It took 50 years for Estonia and the West to discover the contents of the secret People’s Defense Commissar Directive 02622 dated June 9, 1940 and sent by Marshalls S. Timoshenko and B. Saposnikov to Vice-Admiral V.F. Tributs, commander of the Soviet naval fleet:
The Directive states: We order you to be under the direct operational command of the commander of the air force by 05:00 June 10 and by June 12 to be ready to fulfill military tasks including battle readiness of warships in Estonian and Latvian harbours; to destroy Estonian and Latvian warships in their bases; to capture merchant ships and vessels; to execute offensive landings in Tallinn and Paldiski and to capture Tallinn harbour and destroy its defenses; to blockade the Bay of Riga; to install a secure and far-reaching blockade of all sea approaches from the south, west and north; in close co operation with the army, to co-ordinate an offensive against Rakvere; to prohibit the Estonian and Latvian air forces from making over flights to Finland and Sweden. (The Soviets shot down the Finnish passenger plane “Kaleva” flying from Tallinn to Helsinki on June 14.)
Vice-Admiral V.F. Tributs’ report on the fulfillment of assignments stated: preparations were finished June 13, blockade started June 14, blockade ended June 20. Participating operationally were 120 Soviet warships. In addition to a squadron of fighter planes, 144 various other military planes and artillery units were deployed. Detained were 52 foreign vessels. Intelligence gathering for the operations commenced June 4th.
On June 16 the Soviets presented an ultimatum to Estonia’s envoy in Moscow accusing Estonia of violating the mutual assistance pact, demanded the placement of additional troops in Estonia and the formation of a Soviet-friendly government. Since support from abroad was nonexistent despite Moscow’s brazen intimidation and armed resistance hopeless, Estonia acquiesced to the demand.
With the Soviet Baltic Fleet command moved to Tallinn and the 8th Soviet Army located to Tartu, by June 21 over 100,000 Soviet troops were stationed in Estonia.
Communist Party Politburo Secretary Andrei Zhadnov came to Tallinn on June 19 and dictated the composition of a new government to Estonian President Konstantin Päts. Under extreme duress Päts, on June 21, ostensibly appointed this new government into office. A more war-like situation was hard to imagine. But that proceeding, according to legal expertise, had no validity. The government assuming power was a vassal of a foreign power and an occupying military force.
From June 14 onwards by executing a military blockade against Estonia, the Soviet Union committed an act of unprovoked aggression against Estonia, violating many bilateral and international agreements to which Moscow was a signatory. Estonia thus had lost its de facto independence. Estonia was militarily occupied.
It has been cogently argued that as of June 14 any decrees, orders, edicts and similar acts of a government in essence under siege, are null and void. Others claim that Estonia lost its independence on June 19, the date that a foreign power imposed its government on the country. In any case, Moscow cannot claim that it was the free will of an autonomous government that invited a Soviet puppet regime to assume power.
On the initiative of the USA the de jure existence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would be recognized from that fateful summer of 1940, through 51 years of foreign occupation until restoration of de facto independence in 1991 with its concomitant return of diplomatic relations.
(Sourced partially from a lecture by Paavo Loosberg)