War against Poland In June 1920 the Soviet Russian army had taken Vilnius. Shortly after their defeat in the Battle of Warsaw, the withdrawing Red Army handed the city over to Lithuania under the terms of the peace treaty signed on July 12. Negotiations were started in an attempt to avoid an armed conflict between Poland and Lithuania. On October 7, the Suwałki Agreement was signed. However, on October 8, before the agreement was to formally take effect, General Lucjan Żeligowski, acting on orders from the Polish leader Józef Piłsudski, staged a mutiny by Polish troops. The Vilnius and the Suvalkai regions were overrun. Initially the Polish forces did not meet much armed resistance, and a later Lithuanian counter-offensive was stopped by Military Commission of League of Nations. Since the Vilnius region was controlled by Poland, the Lithuanian government declared Kaunas the temporary capital of Lithuania. The dispute over Vilnius would continue throughout the interwar period. Żeligowski's Mutiny A staged mutiny arranged by the Polish Chief of State Józef Piłsudski was carried out by Polish forces led by general Lucjan Żeligowski. These forces took control of Vilnius in the fall of 1920. However, shortly after this, Lithuanian forces started to gain the upper hand in this conflict and the 'mutinous' forces gained support from the regular Polish army. This military action is considered as a continuation of the Polish-Lithuanian war in historiography. Central Lithuanian Offensive on Kaunas Klaipėda Revolt See also Latvian War of Independence Estonian War of Independence Polish-Soviet War Central Lithuania Forest Brothers References Further reading Gimtoji istorija, Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės (Lietuvos istorijos vadovėlis), CD, 2002, Z. Butkus, Kartu su Latvija ir Estija ar atskirai?, Atgimimas, December 12, 1988, No. 10 (10) Independence Lithuania Conflicts in 1918 Conflicts in 1919 Conflicts in 1920 Wars involving Poland Wars involving Russia Russian Civil War 1918 in Lithuania 1919 in Lithuania 1920 in Lithuania