Video puts WW2 deaths into perspective (link)

Yeah, their government had been so enlightened before the war. That whole Holodomor thing? That's the sign of some compassion, right there.

 

That's what I meant. For people in the US, they had a better life to look forward to after the war. Not so much the Russians.

 

The Russians "let them in" because Stalin was in complete denial and was trying to postpone war for as long as possible, despite intelligence reports that told the Soviet Union exactly when and where the Germans' attack was going to begin. Even after the attack started, Russian forces were ordered not to respond, lest it be taken as a provocation by the Third Reich. Meanwhile, Stalin suffered a breakdown and wasn't heard from publicly Good grief.

They also feared an imminent attack by Japan and had an enormous number of Siberian forces --- trained wonderfully for winter fighting --- standing by. Only when Stalin was assured that no Japanese attack was forthcoming did he unleash these fighters on the Germans.