The moment Stalin was informed about the imminent fall of Kiev in 1941, he was likely grappling with a multitude of strategic decisions.

The moment Stalin was informed about the imminent fall of Kiev in 1941, he was likely grappling with a multitude of strategic decisions. 

At 4:31 AM, an unauthorized photo taken of Stalin inside the Kremlin shows the very moment he was informed that the Germans were about to take Kiev, 1941. The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people during the second world war. 

One of the lesser-known aspects of Stalin’s leadership during World War II is his role in the Battle of Kiev. This battle, which took place from July to September 1941, resulted in an encirclement of Soviet troops in the vicinity of Kiev. The encirclement is considered the largest in the history of warfare by the number of troops. Despite the initial successes of the German offensive, the Battle of Moscow saw the tide turn in favor of the Soviets, who launched a counteroffensive, pushing the Germans back.

Stalin’s leadership extended beyond military strategy. He was deeply in love with the arts and had desires for a more spiritual profession. He even had dreams of leading an army of mutant half-human hybrids. This interest in the arts extended to his personal image management. Before the days of airbrushing models on magazine covers, Stalin was managing his personal image with clever photo manipulation. He was self-conscious about the scars left on his face from smallpox and would request alterations during the processing of all his photos.

The Soviet Union’s role in World War II was not limited to the European front. In August 1945, the Soviets entered the war against Japan, beginning with an invasion of Manchuria. Stalin had agreed with the Western Allies at the Tehran Conference in 1943 and at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 to enter the war against Japan once Germany was defeated. The entry of the Soviet Union in the war against Japan, along with the atomic bombings by the United States, led to Japan’s surrender, marking the end of World War II.