N'afọ 1939, tupu ndị agha Soviet ebuso Finland agha
, onye odeakwụkwọ pati nke Leningrad Andrei Zhdanov nyere Shostakovich iwu ka ọ rụọ ọrụ emume, isiokwu a ga-eme ka ndị agha Red Army na-agagharị n'isi obodo Finland bụ Helsinki. Shostakovich dechara ya na 3 Disemba 1939, ka Red Army nọ na-aga n'ihu na Finnish front na ọchịchị puppet Finnish Democratic Republic tọrọ ntọala ụbọchị atọ tupu mgbe ahụ.