Soviet troops attack the television tower and independence supporters

The Russian republic asserted the priority of its laws and sovereignty within a proposed renewed Union. Since Russia was the largest republic and housed the Union capital, the declaration weakened the...

The republic’s parliament asserted Moldovan sovereignty and the primacy of its laws. The declaration emerged amid language-rights mobilization and debate over national identity, union authority, and...

The declaration established the priority of Ukrainian law and claimed control over resources, citizenship, and future military service. It asserted sovereignty while initially leaving open a...

Students occupied Kyiv’s central square and launched a hunger strike demanding political changes, including new elections and rejection of a renewed Union treaty. The protest won concessions and...

Opposition parties competed openly in elections that marked a break with one-party rule. The vote brought the Round Table-Free Georgia coalition to power and set the stage for the 1991 independence...

Latvians maintained barricades around key institutions after the Vilnius killings. Soviet special forces attacked in Riga, killing civilians and accelerating opposition to Union coercion.

Voters in nine republics were asked whether to preserve a reformed Union; several republics boycotted or held separate questions. The results revealed both support for some form of union and growing...

Voters directly elected Yeltsin president, giving him a popular mandate separate from Gorbachev’s Union office. The result sharpened the struggle between Russian republican authority and the Soviet...

A self-declared State Committee for the State of Emergency detained Gorbachev in Crimea and attempted to halt reform. The coup leaders aimed to preserve central authority but met resistance from...

The Estonian Supreme Council confirmed restoration of independence while the coup was underway in Moscow. Estonian leaders and residents used the collapse of central authority to complete a long...