Why did the USSR Refuse to Annex Mongolia? (Short Animated Documentary)

Summary by Krater

This video explains why the Soviet Union repeatedly refused to annex the Mongolian People's Republic despite Mongolia's requests, concluding that Moscow already controlled Mongolia's economy and preferred to maintain a nominal buffer state to avoid conflict with China and Japan.

From the video

Answers: Why did the USSR refuse to annex Mongolia?

• Mongolian independence
• Soviet-Mongolian relations
• Sino-Soviet relations
• Geopolitics of East Asia

What it concludes

• The USSR refused to annex Mongolia because it already controlled Mongolia's economy and military needs.
• Annexing Mongolia would have upset the USSR's valuable Chinese allies to the south.
• Holding Mongolia as a nominally independent nation gave the USSR diplomatic leverage with China.