Post-Soviet states

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The post-Soviet states are the 15 sovereign states that were union republics of the Soviet Union. They emerged from the Soviet Union after the dissolution in 1991.

They are also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad.^[1]

Russia is the main de facto internationally recognized successor state to the Soviet Union after the Cold War. Ukraine has, by law, claimed that it is a state-successor of both the Ukrainian SSR and the Soviet Union which stayed under dispute over formerly Soviet-owned areas.^[2][3][4]

The three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – were the first to declare their independence from the USSR, between March and May 1990. They claimed continuity from the original states which existed before the annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940.^[5][6] The remaining 12 republics all left after. All 12 of these republics joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and most of the 12 joining the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). However, the Baltic states focused on European Union (EU) and NATO membership.^[7] EU officials have made clear the importance of Association Agreements between the EU and post-Soviet states.^[8][9]

Many disputed states with varying degrees of recognition exist within the territory of the former Soviet Union. These are Transnistria in eastern Moldova, Abkhazia and South Ossetia in northern Georgia and Artsakh in southwestern Azerbaijan. Since 2014, the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in far eastern Ukraine have claimed independence. All of these unrecognized states except Artsakh depend on Russian armed support and financial aid. Artsakh is part of Armenia at a de facto level, which also maintains close cooperation with Russia. Before its annexation by Russia in March 2014, which was not recognized by most countries, Crimea shortly declared itself an independent state.^[10]

1. ↑ "Managing Conflict in the Former Soviet Union: Russian and American Perspectives". harvard.edu. 30 October 1997. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
2. ↑ On Legal Succession of Ukraine, Articles 7 and 8.
3. ↑ "Про правонаступництво України". Zakon.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
4. ↑ "Раздел СССР. РФ обсудит нулевой вариант долгов СССР, если Украина компенсирует $20 млрд долга". Korrespondent.net.
5. ↑ Van Elsuwege, Peter (2008). From Soviet Republics to Eu Member States: A Legal and Political Assessment of the Baltic States' Accession to the EU. Studies in EU External Relations. Vol. 1. BRILL. p. xxii. ISBN 9789004169456.
6. ↑ Smith, David James (2001). Estonia. Routledge. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-415-26728-1.
7. ↑ Lane, David (December 2007). "Post-Communist States and the European Union". Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics. 23 (4): 461–477. doi:10.1080/13523270701674558. ISSN 1352-3279.
8. ↑ Moga, Teodor Lucian; Alexeev, Denis (2013). "Post-Soviet States Between Russia and the EU: Reviving Geopolitical Competition? A Dual Perspective" (PDF). Connections. 13 (1): 41–52. doi:10.11610/Connections.13.1.03. JSTOR 26326349 – via JSTOR.
9. ↑ Jozwiak, Rikard (2019-04-05). "EU, Ex-Soviet Republics To Extend Partnership Beyond 2020". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
10. ↑ Danilova, Maria; Dahlburg, John-Thor (2014-03-17). "Crimea declares independence". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-08-10.