Russia

Russia: timeline and key events

20 events 🌍 Country page : Russia
  1. Politics

    Calling of the Varangians and founding of Novgorod

    According to the Nestor Chronicle, Slavic tribes invite the Varangian chief Rurik to rule Novgorod, laying the foundations of the early Russian state.

  2. Culture

    Baptism of Kievan Rus'

    Prince Vladimir I of Kiev adopts Orthodox Christianity and baptises his people in the Dnieper River, making Orthodox religion the cornerstone of Russian civilisation for centuries.

  3. Politics

    First mention of Moscow

    The city of Moscow is mentioned for the first time in Russian chronicles during a meeting between Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy and his ally, marking the official birth of the future capital.

  4. War

    Mongol invasion by Batu Khan

    The Mongol hordes of Batu Khan sweep across Russia, destroying Vladimir, Suzdal and Kiev, and imposing two centuries of Mongol rule over the Russian principalities.

  5. Politics

    End of Mongol domination

    Ivan III refuses to pay tribute to the Golden Horde; during the Great Stand on the Ugra River, the Mongol armies withdraw without fighting, ending 240 years of Mongol suzerainty over Russia.

  6. Politics

    Ivan the Terrible, first Tsar of Russia

    Ivan IV is crowned the first Tsar of all the Russias at sixteen, centralising power, reforming administration and pursuing expansionist policies, but also a bloody repression (Oprichnina).

  7. Politics

    Foundation of Saint Petersburg

    Peter the Great founds Saint Petersburg on the banks of the Neva, making it the new westward-facing capital and a symbol of Russia's modernisation.

  8. Politics

    Reign of Catherine the Great

    Catherine II seizes power in a coup and reigns until 1796, considerably expanding the Russian Empire southward and westward and making Russia a major European power.

  9. War

    Napoleonic invasion and retreat of the Grande Armée

    Napoleon invades Russia with 600,000 men, captures Moscow set ablaze, but is forced into a disastrous retreat that destroys his army and marks the beginning of his decline.

  10. Politics

    Abolition of serfdom by Alexander II

    Alexander II's emancipation edict frees around 23 million serfs, profoundly transforming Russian society and paving the way for the country's industrialisation.

  11. Politics

    Revolution of 1905 and October Manifesto

    The Bloody Sunday massacre triggers a popular revolution; Tsar Nicholas II responds with the October Manifesto, granting a Duma and civil liberties, the first crack in tsarist autocracy.

  12. Politics

    October Revolution, Bolshevik seizure of power

    Lenin and the Bolsheviks seize power in Petrograd, overthrowing the provisional government and triggering a civil war that transforms Russia into the world's first communist state.

  13. Politics

    Foundation of the USSR

    The Union Treaty creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, uniting Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Transcaucasia in a communist federal state that will become a world superpower.

  14. War

    Operation Barbarossa, Nazi invasion of the USSR

    Nazi Germany launches Operation Barbarossa with 3 million soldiers, triggering the deadliest war in history: the USSR will lose 27 million people before the final victory in 1945.

  15. War

    Soviet victory over Nazi Germany

    The Red Army captures Berlin in April-May 1945, ending World War II in Europe; the Soviet victory, won at immense sacrifice, makes the USSR a world superpower.

  16. Science

    Launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite

    The USSR launches Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite, opening the space age and triggering a shock in the United States that ignites the Space Race.

  17. Science

    Yuri Gagarin, first man in space

    Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin completes the first crewed spaceflight aboard Vostok 1, orbiting Earth in 108 minutes and becoming a global hero.

  18. Politics

    Dissolution of the USSR

    After the August coup attempt, Gorbachev signs the dissolution of the USSR on 25 December, ending the Cold War and giving rise to 15 independent states, including the Russian Federation.

  19. Politics

    Russia's annexation of Crimea

    Following Ukraine's Maidan revolution, Russia annexes the Crimean Peninsula after a disputed referendum, triggering an international crisis and Western sanctions.

  20. War

    Russia's invasion of Ukraine

    Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, triggering the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II and causing Moscow's diplomatic isolation.