Order of Victory Award
Receives the Soviet Order of Victory, an award normally associated with senior Second World War commanders.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1978 in Russia
Explore 29 historical events and records for Russia in 1978.
Historical records for Russia in 1978
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 29 of 29 unique records.
29Unique records
1 of 1Page
29Named events on this page
14Named people on this page
7Places on this page
February
April
Arrest of Alexander Ginzburg
1 of 5 prominent dissidents released & flown to the USA
Arrest of Eduard Kuzentsov
1 of 5 prominent dissidents released & flown to the USA
Arrest of George Gins
1 of 5 prominent dissidents released & flown to the USA
Arrest of Mark Dymshitz
1 of 5 prominent dissidents released & flown to the USA
Arrest of Valentyn Moroz
1 of 5 prominent dissidents released & flown to the USA
May
Bonn Arms Control Discussions
Discusses SALT, European troop reductions and bilateral relations with Helmut Schmidt.
Bryukhanov Unit One Full Power
Sees Unit 1 reach its design output of 1,000 megawatts, completing the first reactor's power-development programme.
Bonn Visit with Helmut Schmidt
Makes a four-day official visit to West Germany for talks with Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
June
Exile of Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Gives his Commencement Address condemning modern western culture
November
Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship Treaty
Hosts the signing of the Soviet-Vietnamese Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and emphasizes its strategic importance.
Bryukhanov Unit Two Physical Commissioning
Leads the plant when physical commissioning of Unit 2 begins with preparations for reactor startup and power operation.
Secretary
Appointed Secretary for Agriculture of the CPSU Central Committee at its plenum
December
Low-Temperature Physics
The achievement marks low-temperature physics as an important Russian scientific milestone.
Nobel Prize in Physics
Receives the Nobel Prize for discoveries in low-temperature physics.
Bryukhanov Unit Two Reactor Power Rise
Oversees station management as operators begin raising reactor power during the commissioning of Unit 2.
Bryukhanov Unit Two Turbine Grid Connection
Manages the station as Turbine Generator 3 is connected to the grid during Unit 2 commissioning.
Venera 12 Landing
Venera 12 descends through the Venusian atmosphere and transmits scientific measurements from the surface.
Venera 11 Landing
Venera 11 reaches Venus and returns atmospheric and surface measurements after a successful descent.
Third Hero of Soviet Union Award
Receives his third Hero of the Soviet Union title.
Other events (month unknown)
Arrest of Anatoly Shcharansky
The Jewish dissedent is prosecuted for being an agent of the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
The Jewish dissedent is prosecuted for being an agent of the CIA
Education
Given an honorary Literary Degree from Harvard University
Election to USSR Supreme Soviet
Is elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union while leading the Sverdlovsk region.
Jewish Emigration Reaches Record Level
Soviet Jewish emigration rises sharply during the later Brezhnev period.
Kolyma Tales London Edition
An unauthorized Russian-language edition of Kolyma Tales appeared in London, bringing his camp writing to readers abroad.
Official
Appointed Official in charge of agricultural production, under Andropov
Sverdlovsk Road Development
Supports major road-building projects linking Sverdlovsk with northern industrial districts.
Trial
Found guilty of espionage, reason & "anti-Soviet agitation"
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.