1952 in the Soviet Union

The following lists events that happened during 1952 in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Incumbents

General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union — Joseph Stalin (until 16 October)
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

Mingrelian Affair
Doctors' plot: A group of prominent Moscow doctors, mostly Jewish, is falsely accused of conspiring to assassinate Soviet leaders.

June

June 13 — Catalina affair: Two Swedish aircraft are shot down by Soviet fighter jets over the Baltic.

August

August 12 — Night of the Murdered Poets: Thirteen Soviet Jews are executed on false charges.

October

October 5–14 — The 19th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is held.

November

November 5 — The 1952 Severo-Kurilsk tsunami kills 2,336 people in the town of Severo-Kurilsk.

December

December 15 — The Shch class submarine S-117 is lost due to unknown causes.

Births

January 1
- Nikolay Dudov, 3rd Governor of Magadan Oblast
- Yury Zacharanka, 2nd Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus (d. 1999)
January 2
- Elvira Saadi, gymnast
- Indulis Emsis, 18th Prime Minister of Latvia
January 30
- Valery Khalilov, Russian military band conductor (d. 2016)
- Anatoly Yefremov, 2nd Governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast (d. 2009)
February 15 — Nikolai Sorokin, Russian theatre and film actor (d. 2013)
February 21 — Vitaly Churkin, Russian diplomat (d. 2017)
February 23 — Oleg Korolyov, 3rd Governor of Lipetsk Oblast
February 27 — Yuri Shafranik, 3rd Minister of Energy of Russia
March 2 — Sergei Stepashin, 5th Prime Minister of Russia
March 9 — Konstantin Tolstoshein, Acting Governor of Primorsky Krai
March 18 — Yuriy Vynnychuk, Ukrainian journalist, writer and editor
March 23 — Antonina Dvoryanets, Ukrainian hydraulic engineer and political activist (d. 2014)
March 27 — Akejan Kajegeldin, 2nd Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
April 25 — Vladislav Tretiak, Russian ice hockey player
May 3 — Leonid Khachiyan, Soviet and American mathematician (d. 2005)
May 4 — Semyon Zubakin, 3rd Head of the Altai Republic
May 5 — Anatoly Artamonov, 4th Governor of Kaluga Oblast
May 18 — Yury Komarovsky, 1st Governor of Nenets Autonomous Okrug
June 14 — Robert Lepikson, 9th Minister of the Interior of Estonia (d. 2006)
July 14 — Nikolay Poluyanov, 1st Governor of Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug
August 1 — Petro Symonenko, Ukrainian politician
August 20 — Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec
September 12 — Sergey Karaganov, Russian political scientist
October 5 — Emomali Rahmon, 3rd President of Tajikistan
October 7
- Vladimir Putin, 2nd and 4th President of Russia
- Ludmilla Tourischeva, gymnast
October 14 — Nikolai Andrianov, Soviet and Russian gymnast (d. 2011)
October 19 — Mykhailo Yezhel, 10th Minister of Defence of Ukraine
November 5 — Oleg Blokhin, Soviet and Ukrainian football player and manager
December 29 — Külliki Saldre, Estonian actress

Deaths

March 9 — Alexandra Kollontai, revolutionary, politician, diplomat and Marxist theoretician (b. 1872)
March 15 — Mikhail Doller, film director (b. 1889)
April 15 — Viktor Chernov, revolutionary and one of the founders of the Russian Socialist Revolutionary Party (b. 1873)
May 2 — Matrona Nikonova, Orthodox nun and saint (b. 1881)
June 8 — Sergey Merkurov, sculptor (b. 1881)
August 12 — Peretz Markish, poet (b. 1895)
September 15 — Hugo Raudsepp, playwright (b. 1883)