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The Barricades
The Barricades ( lv, Barikādes) were a series of confrontations between the Republic of Latvia and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in January 1991 which took place mainly in Riga. The events are named for the popular effort of building and protecting barricades from 13 January until about 27 January. Latvia, which had declared restoration of independence from the Soviet Union a year earlier, anticipated that the Soviet Union might attempt to regain control over the country by force. After attacks by the Soviet OMON on Riga in early January, the government called on people to build barricades for protection of possible targets (mainly in the capital city of Riga and nearby Ulbroka, as well as Kuldīga and Liepāja). Six people were killed in further attacks, several were wounded in shootings or beaten by OMON. Most victims were shot during the Soviet attack on the Latvian Ministry of the Interior on January 20, while another person died in a building accident rein ...
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Revolutions Of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nations, a play on the term Spring of Nations that is sometimes used to describe the Revolutions of 1848 in Europe. It also led to the eventual breakup of the Soviet Union—the world's largest communist state—and the abandonment of communist regimes in many parts of the world, some of which were violently overthrown. The events, especially the fall of the Soviet Union, drastically altered the world's Balance of power (international relations), balance of power, marking the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the post-Cold War era. The earliest recorded protests were started in Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union, in 1986 with the Jeltoqsan, student demonstrations — the last chapter of these rev ...
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Vladimir Antyufeyev
Vladimir Yuryevich Antyufeyev (russian: Владимир Юрьевич Антюфéев; born 19 February 1951), also known under the assumed name Vadim Shevtsov or Vladimir Shevtsov is a former Soviet OMON police officer who was one of organizers of the attempt to overthrow the Latvian government in 1991. As "Vadim Shevtsov", he was later the head of the Ministry of State Security of Moldova's pro-Moscow separatist state of Transnistria between 1992 and 2012. He is a Russian and Transnistrian citizen and was for many years wanted by the law enforcement agencies of Latvia and Moldova. He is no longer wanted by Latvia however, due to their statute of limitations on the type of crime he was alleged to have committed. In July 2014, Antyufeyev became one of leaders of Ukraine's pro-Russia secessionist rebels. Life and career Antyufeyev was born in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. In 1974, he graduated from a police academy in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR. He is a former Soviet ...
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World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million Military personnel, personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Air warfare of World War II, Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflict in hu ...
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Commemorative Medal For Participants Of The Barricades Of 1991
The Commemorative Medal for Participants of the Barricades of 1991 ( lv, 1991. gada barikāžu dalībnieka piemiņas zīme) is a Latvian state award given to people who participated in or supported the actions of those who took part in the defense of Latvia against forces loyal to the Soviet Union during the confrontation in 1991 known as The Barricades. History The purpose of the medal is to honour those who took part in the confrontations with Soviet forces during The Barricades in 1991, part of the struggle for Latvia to regain its independence and put an end to the Soviet occupation. The first medal was awarded on 20 January 1996, and the last one in October 2011. An amendment to the law regulating the award of the medal made in 2007 stipulated that no new nominations for the awarding of the medal could take place after 31 December 2008. Thus, the medal is no longer awarded as it is deemed that all those eligible for it have already received it; around 32,000 people have be ...
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Liepāja
Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an important ice-free port. The population in 2020 was 68,535 people. In the 19th and early 20th century, it was a favourite place for sea-bathers and travellers, with the town boasting a fine park, many pretty gardens and a theatre. Liepāja is however known throughout Latvia as "City where the wind is born", likely because of the constant sea breeze. A song of the same name ( lv, "Pilsētā, kurā piedzimst vējš") was composed by Imants Kalniņš and has become the anthem of the city. Its reputation as the windiest city in Latvia was strengthened with the construction of the largest wind farm in the nation (33 Enercon wind turbines) nearby. The coat of arms of Liepāja was adopted four days after the jurisdiction gained city rights on 18 March 1625. T ...
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Kuldīga
Kuldīga () (german: Goldingen) is a town in the Courland region of Latvia, in the western part of the country. It is the center of Kuldīga Municipality with a population of approximately 13,500. Kuldīga was first mentioned in 1242. It joined the Hanseatic League in 1368. In the 17th century, Kuldīga (along with Jelgava (''Mitau'')) was one of the capitals of the Duchy of Courland from 1596 to 1616. Kuldīga is an ancient town in Latvia's western region of Kurzeme with distinctive architecture, which is a candidate for inclusion in the list of the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Saint Catherine is believed to be the patron saint of Kuldīga, and the oldest church of the town is named after St Catherine. The foundation of the building was laid as early as in 1252. The church has been remodeled a number of times. The small River Alekšupīte runs through the very centre of the Kuldīga old town, along the walls of the houses. The Old Town around the small river itself is the ...
