1989 in the Soviet Union

The following lists events that happened during 1989 in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Incumbents

Events

Whole Year: Revolutions of 1989

January to February 15 — Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.
February 6 — Negotiations between the Polish government and the union ‘Solidarity’ opened.
February 24 — Singing Revolution: After 44 years, the Estonian flag is raised at Pikk Hermann tower in Tallinn.
March 9 — Revolutions of 1989: The Soviet Union submits to the jurisdiction of the World Court.
March 16 — The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union approves agricultural reforms allowing farmers the right to lease state-owned farms for life.
March 26 — 1989 Soviet Union legislative election: first contested elections in Soviet History.
April 7 — The Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea, killing 41.
April 9 — April 9 tragedy; a pro-independence demonstration in Tbilisi was put down by Soviet authorities, resulting in the deaths of 21 people.
May 3 — The first McDonald's restaurant in the Soviet Union begins construction in Moscow.
May 14 — Mikhail Gorbachev visits China, ending the Sino-Soviet split.
May 18 — Lithuania declares sovereignty over all of its territory.
May 25 — Gorbachev becomes Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.
June 4 — Ufa train disaster, a gas pipe explosion kills hundreds.
July 10 — 300,000 Siberian coal miners go on strike, demanding better living conditions and less bureaucracy.
July 17 — 1989 Soviet miners' strike: The strike spreads to Ukraine.
August 8 — The Ministry of Gas Industry changes Gazprom, an energy production and sales organization to a state-run enterprise.
August 23 — Two million people in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania join hands to form the Baltic Way in the Singing Revolution.
September 14 — An agreement of co-operation between Leningrad Oblast of the Soviet Union and Nordland County of Norway was signed in Leningrad.
September 24 — Lithuania declares 1940 annexation by the Soviet Union to be null and void.
October 9 — Voronezh UFO incident
November 9 — Soviet power in Eastern Europe collapses with the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
November 28 — Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announces the end of its monopoly of power, in the Velvet Revolution.
December 1 — In a meeting with Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev pledges greater religious freedom for Soviet citizens.
December 7 — The Lithuanian parliament announces the end of the political monopoly of the Communist Party of Lithuania, in the Singing Revolution.
December 25 — Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife are captured and executed in the Romanian revolution.

Births

January 14 — Inna Afinogenova, journalist
January 23 — Arzu Aliyeva, Azerbaijani public figure who is the younger daughter of Ilham Aliyev
January 31 — Rafael Akhmetov, Russian ice hockey player
February 12 — Rauf Aliyev, Azerbaijani international footballer
February 14 — Bobirjon Akbarov, Uzbekistani footballer
February 17 — Azat Bayryev, football player
February 28 — Tigean Avinyan, 60th Mayor of Yerevan
April 6 — Ulugbek Alimov, Uzbekistani weightlifter
May 13 — Roman Amirkhanov, Russian professional footballer
May 26 — Tulabek Akramov, Uzbekistani sports administrator
July 3 — Ilya Antonovsky, Russian professional ice hockey defenceman
July 4 — Vyacheslav Andryushchenko, Belarusian ice hockey player
June 12 — Kirill Akilov, Russian football player
July 13 — Shamil Alimagomayev, Russian football midfielder
July 18 — Semyon Antonov, Russian professional basketball player
July 19 — Sergei Andronov, Russian professional ice hockey player
July 21 — Sana Anarkulova, Kazakhstani volleyball player
September 1 — Rahid Amirguliyev, Azerbaijani footballer
September 5 — Kachorovska Alina, Ukrainian designer of shoes and accessories
September 21 — Astemir Apanasov, Circassian singer
October 1 — Stanislav Aseyev, Ukrainian writer and journalist
October 9 — Georgy Alburov, Russian political and social activist, journalist and blogger
October 17 — Vyacheslav Akimov, Ukrainian football midfielder
October 21 — Oleg Akkuratov, Russian pianist, jazz improviser and singer
October 28 — Alan Alborov, Russian professional football player
November 5 — Zhannat Aitenova, Kazakhstani handball player
November 14 — Hasan Aliyev, Azerbaijani World and European champion Greco-Roman wrestler
November 29 — Natalya Asanova, Uzbekistani athlete
December 3 — Vladislavs Agurjanovs, Latvian professional table tennis player

