What was the Soviet offensive against Japanese forces in August 1945 called?

The Soviet offensive against Japanese forces in August 1945 was called Operation August Storm.

The operation began on 9 August 1945, shortly after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. Soviet forces attacked Japanese positions across Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, southern Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands, overwhelming the Kwantung Army in a rapid campaign.

The offensive was a major factor in the crisis that led Japan’s leaders to accept surrender. It opened multiple fronts, threatened Japanese-held territory, and destroyed hopes that the Soviet Union might mediate a negotiated peace with the Western Allies.

Operation August Storm is sometimes overlooked beside the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Historians continue to debate the relative weight of these events in Japan’s decision, but the Soviet entry into the war clearly changed the strategic situation before the surrender announcement on 15 August.