EDIT : Ayy i finally got one Lib
In before the HaMmEr AnD sIcKlE iS tHe SaMe ThInG aS a SwAsTiKa fascists in disguise pop up.
The really sus part of such "centrists" are the fact that they declare both to be the same, but somehow never had to say anything good about communism, but ask them about fascism and they instantly have a lot of "AKSHUALLY" moments.
These baltic states were just vassals of Germany and once were part of Russian empire till 1918 when Lenin signed the Brest treaty and gave up a chunk of lands to German protection. Western Ukraine was also taken away by Poland I guess. So in Molotov pact they just reversed it with some assurance that USSR will not attack if Nazi Germany attacks Poland . I remember I didn't know that baltic States were under Russian empire until I watched an old video of Putin angrily replying this to a Latvian journo in early 2000s. Why Baltics have strong Nazi memories is due to that only, they were nazified with German influence.
Stalin also spent the time leading to the Molotov Ribbentrop pact desperately trying to get anyone else to sign a defensive agreement to resist Germany, he kept getting blown off by France and the UK. It was a decision made to delay German action to buy time for the Red Army to fight alone, since evidently nobody else was interested in dealing with Hitler.
I had always been taught that he was a scheming bastard who was betrayed, I was shocked to learn how much effort was put into attempting to preemptively check the Germans.
Even with respect to treaties with the nazis, the USSR only signed after the west refused to attack, refusing an offer by Stalin to field a million soldiers against nazi germany.
The west was hoping the nazis would take out the USSR, which is why they all signed non-aggression pacts first.
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