1989 in the Soviet Union

• General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union — Mikhail Gorbachev
• Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union — Mikhail Gorbachev
• Premier of the Soviet Union — Nikolai Ryzhkov

Whole Year: Revolutions of 1989

• January to February 15 — Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.^[1]
• February 6 — Negotiations between the Polish government and the union ‘Solidarity’ opened.
• February 24 — Singing Revolution: After 44 years, the Estonian flag is raised at Pikk Hermann tower in Tallinn.^[2]
• March 9 — Revolutions of 1989: The Soviet Union submits to the jurisdiction of the World Court.^[3]
• March 16 — The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union approves agricultural reforms allowing farmers the right to lease state-owned farms for life.^[4]
• March 26 — 1989 Soviet Union legislative election: first contested elections in Soviet History.^[5]
• April 7 — The Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea, killing 41.^[6]
• April 9 — April 9 tragedy; a pro-independence demonstration in Tbilisi was put down by Soviet authorities, resulting in the deaths of 21 people.^[7]
• May 3 — The first McDonald's restaurant in the Soviet Union begins construction in Moscow.
• May 14 — Mikhail Gorbachev visits China, ending the Sino-Soviet split.^[8]
• May 18 — Lithuania declares sovereignty over all of its territory.
• May 25 — Gorbachev becomes Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.
• June 4 — Ufa train disaster, a gas pipe explosion kills hundreds.^[9]
• July 10 — 300,000 Siberian coal miners go on strike, demanding better living conditions and less bureaucracy.^[10]
• July 17 — 1989 Soviet miners' strike: The strike spreads to Ukraine.^[11]
• August 8 — The Ministry of Gas Industry changes Gazprom, an energy production and sales organization to a state-run enterprise.
• August 23 — Two million people in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania join hands to form the Baltic Way in the Singing Revolution.
• September 14 — An agreement of co-operation between Leningrad Oblast of the Soviet Union and Nordland County of Norway was signed in Leningrad.
• September 24 — Lithuania declares 1940 annexation by the Soviet Union to be null and void.^[12]
• October 9 — Voronezh UFO incident^[13]
• November 9 — Soviet power in Eastern Europe collapses with the Fall of the Berlin Wall.^[14]
• November 28 — Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announces the end of its monopoly of power, in the Velvet Revolution.
• December 1 — In a meeting with Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev pledges greater religious freedom for Soviet citizens.^[15]
• December 7 — The Lithuanian parliament announces the end of the political monopoly of the Communist Party of Lithuania, in the Singing Revolution.
• December 25 — Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife are captured and executed in the Romanian revolution.

• January 14 — Inna Afinogenova, journalist
• January 23 — Arzu Aliyeva, Azerbaijani public figure who is the younger daughter of Ilham Aliyev
• January 31 — Rafael Akhmetov, Russian ice hockey player
• February 12 — Rauf Aliyev, Azerbaijani international footballer
• February 14 — Bobirjon Akbarov, Uzbekistani footballer
• February 17 — Azat Bayryev, football player
• February 28 — Tigean Avinyan, 60th Mayor of Yerevan
• April 6 — Ulugbek Alimov, Uzbekistani weightlifter
• May 13 — Roman Amirkhanov, Russian professional footballer
• May 26 — Tulabek Akramov, Uzbekistani sports administrator
• July 3 — Ilya Antonovsky, Russian professional ice hockey defenceman
• July 4 — Vyacheslav Andryushchenko, Belarusian ice hockey player
• June 12 — Kirill Akilov, Russian football player
• July 13 — Shamil Alimagomayev, Russian football midfielder
• July 18 — Semyon Antonov, Russian professional basketball player
• July 19 — Sergei Andronov, Russian professional ice hockey player
• July 21 — Sana Anarkulova, Kazakhstani volleyball player
• September 1 — Rahid Amirguliyev, Azerbaijani footballer
• September 5 — Kachorovska Alina, Ukrainian designer of shoes and accessories
• September 21 — Astemir Apanasov, Circassian singer
• October 1 — Stanislav Aseyev, Ukrainian writer and journalist
• October 9 — Georgy Alburov, Russian political and social activist, journalist and blogger
• October 17 — Vyacheslav Akimov, Ukrainian football midfielder
• October 21 — Oleg Akkuratov, Russian pianist, jazz improviser and singer
• October 28 — Alan Alborov, Russian professional football player
• November 5 — Zhannat Aitenova, Kazakhstani handball player
• November 14 — Hasan Aliyev, Azerbaijani World and European champion Greco-Roman wrestler
• November 29 — Natalya Asanova, Uzbekistani athlete
• December 3 — Vladislavs Agurjanovs, Latvian professional table tennis player