This week in history

December 7. 1934. The Council of People’s Commissars of USSR passed a decision On Canceling the Rationing Card System for Bread, Flour, and Cereals.

1988. An 8-grade earthquake occurred in Armenia, causing considerable demolition and casualties. The Ukrainian SSR started a campaign to give aids to the victims.

December 8. 1941. The Komintern Kharkiv Tractor Plant produced its first 25 T-34 tanks in evacuation.

1991. Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement On the Community of Independent States (CIS) in Brest.

December 9. 1918. By a Direktoriya decision the UNR laws On the Eight Hour Work Day, Implementing Collective Contracts, and the Right for Strikes was renewed.

1972. Energy unit with the capacity of 300 kWt/h of the Europe’s biggest Vuhlehirsk Hydroelectric Power Plant started operation.

December 10. 1637. Pavlo But’s Cossack and peasants’ forces that rose up against the Polish nobility suffered a defeat near Borovytsia.

1963. The Dniprodzerzhynsk Hydroelectric Plant first generated commercial electricity.

December 11. 1917. Kharkiv hosted the rump First All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets, which proclaimed Ukraine a Soviet republic after being driven out of Kyiv.

1991. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine resolved to establish diplomatic relations with the former USSR republics.

December 12. 1818. An Institute of Noble Young Ladies was inaugurated in Poltava.

1988. Kyiv saw the first test flight of the An-225 (Mriya) cargo aircraft.

December 13. 1918. An uprising took place in Kyiv against the hetman’s rule, and the Directory entered the city.

1941. The Nazis arrested prominent Ukrainian intellectuals who were active OUN members in Kyiv.