Winter War: Features of the War and the Problems of Assessing the Red Army

Aim. To determine the reasons for the unsuccessful start of the war for the Red Army and the conclusions on eliminating the problems that the leadership of the country and the Red Army made. Methodology. The following methods were used in the work: historical and genetic, critical analysis of the source, statistical analysis of losses, comparative method and analogy method. The consistent disclosure of the properties, functions and changes of the studied reality in the process of historical movement made it possible to reveal the real history to the greatest extent. Results. It was concluded that the Soviet leadership considered the war with Finland as a local conflict and as preparation for the upcoming war with Germany, which determined the course and features of this war. The Red Army entered the war with Finland, based on the same principles as the clashes at Khalkhin Gaul and in the "Liberation Campaign against Western Ukraine and Belarus". The difference in the conditions of hostilities led to great losses at the first stage of the war and forced changes in approaches from the Soviet side: a change in command, numerical growth of units, equipment and resources, a pause for training and training, followed by a quick defeat of the Finnish army. The experience of the Finnish campaign gave lessons and impetus to changes in the Red Army, which helped in the confrontation with the Wehrmacht in 1941. Research implications. The conclusions of the study can be used to continue the study of the history of the USSR during the late 1930s – early 1940s. and analysis of World War II, the Soviet-Finnish campaign, World War II. Research materials will also be useful in teaching the course «History of Russia».