Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
An entire differente aspect of the discussion is whether the Soviet Union was actually preapring an attack on Nazi Germany before the Nazis invaded in 1941.
In a recent interview with RBC-Ukraine, PhD in History and head of sector at the National Museum of History of Ukraine in the Second World War, Roman Kabachiy, told the outlet that even though the Russians celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany every year on Victory Day, World War II wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for the Soviet Union.
The interview centers around the Ukrainian role in World War II (Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union at the time), but he notes that:
“Many prefer not to remember that without the USSR, World War II would not have started,” Kabachiy said.
But is he right?
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact now known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
It was a 10-year agreement between the two powers in which they pledged not to attack each other and to remain neutral if one of the parties was attacked by a third power.
The pact also included a protocol to divide Eastern Europe into spheres of influence between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
According to the Imperial War Museums, this pact made it possible for Hitler to invade Poland and thus start World War II.
Over the next 18 months, the Soviet Union also exported grain and oil to Nazi Germany in return for manufactured goods.
In short: The Soviet Union helped fuel the Nazi war machine at the beginning of World War II.
Did Stalin Plan to Attack Hitler?
In the interview with RBC-Ukraine, Kabachiy also claims that the Soviet Union was actually preparing to attack Nazi Germany when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa by sending forces into the Soviet Union.
“But Hitler struck first, although the Soviet Union was preparing to attack Germany,” Kabachiy said.
But is he right about that?
A “Proxy”
In 1988, a book by former Soviet defector and UK resident Viktor Suvorov alleged that Stalin (the then leader of the Soviet Union) was actually using Nazi Germany as a proxy to attack Europe.
Suvorov then speculates that Stalin’s grand plan was to attack Nazi Germany later.
The thesis has been rejected by several historians, however, and some even accuse Suvorov of distorting history.
The Build-Up of Troops
What is certain is that while Nazi Germany was fighting in Western Europe, the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic states and thus built up a large number of troops and armored units in Eastern Europe.
This, some say, was preparation for a Soviet attack on Nazi Germany while Hitler was occupied with fighting in France.
The theory is that Nazi Germany defeated France far faster than Stalin expected and that the Red Army was not prepared when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa and attacked the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Plan
The Soviet Union was rapidly modernising its forces during the first years of the war, but there is no concrete evidence that Stalin was actually planning to attack Nazi Germany.
Suvorov alleges that Stalin planned to launch a surprise attack on Nazi Germany in July 1941, with Operation Barbarossa being launched on June 22, 1941, mere weeks before the alleged Soviet attack was supposed to happen.
According to some sources, then UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill even tried to warn Stalin of an impending Nazi invasion.
That being said, there is no concrete evidence that the Soviet Union planned to attack Nazi Germany before Hitler attacked, and Suvorov’s thesis is considered a fringe theory rejected by the vast majority of international historians.
Sources: RBC-Ukraine, Imperial War Museums, MilitaryHistoryNow, Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War by Viktor Suvorov
