Estonia's experience during World War II was marked by successive occupations, starting with the Soviet invasion in 1940 under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Estonia, along with its Baltic neighbors, was forcibly annexed by the Soviets in August 1940. This annexation was widely condemned internationally as illegal. During the Soviet occupation, there were mass arrests, executions, and deportations of Estonians, with tens of thousands sent to Siberian labor camps.
In June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, swiftly capturing Estonia. Many Estonians initially viewed the Germans as liberators, hoping for the restoration of independence. However, Germany incorporated Estonia into its Reichskommissariat Ostland and continued harsh occupation policies. Many Estonians were forcibly conscripted into both German and Soviet armies during the war.
By 1944, the Soviet Union had regained control over most of Estonia following its Baltic Offensive. The returning Soviet forces reimposed the brutal repressions seen in 1940, including mass deportations, executions, and suppression of local culture and language. Estonia remained under Soviet occupation until it regained its independence in 1991. During the war, Estonia lost a significant portion of its population to executions, deportations, and wartime casualties, and its economy and infrastructure were devastated.