The occupation of Bessarabia on June 28, 1940 was an agreement between two dictators, Stalin and Hitler, and a flagrant violation of international law, Anatol Țăranu stated in a public debate entitled “June 28, 1940 between celebration and catastrophe”. According to him, the Soviet Union used exclusively the right of force when it occupied Bessarabia, threatening Romania with war.
The historian said that the Union of Bessarabia with Romania in 1918 represented the deliberate will of the representative body in Chisinau, the act of Union being recognized internationally. On the other hand, the occupation of Bessarabia by the Red Army on June 28, 1940 was a barbaric act of violation of international law.
“In 1918, Bessarabia united with Romania based on a decision by the representative body of the province and later this act was recognized internationally, although there were limitations in this regard. From a legal point of view, this is an absolutely legal issue that does not raise doubts, even if the Soviet Union has always challenged the legitimacy of this act. As for the act of June 1940, by which Bessarabia was torn away from its natural historical, cultural, political space, it was an absolutely illegitimate act. It was an agreement between two great dictators, who divided their spheres of influence. Such events happened in history earlier, but here it was already the twentieth century when international law already had authority and civilized states were guided in their relations by the principle of international law. From the point of view of international law, the Soviet Union defied everything it could defy, and this act was absolutely illegitimate, but it was enshrined by the authority of military force,” said Anatol Țăranu.
According to the historian, on June 26, 1940, the Soviet Union asked the Romanian administration to withdraw from Bessarabia, using false arguments lie the one that the population in the area was predominantly of Ukrainian ethnicity.
“The ultimatum submitted on June 26 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union contained historical and legal aberrations. In that document it was said that Bessarabia belonged to Russia and by inheritance passed to the Soviet Union and Bessarabia is predominantly populated by Ukrainians. This wasn’t true. I don’t think that the Soviet diplomats didn’t know the true ethnic composition of the area, but they used this falsehood to justify this ultimatum. In addition, this ultimatum also contained territorial claims on Bukovina, which was never part of Russia. In order to justify this aggressive and monopolizing aspiration of the Soviet Union, it was said that Bukovina would come as a reward for the 22-year Romanian domination in Bessarabia. This ultimatum was a sample of ignorance of everything that international law means, the right of peoples to self-determination. The Soviet Union, with the consent of fascist Germany, applied the dictate of force. There was no legal form that could be taken into account,” explained Anatol Țăranu.
On June 27, the Soviet Union sent Romania a second ultimatum note regarding the withdrawal from Bessarabia. Contrary to the provisions set out in the Soviet Union’s ultimatum, the Russian army entered Bessarabia, without waiting for the evacuation of the Romanian army and administration.
“There was also a second ultimatum by which Romania was told to leave the territory of Bessarabia during four days. The provisions of the second ultimatum were also brutally violated by the Soviet army, which on the night of June 28 began the occupation of Bessarabia. The Russian army entered the territory of Bessarabia in breach of all the agreements regarding the evacuation of the Romanian army and the Romanian administration during four days. The Russians defied the commitments they made when they agreed on this four-day period for evacuation. Once again, they showed that they were guided only by the argument of force, without taking into account other arguments and other principles,” said the doctor of history Anatol Țăranu.
The public debate entitled “June 28, 1940 between celebration and catastrophe” was the 39th installment of the project “Impact of the Past on Confidence and Peace Building Processes”. IPN Agency implements the project with the support of the German “Hanns Seidel” Foundation.
