killing Stalin as early as 1939? This would be a nice "what if topic". However Japan was not in a position to do so. They did not attempt it in 1939, neither after Barbarossa. This is probably when they missed their chance, with a weakened Soviet Union in 1941. The legend says Lyushkov was shot by the Japanese. It doesn't really make a diference, he would have been killed by the Soviets too, so his fate was sealed. I doubt Stalin would have forgiven a defector who wished to kill him.

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