The division was agreed to by Stalin and Hitler in the secret Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression agreement that divided Poland with a line drawn to the west of Lemberg and Zółkiew, leaving Leon’s family safe on the Soviet side. In June 1941, Germany broke the pact, launching Operation Barbarossa. Its forces moved eastward at speed, so by the end of June, Zółkiew and Lemberg were under German control.
