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| 1939, May 3 |
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| Maxim Litvinov was suddenly dismissed from the post of commissar for foreign affairs, after 18 years of service. Premier Vyacheslav Molotov took his place. | 1 |
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| Aug. 20, 21 |
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| A trade pact was concluded with Germany, and an announcement was made of a forthcoming nonaggression pact (concluded on Aug. 23) (See Aug. 23). When Germany made war on Poland (See 1939, Sept. 1), Bolshevik Russia stood by as a benevolent neutral. | 2 |
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| Sept. 17 |
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| Soviet troops moved into Poland (See Sept. 17). | 3 |
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| Sept. 29 |
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| By agreement, the Soviet Union and Germany divided Poland between them. | 4 |
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| Nov. 26 |
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| The government of Finland rejected Soviet demands, leading to the RUSSO-FINNISH WAR (Nov. 30, 1939–March 12, 1940). | 5 |
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