In 1923 Skalat became the seat of a county in the Tarnopol Voivodeship. It also was a garrison of Battalion Skalat of the Border Protection Corps. In 1939, together with the suburbs of Mantiawa, Ksiezy Kat and Targowica, Skalat had a mixed Polish – Jewish – Ukrainian population of over 7,000. During the initial phase of the Soviet Invasion of Poland, the Red Army units bypassed the town, heading towards Tarnopol. The Soviets did not enter Skalat until September 21, 1939, four days after the invasion. During the Volhynian massacre, Skalat was a shelter for Polish population of the countryside, which was attacked by Ukrainian nationalists. On March 22, 1944, the town was recaptured by the Red Army.