This day in history

1661: Lviv University is founded, later to be named for Ivan Franko.

1868: Envoys from 17 countries sign St. Petersburg Declaration Renouncing the Use, in Time of War, of Explosive Projectiles Under 400 Grams Weight – the world’s first multilateral agreement that laid the foundations of international humanitarian law.

1939: The Soviet Union severs diplomatic relations with Finland as a prelude to the Winter War.

1956: The Ukrainian Agricultural Academy is founded in Kyiv.

1989: Victims of Stalinist purges are reburied in Ivano-Frankivsk.

1994: Russia launches air raids on Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.

2004: The National Salvation Committee of Ukraine challenges President Leonid Kuchma with an ultimatum.

2004: CE Secretary General Terry Davis says the Council of Europe is prepared to help Ukraine arrange for re-election if it so resolves.