Deaths

January

January 3 — Sergei Sobolev, mathematician
January 10 — Valentin Glushko, engineer, program manager of the Soviet space program
January 24 — Sasha Putrya, Ukrainian artist
January 27 — Vasily Konovalenko, artist

February

February 2 — Yuri Bogatyryov, actor
February 7 — Simon Virsaladze, ballet, film and opera designer
February 20 — Aleksandr Medvedkin, film director
February 21 — Otar Taktakishvili, Georgian composer and conductor

March

March 3 — Vytautas Viciulis, Lithuanian painter
March 4 — Victor Nikiforov, ice hockey player and Olympic gold medalist
March 8 — Elisaveta Bykova, chess player and dual Women's World Chess Champion
March 26 — Maris Liepa, Latvian ballet dancer
March 29 — Aleksandr Prokopenko, football player

April

April 10 — Nikolai Grinko, actor
April 20 — Johan Eichfeld, biologist and politician
April 22 — Dmitry Selivanov, rock singer

May

May 2 — Veniamin Kaverin, writer and dramatist
May 4 — Lydia Pasternak Slater, research chemist and poet
May 8 — Hendrik Allik, Estonian politician
May 14 — Nikifor Kalchenko, politician
May 23 — Georgy Tovstonogov, theatre director
May 27 — Arseny Tarkovsky, poet and translator

June

June 9
*Rashid Behbudov, singer and actor
*Vladimir Kasatonov, military leader and fleet admiral
*Piotr Vasiliev, realist painter
June 10 — Suleyman Rustam, poet, playwright and translator
June 13 — Eduard Päll, politician, linguist and writer
June 19
*Betti Alver, Estonian poet
*Yevgeny Kabanov, Naval Aviation major general
*Andrey Prokofyev, sprinter and Olympic gold medalist
June 21 — Aleksandr Safronov, speed skater and Olympian
June 22 — Glenn Michael Souther, American sailor who turned Soviet intelligence officer
June 30 — Rostislav Plyatt, stage and film actor

July

July 1 — Victor Nekipelov, poet and writer
July 2 — Andrei Gromyko, politician and diplomat, 9th Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
July 4 — Leyla Mammadbeyova, first Azerbaijani female aviator

August

August 25 — Yan Frankel, composer and performer

September

September 7 — Valery Goborov, basketball player and Olympic gold medalist

October

October 13 — Merab Kostava, Georgian dissident, musician and poet
October 14 — Klavdiya Mayuchaya, javelin thrower and European champion
October 15 — Tadevos Hakobyan, Armenian historian and geographer
October 17 — Mark Krein, mathematician
October 28 — Yuliya Solntseva, actress and film director

November

November 1 — Nurtas Undasynov, 3rd Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
November 7 — Andrey Borovykh, World War II flying ace and twice Hero of the Soviet Union
November 14 — Samand Siabandov, writer, soldier and politician
November 22 — Shamil Serikov, wrestler and Olympic gold medalist
November 28 — Georgy Ilivitsky, chess master
November 29 — Natan Eidelman, author and historian

December

December 1 — Nikolai Patolichev, 11th Minister of Foreign Trade of the Soviet Union
December 3 — Alexander Obukhov, physicist and applied mathematician
December 5 — Sofiya Kalistratova, lawyer and human rights activist
December 7 — Vadim Spiridonov, film actor and director
December 8 — Mykola Livytskyi, Ukrainian politician, prime minister and president of the Ukrainian People's Republic in-exile
December 14
*Ants Eskola, actor
*Andrei Sakharov, nuclear physicist, dissident, human rights activist and Nobel laureate in Physics, dilated cardiomyopathy
December 19 — Kirill Mazurov, 14th First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union
December 28 — Pavel Kurochkin, army general