Lithuania–Russia relations in Suvalkija, to the Soviet sphere of influence. The exchange of territories was also motivated by Soviet control of Vilnius: the Soviet Union could exert significant influence on the Lithuanian government, which claimed Vilnius to be its "de jure" capital. In the secret protocols, both Soviet Union and Germany explicitly recognized Lithuanian interest in Vilnius. Accordingly, by the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty of October 10, 1939, Lithuania would acquire about one fifth of the Vilnius Region, including Lithuania's historical capital, Vilnius, and in exchange would allow five Soviet military bases with 20,000 troops to be established across Lithuania. After months
Regional Party of Lithuania and White Ruthenia Regional Party of Lithuania and White Ruthenia The Regional Party of Lithuania and White Ruthenia was a political party of major Polish-speaking (mostly of Belarusian origin) nobility and landlords (so called krajowcy) living on the lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (what is now Republic of Lithuania and Belarus) in early 20th century. The initiator of creation of the party was Raman Skirmunt (he called himself "Belarusian"). In November 1905 he published a manifest of the "Regional party of Lithuania and Ruthenia" that in fact was a party program which demanded introduction of democratic freedoms and especially the