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Today in History, May 16

By The Moscow Times
A copy of the 1686 treaty.

327 years ago, on May 16, 1686, Russia agreed to buy Kiev and the surrounding area from Poland for 146,000 rubles under the Eternal Peace Treaty. The pact between tsarist Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth marked a major diplomatic victory for Russia and defined Russia's borders until the late 18th century.

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