Timeline (New Union)

This timeline describes how the August Coup was discovered prior to it being executed. Mikhail Gorbachev remains in power and the Soviet Union is reformed into a "New Union."

1985

 * March 11 – After the sudden death of General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko, is declared the General Secretary of the Soviet Union..

1986

 * April 26 – In the Ukraine, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant's fourth reactor has a meltdown.

1987



 * June – Gorbachev establishes Glasnost and Perestroika in order to reform the Soviet Union.

1990

 * March 15 – Mikhail Gorbachev officially forms the office of "President of the Soviet Union." Gorbachev becomes the first President of the USSR.


 * July – At the 28th Congress, President Gorbachev proposes a solution to the Soviet Union's increasing ethnic problems, which will be morphed into the New Union Treaty.


 * November 23 – The first draft of the New Union Treaty is submitted to the Supreme Soviet.

1991

 * January 1 – A drafting committee is formed. Nine of the fifteen republics attended the drafting.


 * March 6 – The proposal was approved by the Soviet of the Union and sent to the Supreme Soviets of the republics for approval. Agreement could not be reached on the distribution of power between the Union and the Republics and the proposal was not approved. As an additional restrictive element, some autonomous republics expressed the desire to raise their status and to be a party to the new Soviet treaty.


 * March 17 – The Soviet Union holds its first referendum. The referendum was held in the nine republics which participated in the drafting of the treaty, plus the autonomous regions of Abkhazia, Gagauzia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria. In the referendum 76% of voters supported maintaining a federation. Opposition was greatest in several large cities (i.e., Leningrad and Moscow). The referendum was [mostly] boycotted in the other six republics, which were already moving towards independence.


 * April 23 – An agreement between the Soviet central government and the nine republics, the so-called "9+1 agreement" was finally signed in Novo-Ogaryovo. The New Union Treaty will convert the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics into a federation of independent republics with a common president, foreign policy, and military.




 * August 18 – Gorbachev wakes with a cold. He and his family cut their vacation short to consult a doctor. Later he is informed that several men came looking for him. In doing so, they ransacked his dacha. Gorbachev orders the men arrested. It is later confirmed that Vice President and KGB Chairman  were attempting a coup. Gorbachev orders the arrests of the men behind the "". The news of a foiled coup seems to cement Gorbachev's power as the liberator of the nation.


 * August 20 –, , , , and sign the  in Moscow, which voids the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR from 1922. The  is established.


 * September 10 –, , and sign the.


 * October 11 – Gorbachev appoints as Vice President of the Soviet Union.


 * September 27th – Gorbachev travels to Eritrea to encourage support for the.


 * October 25 – The Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics officially announces the recognition of the six remaining republics as independent. In a press release, President Gorbachev states:


 * I do not support these republics moving away from the us. But as I have said in the past to the rest of Europe, "its your decision, not mine". I hope that all the republics (no matter what government they are under) will continue to work together for the common goals of equality and unity.


 * The Ukraine was still awaiting a referendum which would put to the vote whether to sign the treaty of fully declare independence.


 * November 7 – On the 74th anniversary of the October Revolution, Gorbachev announces that the new Constitution has been drafted and awaiting approval from 8 of the 9 republics (the Ukraine remained absent).


 * December 1 – The holds a referendum on the states declaration of independence. The majority of voters rejected independence, in favor of remaining in the Soviet Union.


 * December 26 – The signs the . The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceases to exist, replaced by seven new countries: (,, , , , , and the ).

1992



 * March 1 – is accepted into the UN.  and  urge Moscow to annex them.


 * March 2 – Moldovan forces march into Transnistria in hops of regaining control. President Gorbachev orders a retaliate move on Transnistria. Gagauzia declares support for the Soviets, and assists in Transnistria. The begins.


 * June – American President and Soviet President  agree to cooperate on space exploration. The resulting Agreement between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics Concerning Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes called for a short, joint space program, with one American astronaut deployed to the Russian space station Mir and two Russian cosmonauts deployed to a Space Shuttle.


 * July 21 – A ceasefire is declared in the War of Transnistria. Soviet troops remain in Gagauzia and Transnistria. Later in the year, the two regions are annexed by the Soviet Union, and merged as autonomous republics within the Ukraine.


 * August 14 – The Soviet Union goes into war over Abkhazia.

1993

 * January 3 – In Moscow, and  sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II).


 * September 27 – The War in Abkhazia ends, with an Abkhaz-Soviet victory. Abkhazia and South Ossetia are annexed by the Soviet Union, but not recognized by Georgia.

1994

 * January 14 – and Mikhail Gorbachev sign the Kremlin Accords, which stop the preprogrammed aiming of nuclear missiles toward each country's targets.


 * September 3 – The Soviet Union and agree to de-target their nuclear weapons against each other.

1995



 * January 1 – and  reunify to form the . As part of the unification, the Dniester River would be the easternmost border for the new Romania, grating Soviet rights to Transnistria.


 * February 11 – is elected as as  (the first democratically elected leader of the USSR).


 * May 8 – Gorbachev is sworn in as the second President of the Soviet Union.


 * June 25 – The Soviet Union launches space shuttle Zaria. Cosmonauts Igor Volk and Aleksandr Ivanchenko become the first men to fly the successful shuttle mission.

1997



 * February 20 – Soviet shuttle Smerch (part of the ) docks with . A new era of Soviet spaceflight has begun.

1998



 * September – Gorbachev travels to Mongolia. Meeting with President, the two work out a joint agreement between the nations. The two have been in strain since both moved from hard-lined communist governments.


