The Soviet–Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty (, ), also known as the Bases Treaty () was a bilateral treaty between the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, signed in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

on 28 September 1939. The treaty obliged both parties to respect each other's

sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...

and independence, and allowed the Soviet government to establish military bases in Estonia. Hiden & Salmon (1994). p. 110. These bases facilitated the Soviet takeover of the country in June 1940. It was signed by Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Selter and Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs

Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov (; – 8 November 1986) was a Soviet politician, diplomat, and revolutionary who was a leading figure in the government of the Soviet Union from the 1920s to the 1950s, as one of Joseph Stalin's closest allies. ...

. Ratifications were exchanged in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

on 4 October 1939 and the treaty became effective on the same day. It was registered in '' League of Nations Treaty Series'' on 13 October 1939.

Background

In September 1939 the

asserted its control over the Baltic states with the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...

. The Soviets invaded Poland on 17 September, concluding operations on 6 October. After occupying eastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, the Soviets pressured

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and the Baltic states to conclude mutual assistance treaties. The Soviets questioned the neutrality of Estonia following the escape of a Polish submarine on 18 September. A week later, on 24 September, the Estonian foreign minister Karl Selter was given an ultimatum in Moscow. The Soviets demanded the conclusion of a treaty of mutual assistance which included the establishment of military bases in Estonia. The Estonian government yielded to the ultimatum.

Articles of the treaty

* Article 1 provided for military cooperation between the parties in case of an attack by a third party. * Article 2 obliged the Soviet government to assist the Estonian government in providing armaments. * Article 3 permitted the Soviet government to establish military and naval bases on Estonian territory. * Article 4 obliged the Soviet and Estonian governments not to engage in military alliances against the other party. * Article 5 stipulated that the political and economic systems and the sovereignty of both parties shall not be affected by the treaty. It clearly stipulated that the areas where Soviet bases were to be established shall remain part of Estonia. * Article 6 dealt with ratification, and stipulated that the treaty shall remain in force for ten years, with an option to extend it for further five years. * Article 7 stipulated that the official text of the treaty would be in the Russian and Estonian languages.

Aftermath

The Soviets made similar treaties with

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

on 5 October and

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

on 10 October. The latter treaty transferred

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

district to Lithuania. Finland was invited to enter similar negotiations on 5 October. Unlike the Baltics, the Finnish-Soviet negotiations lasted weeks without result. During October 1939, the Soviet government began stationing troops in Estonia in numbers exceeding the Estonian armed forces. As a result, the Soviet government gradually gained control over the territory of Estonia. This allowed the Soviet forces to sink the Estonian merchant ship ''Kassari'' in the Baltic sea on December 10, 1939 without any Estonian response.''White Book'', p. 10. The Soviets invaded Finland on 30 November. Hiden & Salmon (1994). p. 111. On 16 June 1940 the Soviets issued an ultimatum to Estonia (and to Latvia). On 17 June 1940 the Soviets occupied and annexed Estonia after invading the two other Baltic states.

Gallery

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References

Citations

Bibliography

* * Estonian State Commission on Examination of the Policies of Repression, ''The White Book: Losses Inflicted on the Estonian Nation by Occupation Regimes 1940-1991'' (Tallinn, 2005)

External links

Text of the treaty

Minutes of 1939 Estonian-Soviet Negotiations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soviet-Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty Estonia in World War II Occupation of the Baltic states Treaties of Estonia Treaties of the Soviet Union World War II treaties Treaties concluded in 1939 Treaties entered into force in 1939 1939 in Estonia 1939 in the Soviet Union Estonia–Soviet Union relations Military alliances involving the Soviet Union Moscow in World War II