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Ulbroka
Ulbroka is a village in Stopiņi Parish, Ropaži Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the administrative center of Stopiņi Parishand municipality. The village is crossed by two first category roads Rīga-Ērgļi (P4) and Rīga-Ogre (P5). In 2000 Ulbroka had 2,701 inhabitants, rising to 3,102 in 2021. Etymology The name Ulbroka comes from the burgomaster of Riga Hinrich von Ulenbrock II in the second half of the 16th century. Von Ulenbrock built the Ulbroka manor. Geography The village is located in the Central Latvian lowlands, near Riga.Latvijas ģeogrāfijas atlants. "Jāņa sēta", 2020 The river flowing through Ulbroka - Piķurga was artificially expanded, creating the Lake of Ulbroka, once excavated as a large pond of manor, and then a mill lake. The Dauguļupīte stream flows into Piķurga in the north of the village. The average temperature is -6 ° C in January and + 17 ° C in July. Precipitation drops 700 mm per year. Economy The largest c ...
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On The Restoration Of Independence Of The Republic Of Latvia
The Declaration "On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia" ( lv, Deklarācija par Latvijas Republikas neatkarības atjaunošanu) was adopted on 4 May 1990 by the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR in which Latvia declared independence from the Soviet Union. The Declaration stated that, although Latvia had ''de facto'' lost its independence in 1940, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union, the country had ''de jure'' remained a sovereign country as the annexation had been unconstitutional and against the will of the Latvian people. It asserted the priority of the basics of the international law over the national laws and therefore it resolved that the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 were illegal. It also asserted that the heavily rigged 1940 elections were illegal and unconstitutional, and that all acts of the chosen at that election–including the request to join the Soviet Union on 21 July 1940–were ''ipso facto'' voi ...
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Barricades
Barricade (from the French ''barrique'' - 'barrel') is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction. Adopted as a military term, a barricade denotes any improvised field fortification, such as on city streets during urban warfare. Barricades also include temporary traffic barricades designed with the goal of dissuading passage into a protected or hazardous area or large slabs of cement whose goal is to prevent forcible passage by a vehicle. Stripes on barricades and panel devices slope downward in the direction traffic must travel. There are also pedestrian barricades - sometimes called bike rack barricades for their resemblance to a now obsolete form of bicycle stand, or police barriers. They originated in France approximately 50 years ago and are now produced around the world. They were first produced in the U.S. 40 years ago by Friedrichs Mfg for New Orleans's Mardi Gras par ...
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Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a Federation, federal union of Republics of the Soviet Union, fifteen national republics; in practice, both Government of the Soviet Union, its government and Economy of the Soviet Union, its economy were highly Soviet-type economic planning, centralized until its final years. It was a one-party state governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with the city of Moscow serving as its capital as well as that of its largest and most populous republic: the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR. Other major cities included Saint Petersburg, Leningrad (Russian SFSR), Kyiv, Kiev (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR), Minsk (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Byelorussian SSR), Tas ...
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Republic Of Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of , with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population. After centuries of Teutonic, Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian and Russian rule, which was mainly executed by the local Baltic German aristocracy, the independent Repub ...
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OMON
OMON (russian: ОМОН – Отряд Мобильный Особого Назначения , translit = Otryad Mobil'nyy Osobogo Naznacheniya , translation = Special Purpose Mobile Unit, , previously ru , Отряд Милиции Особого Назначения , translit = Otryad Militsii Osobogo Naznacheniya , translation = Special Purpose Unit of the Militia) is a system of special police units within the National Guard of Russia. It previously operated within the structures of the Soviet and Russian Ministries of Internal Affairs (MVD). Originating as the special forces unit of the Soviet Militsiya in 1988, it has played major roles in several armed conflicts during and following the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union. OMON is much larger and better known than SOBR, another special-police branch of the National Guard of Russia. In modern contexts, OMON serves as a riot police group, or as a gendarmerie-like paramilitary force. OMON units also exist in Bela ...
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