 At around noon , the news of the invasion was broadcast to the population by Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov : " ... Without a declaration of war , German forces fell on our country , attacked our frontiers in many places ... The Red Army and the whole nation will wage a victorious Patriotic War for our beloved country , for honour , for liberty ... Our cause is just . The enemy will be beaten . Victory will be ours ! " By calling upon the population 's devotion to their nation rather than the Party , Molotov struck a patriotic chord that helped a stunned people absorb the shattering news . Within the first few days of the invasion , the Soviet High Command and Red Army were extensively reorganized so as to place them on the necessary war footing . Stalin did not address the nation about the German invasion until 3 July , when he also called for a " Patriotic War ... of the entire Soviet people " . 
