1985 | Mikhail Gorbachev promises openness (“glastnost”) and restructuring (“perestroika”). |
1988 | The Communist Party agrees to allow a private sector. |
1989 | Russia holds its first openly contested election for parliament. |
1990 | The Communist Party votes to end the one-party system. |
1991 | Gorbachev resigns as the Soviet Union breaks up. |
1993 | President Boris Yeltsin suspends parliament and orders new elections. |
1993 | Russians approve a new constitution |
1995 | The Communist Party wins largest share in parliamentary elections. |
1997 | Russia is admitted to the G-7 consortium of industrialized nations. |
1999 | Yeltsin resigns and is replaced by Vladimir Putin. |
2000 | New Russian national anthem is replaced when old Soviet anthem is reinstated with new words. |
2002 | TV-6, Russia’s last independent national station is closed. It returns to air under Kremlin control six months later as TVS. |
2002 | Reporters Without Borders ranks Russia as 148th in press freedom, behind Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. |
2004 | An outspoken TV news anchor is pulled off the air and his popular news program is cancelled. |