STS-81 Mir Crew Handover
Replaces John Blaha as the American resident aboard Mir after Atlantis docks and the two astronauts complete their formal crew exchange.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1997 in Russia
Explore 19 historical events and records for Russia in 1997.
Historical records for Russia in 1997
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 19 of 19 unique records.
19Unique records
1 of 1Page
19Named events on this page
4Named people on this page
6Places on this page
January
February
Mir Oxygen Generator Fire
Helps the crew respond when an oxygen-generating device catches fire, filling the station with smoke and forcing emergency protective measures.
March
Helsinki Summit with Clinton
Meets Bill Clinton in Helsinki for talks dominated by NATO enlargement and strategic arms control.
Helsinki NATO Enlargement Compromise
Agrees with Bill Clinton to deepen NATO-Russia consultation while continuing to oppose NATO enlargement.
Cabinet Younger Reformers Promoted
Promotes younger reformers, including Anatoly Chubais and Boris Nemtsov, to senior government posts.
Seven Main Tasks Reform Programme
Launches a reform agenda known as the Seven Main Tasks, emphasizing wage arrears, social support, monopolies and corruption.
April
Russia-Belarus Union Treaty
Signs a union treaty with Belarus that deepens political and economic integration.
First United States-Russian Mir Spacewalk
Performs a spacewalk with commander Vasily Tsibliev to install an optical materials experiment outside the station.
Russia-China Strategic Partnership Talks
Meets Jiang Zemin as Russia and China deepen their strategic partnership and coordinate on international issues.
May
Peace Treaty with Chechnya
Signs a peace treaty with Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov pledging to reject force in future relations.
STS-84 Mir Crew Handover
Takes over from Jerry Linenger as the American resident and begins a research programme spanning life sciences, materials and station technology.
NATO-Russia Founding Act
Signs the NATO-Russia Founding Act, establishing a formal framework for consultation and security cooperation.
June
Denver Summit Participation
Participates in the Denver summit as Russia becomes more fully integrated into meetings of leading industrial powers.
Progress Collision with Spektr
Helps stabilize Mir after an uncrewed Progress vehicle strikes Spektr, depressurizing the module and disrupting electrical power from its solar arrays.
September
Spektr Damage Inspection EVA
Conducts a spacewalk with Anatoly Solovyev to inspect external damage to Spektr caused by the June Progress collision.
November
Russia-China Eastern Border Agreement
Reaches agreement with Jiang Zemin on demarcation of most of the long eastern Russia-China border.
Government Reformers Reprimanded
Removes senior officials linked to a publishing-fee scandal while retaining Anatoly Chubais in government.
Other events (month unknown)
Deputy Chief of Staff
Boris Yeltsin appoints Putin Deputy Chief of Presidential Staff
President of Russia
Appointed Chief of the Main Control Directorate of the Presidential Property Management Department
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.