Several nations (mostly Soviet allies) deployed the IS-2, either during World War II or after when the Cold War dominated global politics. By supplying the Eastern Bloc with the formidable IS-2, the Soviet Union was able to establish and maintain dominance in continental Europe and keep a significant buffer between itself and the West. After it became an ally of the Soviet Union, for example, Hungary’s army deployed 68 IS-2 tanks between 1950 and 1956. Other European nations that used the tank during this time were Romania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany.
During the height of the Cold War, the U.S.S.R also supplied enemies of the U.S. with the IS-2, which helped the nation compete with the world’s other major superpower. It delivered 41 variants of the IS-2 to Cuba in 1960, shortly before America’s failed Bay of Pigs invasion. The Soviet Union also delivered 60 IS-2s to China in 1950 and 1951 to fight in the Korean War, which was a proxy war between the Soviets and the U.S. IS-2 tanks were also delivered to North Korea, where some remain active even to this day.
By supplying both its allies and enemies of its enemy with the IS-2, the Soviet Union made itself stronger while also diverting American resources. Likewise, it stands to reason that the more countries became dependent on the Soviet Union, the less likely they would be to switch allegiances to the West.
