Conflict between Poland and Soviet Russia following the First World War (February 1919 - March 1921)
The Polish–Soviet War halted the westward spread of Bolshevism into Europe and established Poland's eastern borders through the 1921 Peace of Riga.
Key Facts
- War duration
- 14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921
- Ceasefire date
- 18 October 1920
- Peace treaty
- Peace of Riga, signed 18 March 1921
- Polish border gain
- Approx. 200 km east of the Curzon Line
- Battle of Warsaw
- 12–25 August 1920, known as 'Miracle on the Vistula'
- Kiev captured by Poland
- 7 May 1920
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After the collapse of the Central Powers in 1918, Soviet Russia annulled the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and moved forces westward to reclaim former territories. Lenin viewed independent Poland as a corridor for spreading communist revolution into Western Europe, while Polish leader Józef Piłsudski sought to restore Poland's pre-1772 borders and establish a broad federation to counter Soviet power.
Polish forces occupied much of Lithuania and Belarus in 1919 before Piłsudski launched the Kiev offensive in April 1920, briefly capturing the city. A Soviet counteroffensive pushed Polish forces back to Warsaw by August, but the Battle of Warsaw (12–25 August 1920) ended in a decisive Polish victory. A ceasefire was declared on 18 October 1920, followed by the Peace of Riga on 18 March 1921.
The Peace of Riga divided disputed territories, establishing Poland's eastern border roughly 200 km east of the Curzon Line and securing Polish control over parts of modern Ukraine and Belarus. The war also resulted in formal Soviet recognition of the Ukrainian and Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republics, undermining Piłsudski's Intermarium federation plans while confirming Poland's role in Eastern European geopolitics.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Józef Piłsudski, Symon Petliura.
Side B
1 belligerent
Vladimir Lenin.