabia and eastern Poland to the Soviet sphere of influence. Stalin received assurance that Germany would approve secret protocols. All this was known in 1945 after Germany was defeated.
In 1939, the Soviets demanded from Finland territories on the Karelian Isthmus, the islands of the Gulf of Finland and a military base near Helsinki. Finland rejected the demands.
The Finnish army, the Karelian high command, stopped on the old border as Hitler said that he will annhilate the city and its people, and we didn't want to take any part of it.
Not quite. Finnish troops occupied parts of the USSR. They had patrols on the lakes and attacked Soviet vessels. Although Leningrad was supplied across the frozen lake and Finnish guns left them alone as the truck were not military vehicles.
Which fighting are we talking about; WW2 or the Winter War?
Same thing.
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The USSR was not threatened by Finland, it was threatened by the assumption Finland could be used as a staging area for an attack on the USSR. As Finland leaned more westward, the assumption became more of a realization (in Soviet minds), so in order to create a larger buffer, the Soviets demanded territory.
The Soviets did not demand all of Finland. They wanted Leningrad out of Finnish artillery range.
The German-Soviet non-aggression pact of August 1939 gave Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Bessarabia and eastern Poland to the Soviet sphere of influence. Stalin received assurance that Germany would approve secret protocols. All this was known in 1945 after Germany was defeated.
In 1939, the Soviets demanded from Finland territories on the Karelian Isthmus, the islands of the Gulf of Finland and a military base near Helsinki. Finland rejected the demands.
I cannot see where the USSR was provoked.
May be you just don't want to see?
Finland was clearly anti-USSR at the beginning of WWII, they prohibited communist party, so this wasn't a democratic move either, they also collaborated with Hitler, they had their Intel troops regularly visiting USSR territory.
USSR demanded lands from Finland which belong to Russian empire before 1917 coup, and lost during the chaos of civil war afterwards offering them other lands in exchange trying to build up a buffer between possible aggressor and St Petersburg. Finland refused to cooperate provoking USSR for conflict - USSR took the land they needed strategically.
Not quite. Finnish troops occupied parts of the USSR. They had patrols on the lakes and attacked Soviet vessels. Although Leningrad was supplied across the frozen lake and Finnish guns left them alone as the truck were not military vehicles.
The main force on the lake Ladoga was the Italian XII Squadriglia MAS. The Finnish/Italian/German naval detachment K tried to stop the supply in 1942, but only in late summer and before the ice was formed.
The German high command persuaded over and over again the Finns to tighten the siege, but we stayed put. The naval detachment was the only concession.
May be you just don't want to see?
Finland was clearly anti-USSR at the beginning of WWII, they prohibited communist party, so this wasn't a democratic move either, they also collaborated with Hitler, they had their Intel troops regularly visiting USSR territory.
USSR demanded lands from Finland which belong to Russian empire before 1917 coup, and lost during the chaos of civil war afterwards offering them other lands in exchange trying to build up a buffer between possible aggressor and St Petersburg. Finland refused to cooperate provoking USSR for conflict - USSR took the land they needed strategically.
The USSR gave Finland independence. That is clear. It was not a coup. The USSR did not have to give Finland independence. They did. Finland was no threat to the USSR. All Finland wanted was to be left alone.
Finland was attacked by the USSR in 1939.
The UK & France wanted to get weapons to Finland to help them being indiscriminately attacked. Some arms did get to Finland.
A peace was made between the USSR and Finland where Finland had to cede territory to the aggressor the USSR.
The Germans attacked the USSR in 1941.
The Finns fought alongside but were not allied to Germany, to regain the territory lost in the 1939/40 war.
Once the territory was won back the Finns stopped advancing, to the rage of Hitler.
When Germany attacked the USSR the UK declared war on Finland as a co-belligerent. One of the few times a democratic nation declared war on another - that is if Finland was democratic of course, which is open to question.
The Soviets when moving west moved north into Finland.
The Germans moved troops and aircraft into Finland to fight the USSR to divert their troops from moving right across Poland and into Germany.
The USSR defeated the Finns and the Finns made a peace with the USSR and the British Empire.
The Finns turned on the Germans to get them out of Finland.
At the end of WW2 Finland ceded territory to the USSR.
After WW2 Finland had a western system but clearly in a semi Soviet sphere of influence. That remains today.
The main force on the lake Ladoga was the Italian XII Squadriglia MAS. The Finnish/Italian/German naval detachment K tried to stop the supply in 1942, but only in late summer and before the ice was formed.
The German high command persuaded over and over again the Finns to tighten the siege, but we stayed put. The naval detachment was the only concession.
The Italian boats did sweet nothing against the Soviets. They were not designed for ice.
Finland was clearly anti-USSR at the beginning of WWII.
They were? A small nation against such a large country with a massive military? Finland NEVER attacked the USSR. The USSR had a pact with Hitler to take Finnish territory. FACT!
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they prohibited communist party, so this wasn't a democratic move either,
Finland was minimally democratic. And they did ban the Communist Party
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they also collaborated with Hitler,
Only to regain territory stolen by the USSR, which they still have.
Russia had Finland for less than 100 years and it was self ruling. Before the Russians took control of Finland it was ruled by Sweden. The USSR's claim to Finland was flimsy. Finland had been independent for 20 years.
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