 the occupation of the baltic states refers to the military occupation of the three baltic statesâestonia, latvia and lithuaniaâby the soviet union under the auspices of the molotovâribbentrop pact on 14 june 1940 followed by their incorporation into the ussr as constituent republics, unrecognised internationally by most countries. on 22 june 1941 nazi germany attacked the ussr and within weeks occupied the baltic territories. in july 1941 the baltic territory was incorporated into the reichskommissariat ostland of the third reich. as a result of the baltic offensive of 1944, the soviet union recaptured most of the baltic states and trapped the remaining german forces in the courland pocket until their formal surrender in may 1945. the soviet "annexation occupation" (annexionsbesetzung  or occupation sui generis)mÃ¤lksoo (2003), p. 193. of the baltic states lasted until august 1991, when the baltic states regained independence. the baltic states,the occupation of latvia at ministry of foreign affairs of the republic of latvia the united states{{cite 
1940_in_Estonia 1940_in_Latvia 1940_in_Lithuania 1940_in_international_relations 1940_in_the_Soviet_Union 1941_in_the_Soviet_Union 1945_in_the_Soviet_Union Communist_repression Estonia_in_World_War_II EstoniaaGermany_relations German_military_occupations GermanyaLatvia_relations GermanyaLithuania_relations GermanyaSoviet_Union_relations History_of_Lithuania_(1940a45) Jewish_Estonian_history Jewish_Latvian_history Jewish_Lithuanian_history Latvia_in_World_War_II LatviaaSoviet_Union_relations LithuaniaaSoviet_Union_relations Military_history_of_Estonia Military_history_of_Finland Military_history_of_Latvia Military_history_of_Lithuania Military_history_of_the_Soviet_Union Occupation_of_the_Baltic_states Politics_of_World_War_II Russians_in_Estonia Soviet_military_occupations World_War_II_occupied_territories