The question of the legitimacy of the Soviet occupation of Germany (1945—1949)
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikhum-2025-3-5
- Pages
- 54-64
Abstract
The tense geopolitical situation, the development of negationist tendencies, and the emergence over the past decade of numerous disputes regarding reparation claims by certain countries make it relevant to study, from a scholarly perspective, the legitimacy of the actions of individual states during specific historical periods. Given that the Russian Federation is the successor state to the Soviet Union, there arises a justified necessity to examine certain actions of the Soviet leadership and the conformity of the measures they adopted with international law of the corresponding period. By studying individual treaties concluded between the USSR and Germany in 1939—1941, analyzing the factual actions of the two powers in 1939—1945, other relevant circumstances, and the fundamental norms of international law of that period, and employing comparative and historical methods, the author addresses the issue of the legality of establishing Soviet occupation authorities on German territory after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The author demonstrates that the establishment of an occupation regime by the Soviet Union in Germany not only fully complied with contemporary international law, but also proved to be the only available means of compensating for the damage inflicted by the Third Reich on the Soviet republics during nearly four years of active hostilities.