# 1949 in the Soviet Union

The following lists events that happened during 1949 in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

## Incumbents

* General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union — Joseph Stalin
* Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union — Nikolay Shvernik
* Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union — Joseph Stalin

## Events
### January

* January 25 — The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA or COMECON) is established by the Soviet Union and other communist nations.
* c. January 29 — Stalin and antisemitism: The Soviet media resume a savage propaganda campaign against "rootless cosmopolitans", a euphemism for Soviet Jews, accusing them of being pro-Western and antisocialist

### March

* March 25–28 — Operation Priboi

### May

* May 12 — Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts the Berlin Blockade

### July

* July 10 — 1949 Khait earthquake

### August

* August 29 — The atomic bomb RDS-1 is exploded in the first Soviet nuclear test

### September

* September 13 — The Soviet Union vetoes United Nations membership for Ceylon, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Jordan and Portugal

### October

* October 2 — The Soviet Union recognizes the People's Republic of China, proclaimed on the previous day

### November

* November 7 — Oil is discovered beneath the Caspian Sea, off the coast of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

### December

* December 21 — Joseph Stalin's 70th Birthday is celebrated in Moscow
* December 25–31 — Khabarovsk War Crime Trials

## Births

* January 1 — Abdumalik Abdullajanov, 3rd Prime Minister of Tajikistan
* January 2
** Gennady Novitsky, 5th Prime Minister of Belarus
** Nikolai Pankin, breaststroke swimmer and swimming coach (d. 2018)
* January 3 — Nikolai Paltsev, politician (d. 2021)
* January 29 — Evgeny Lovchev, footballer
* February 16 — Yevgeny Nazdratenko, 2nd Governor of Primorsky Krai
* February 25 — Viktor Klimenko, Olympic gymnast
* February 26 — Viktor Ulyanich, boxer (d. 2014)
* March 4 — Sergei Bagapsh, 2nd President of Abkhazia (d. 2011)
* March 8 — Natalia Kuchinskaya, Olympic gymnast
* March 17 — Pavel Palazhchenko, interpreter
* March 18 — Boris Grachevsky, film director (d. 2021)
* March 19 — Valery Leontiev, actor and singer
* April 7 — Valentina Matviyenko, 4th Chairwoman of the Federation Council of Russia
* April 8 — Galust Sahakyan, 10th President of the National Assembly of Armenia (d. 2022)
* April 15 — Alla Pugacheva, singer and songwriter
* April 19 — Sergey Volkov, figure skater (d. 1990)
* April 21 — Vasily Guslyannikov, 1st Head of the Republic of Mordovia
* April 29 — Vasily Bochkaryov, 3rd Governor of Penza Oblast (d. 2016)
* May 2 — Aleksandr Kozlov, 3rd Governor of Oryol Oblast (d. 2021)
* May 15 — Nikolay Podgornov, 1st Governor of Vologda Oblast
* May 21 — Lyubov Polishchuk, actress (d. 2006)
* May 29 — Aleksandr Tsapin, 3rd Governor of Voronezh Oblast
* June 12 — Yuri Baturin, cosmonaut
* June 19 — Bolot Ayushiyev, 2nd Head of Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug
* June 20 — Vladimir Pechyony, 4th Governor of Magadan Oblast
* July 3 — Aleksandr Salnikov, basketball player (d. 2017)
* July 16 — Ishenbai Kadyrbekov, 4th Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of Kyrgyzstan
* July 31 — Valeriu Maravschi, 1st Prime Minister of Moldova (d. 2020)
* August 1 — Kurmanbek Bakiyev, 2nd President of Kyrgyzstan
* August 3 — Valeri Vasiliev, hockey player (d. 2012)
* August 5 — Yury Morozov, 9th Prime Minister of South Ossetia
* August 6 — Nikolay Kovalyov, 3rd Director of the Federal Security Service of Russia (d. 2019)
* August 11 — Vladimir Vasilyev, 5th Head of the Republic of Dagestan
* August 23 — Mikhail Golovatov, intelligence officer (d. 2022)
* September 16 — Kabibulla Dzhakupov, 7th Chairman of the Mäjilis of Kazakhstan
* September 17 — Marat Ospanov, 1st Chairman of the Mäjilis of Kazakhstan (d. 2000)
* September 18 — Gennady Komnatov, cyclist (d. 1979)
* September 23 — Elena Guskova, historian
* October 2 — Alexander Aksinin, painter (d. 1985)
* October 20 — Valeriy Borzov, athlete
* October 28 — Volodymyr Onyshchenko, footballer
* November 1 — Alexander Pushnitsa, sambo practitioner (d. 2023)
* November 3 — Alexander Gradsky, singer (d. 2021)
* November 4 — Abdujalil Samadov, 4th Prime Minister of Tajikistan (d. 2004)
* November 11 — Vladimir Polevanov, 3rd Governor of Amur Oblast
* November 14 — Vladimir Torlopov, 2nd Head of the Komi Republic
* November 21
** Elena Mikhailovskaya, female draughts player (d. 1995)
** Anatoliy Kuksov, footballer (d. 2022)
* November 23 — Viktor Poganovsky, Olympic equestrian
* November 29 — Vazha Lortkipanidze, 2nd State Minister of Georgia
* December 11 — Boris Scherbakov, film and theater actor
* December 21 — Aleksandr Kharchikov, folk singer-songwriter (d. 2023)

## Deaths

* January 16 — Vasily Degtyaryov, firearms designer (b. 1880)
* February 20 — Vasily Lebedev-Kumach, poet and lyricist (b. 1898)
* April 7 — Mikhail Denisenko, general (b. 1899)
* May 18 — Nikolai Semashko, 1st People's Commissar of Health of the Soviet Union (b. 1874)
* May 24 — Alexey Shchusev, architect (b. 1873)
* May 30 — Igor Belkovich, astronomer (b. 1904)
* October 1 — Nykyta Budka, priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (b. 1877)
* October 14 — Roman Lysko, priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (b. 1914)
* October 17 — Fyodor Tolbukhin, military commander (b. 1894)
* November 11 — Ignatiy Stelletsky, archaeologist, historian and researcher (b. 1878)
* December 3 — Maria Ouspenskaya, actress and acting teacher (b. 1876)
* December 31 — Raimond Valgre, composer and musician (b. 1913)