2007 - Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia join the Schengen common space.
1999 - Boris Yeltsin resigns as President of Russia, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.
1991 - The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is officially dissolved.

1990 - Vasili Lazarev, Soviet cosmonaut dies (b. 1928)
1905 - Alexander Popov, Russian physicist dies (b. 1859)
1903 - Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist is born (d. 1992)

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1994 - Dmitri Ivanenko, Russian physicist dies  (b. 1904)

1988 - Yuli Daniel, Russian writer dies (b. 1925)
1942 - Vladimir Bukovsky, Russian author and dissident is born

1941 - El Lissitzky, Russian artist and architect is born (b. 1890)
1922 - The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed.

1904 - Dmitri Kabalevsky, Russian composer is born (d. 1987)
1785 - Dorothea Lieven, Russian noblewoman is born (d. 1857)

1621 - Saint Job of Maniava, Ukrainian Orthodox Saint dies (b. 1550)

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1993 - Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Armenian actor dies (b. 1930)
1980 - Nadezhda Mandelstam, Russian writer dies (b. 1899)
1916 - Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk dies  (b. 1869)
1709 - Empress Elizabeth of Russia is born (d. 1762)

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1999 - Saparmurat Niyazov is proclaimed President for Life in Turkmenistan.

1986 - Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian film director (b. 1932)

1935 - Pravda publishes a letter by Pavel Postyshev, who revives New Year tree tradition in the Soviet Union.

1925 - Sergei Yesenin, Russian poet dies (b. 1895)
1924 - Laeon Bakst, Russian artist dies (b. 1866)
1877 - Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet dies (b. 1821)

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2002 - Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya.

1995 - Shura Cherkassky, Ukrainian classical pianist dies (b. 1909)
1979 - The Soviet Union seizes control of Afghanistan and Babrak Karmal replaces overthrown and executed President Hafizullah Amin.

1974 - Vladimir Aleksandrovich Fock, Russian physicist dies (b. 1898)
1938 - Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet dies (b. 1891)
1934 - Larissa Latynina, Russian gymnast is born

1929 - Leon Trotsky is deported from the Soviet Union in February 1929. His first station in exile was off the coast of Istanbul, where he stayed four years.

1925 - Sergei Yesenin, Russian poet dies (b. 1895)

1832 - Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and patron of art is born (d. 1897)
1776 - Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general is born (d. 1811)

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1992 - Nikita Magaloff, Russian pianist dies (b. 1912)
1991 - Supreme Soviet meets and formally dissolves the USSR.
1980 - Aeroflot puts the Ilyushin Il-86 into service.

1979 - Soviet Special forces troops take over presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan.
1975 - The Tupolev Tu-144 goes into service in Soviet Union.

1974 - Salyut 4 is launched.

1973 - Soyuz 13 lands on earth after a week in orbit.

1933 - Anatoly Lunacharsky, Russian literary critic and politician dies (b. 1875)
1902 - Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan, Russian painter is born (d. 1980)
1825 - Several Imperial Russia army officers lead circa 3000 soldiers on the Senate Square in the failed Decembrist uprising.

1806 - Battles of Pultusk and Golymin: Russian forces hold French forces under Napoleon.

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2004 - Gennady Strekalov, cosmonaut dies (b. 1940)
1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as president of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day). Ukraine’s referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union.
1979 - The Soviet Union airlifts forces into Afghanistan to begin occupation.

1921 - Vladimir Korolenko, Russian writer dies (b. 1853)

1907 - Mike Mazurki, Ukrainian actor is born (d. 1990)1906 - Lew Grade, Ukrainian film producer is born (d. 1998)

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People born on this day were believed to become Werewolves in Russian folklore.

1981 - Dima Bilan, Karachay-Russian pop artist is born

1979 - The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to support the country’s Marxist government.

1967 - Mikhail Shchennikov, Russian race walker is born
1924 - Grigory Kriss, Russian Olympic champion fencer is born
1920 - Evgeniya Rudneva, Russian World War II heroine is born (d. 1944)
1843 - Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet is born (d. 1886)

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1979 - Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.

1975 - Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player is born

1972 - Andrei Tupolev, Soviet aircraft designer dies (b. 1888)

1953 - Lavrenty Beria, Soviet Communist leader dies (b. 1899)
1943 - Mikhail Gromov, Russian-born mathematician is born
1891 - Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer is born (d. 1956)
1878 - Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian mechanical engineer is born (d. 1972)
1777 - Tsar Alexander I of Russia is born (d. 1825)
1743 - Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet is born (d. 1803)

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2006 - Galina Ustvolskaya, Russian composer dies (b. 1919)
1975 - Dmitri Khokhlov, Russian footballer is born
1966 - Dmitry Bilozerchev, Soviet gymnast is born
1937 - Eduard Uspensky, Russian writer is born
1869 - Dmitri Egorov, Russian mathematician is born (d. 1931)
1853 - Yevgraf Fyodorov, Russian mathematician is born (d. 1919)

1646 - Peter Mogila, Orthodox Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia dies (b. 1596)

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