 * November 20 – The United States and the Soviet Union begin with the construction of the (ISS).

2000

 * February 11 – Former Prime Minister is elected as the second.


 * May 8 – Putin is sworn in a President of the USSR.


 * August 12 – After an explosion in the torpedo tube, the Soviet submarine K-141 Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea.


 * November – Mongolian President Natsagiin Bagabandi travels to Moscow. Rumors fly that Mongolia shows interest in joining the Soviet Union.

2001

 * February 18 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested and charged with spying for the Soviet Union for 15 years.


 * April 28 – Soviet Shuttle Smerch lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the first space tourist, American Dennis Tito.


 * May 6 – Space tourist Dennis Tito returns to Earth aboard Smerch.

2003



 * January 1 – The becomes a . At the stroke of midnight, the borders between Russia and Mongolia open, in which citizens of both sides greet the other, and celebration erupts.


 * January 16 – Space Shuttle Columbia launches from Kennedy Space Center. Upon looking at the launch tapes, it is detected that a peace of foam had hit Columbia, though the exact amount is uncertain.


 * January 31 – Upon a spacewalk and satellite imaging, it is determined that the wing and heat shield of Columbia has been critically damaged. NASA postpones the reentry of Columbia. The world learns of the stranded astronauts, and the begins.


 * February 3 – The offers to sacrifice its upcoming mission as a means of assisting the astronauts of Columbia.


 * February 7 – Space Shuttle Groza launches from Bikanur Cosmodrome.


 * February 10 – Groza successfully "docks" with Columbia. The evacuation via an emergency EVA takes place. Due to the limited seating, astronauts Husband, McCool, and Brown remained on board Columbia until Atlantis can come back and assist in repairs to the shuttle.


 * February 16 – Groza safely lands back in Kazakhstan.


 * August 25 – The adopts a new flag design which describes the Nordic heritage of Estonia.

2004

 * March 29 – Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovenia are admitted into NATO.


 * May 1 – Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta, and Cyprus become member states of the.

2005

 * May 13 – Uzbek troops kill up to 700 during protests in eastern Uzbekistan over the trials of 23 accused Islamic extremists. President Islom Karimov defends the act.

2006

 * April 20 – announces a deal with the Soviet Union, involving a joint uranium enrichment firm on Soviet soil; 9 days later Iran announces that it will not move all activity to Russia, thus leading to a de facto termination of the deal.


 * May 27 – The first demonstration for gay rights in Moscow is broken up by the police.


 * October 9 – claims to have conducted its first-ever nuclear test. Soviet President Vladimir Putin said at the customary Monday meeting with Cabinet members that “Russia unconditionally condemns the test made by the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea. It is not only North Korea that really counts, but the tremendous harm caused to the regime of WMD non-proliferation in the world.

2007



 * March 27 – Prime Minister of Latvia Aigars Kalvitis and Prime minister of the Soviet Union Mikhail Fradkov finally sign a border treaty between Latvia and the Soviet Union.


 * June 4 – The Soviet city of wins the vote to host the . This is the second time the Soviet Union will host the Olympics (the last being Moscow in 1980).


 * November 18 – The Zasyadko mine disaster in eastern claims the lives of 101 miners.

2008



 * August 7-8 – invades the debated region of South Ossetia in an attempt to reconquer the area. The  reacted by deploying combat troops in South Ossetia and launching bombing raids deep into Georgia.


 * August 9 – Soviet forces entered western parts of Georgia's interior. After five days of heavy fighting, the Georgian forces were routed, enabling the Soviets to enter uncontested Georgia and occupy the cities of Poti, Gori, Senaki, and Zugdidi.


 * August 12 – After mediation by the French presidency of the European Union, the parties reached a preliminary ceasefire agreement, signed by Georgia on 15 August in Tbilisi and by the USSR on 16 August in Moscow. President had already ordered a halt to Soviet military operations, but fighting did not stop immediately. After signing the ceasefire agreement, the USSR pulled most of its troops out of uncontested Georgia, but established a buffer zone around South Ossetia and also created check-points in Georgia's interior, (Poti, Senaki, Perevi).


 * October 8 – The Soviet Union completes its withdrawal from uncontested Georgia, but remain stationed South Ossetia under bilateral agreements with the corresponding governments. According to a number of European and US sources, the USSR has not fully complied with the peace agreement because Georgia lost control of some of its territories.

2009

 * February 10 – A Soviet and an American satellite collide over Siberia, creating a large amount of space debris.

2010



 * February 10 – nominee  is elected President of the Soviet Union.


 * April 3 – Riots break out in against the government of President.


 * April 10 – The President of, Lech Kaczyński, is among 96 killed when their airplane crashes in western Russia.


 * May 5 – The Moscow University (a maritime Soviet tanker ship) is attacked by Somali pirates of the coast of.


 * May 6 – Soviet commandos from the Marshal Shaposhnikov rescued the hijacked vessel. The entire crew escaped unharmed. The commandos from the ship detained 10 pirates and killed one during the release of the tanker.


 * May 7 – is inaugurated as President of the Soviet Union.


 * May 9 – The armed forces of, , the , and the march in the Moscow Victory Day Parade for the first time in the event's history.


 * August 7 – Due to record breaking heatwaves, wildfires bake out across the Soviet Union. Smoke blankets Moscow in a deadly smog, raising the amount of death in the capital to about 700 per day (double the average).


 * September 24 – Former Soviet Vice President dies at the age of 73. He was the leader of the coup plot of August 1991.