This week in history 

February 2. 1861. Serfdom is abolished in Russia. 1944. The Soviet Army takes Lutsk and Rivne. February 3. 1919. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, recognizing the independence of Ukraine. 1968. The Institute of Colloid and Water Chemistry is established under the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. February 4. 1750. Kyrylo Razumovsky is elected Hetman of Ukraine. 1989. Kyiv hosts the founding meeting of the Ukrainian Memorial Historical and Educational Society. February 5. 1944. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR resolves to set up the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR. 1956. The Voroshilovhrad (now Luhansk) steam-locomotive factory produced its first TE-3 mainline diesel locomotive. 1981. Moscow hosts a ceremonial function dedicated to the ninetieth anniversary of poet Pavlo Tychyna's birth. February 6. 1919. An All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets Kyiv adopts a Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR. 1934. A monument to Ukrainian national bard Taras Shevchenko is unveiled in Kyiv. February 7. 1573. Ivan Fedorov opens his print shop in Lviv, at which will print The Apostle. 1995. Kyiv hosts Ukrainian-Russian negotiations whereby the two parties initialed a treaty on friendship, cooperation, and partnership.