In 1939, Molotov became the Soviet foreign minister, and it was for his signature on the Nazi–Soviet non‐aggression pact—the Molotov‐Ribbentrop Pact—that he became best known.
The Great Terror of 1937, also known as the Great Purge, was a brutal political campaign led by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to eliminate dissenting members of the Communist Party and anyone else he considered a threat.
The scars of Soviet occupation run deep in this part of Europe.
Some other news reports have said that mercenaries from former Soviet republics have also been enlisted.
On December 28 both Tokaev and Nazarbaev were in Saint Petersburg to meet Putin, along with leaders of other former Soviet states.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan began on 24 December 1979.