There is still no definite answer to the question about the reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union. The most liberal-minded historians, and just ordinary people, believe that this happened for quite logical reasons, they say, "the empire has outlived its own, and smaller, but very democratic countries should be created on its ruins." Others suggest that hostile forces from the United States and Europe destroyed the Soviet superpower. Still others attribute this merit to dissidents (usually they themselves adhere to this opinion). On the ruins of the USSR in December 1991, the Commonwealth of Independent States arose , on which many former citizens of the great country pinned their hopes on the future unity of fraternal peoples.
Hope and Reality
The creators of this international organization in the person of Boris Yeltsin, Stanislav Shushkevich and Leonid Kravchuk from the very beginning did not give much reason to believe that it would become a supranational entity. Psychologically, this reassured, it seemed that everything was to some extent united. The CIS states maintained their independence, moreover, at the first stage, their citizens often experienced euphoria, similar to that which swept the emigrant who entered the “capitalist paradise” after the gray “scoop”. It seemed that now everything would be different, in a foreign country. The systemic crisis that swept the entire territory of the former Union dispelled these hopes, the notorious market turned out to be excellent soil for taking away state property by those who were bolder or simply more impudent ("Courage - Hero's Award"). The popular transcript of the CIS of those years explained that the word "essen" in German means "eat" (in the sense of eating), and the letter "G" is the initial in the name of the food offered to the people (another option: "The Most Real G ..." )
Expanding the borders of the community
The agreement, signed in Minsk, did not oblige anyone to anything, and this is the main reason why almost all the former Soviet republics soon joined it, except for the Baltic states, which suddenly felt their own European essence. So, in a historically short period, 12 countries joined the CIS. The list of parties to the agreement, in addition to the founding countries of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, included Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Georgia, which joined after some thought.
Russia's positions in the CIS in the early years of its existence
In a sense, Russia and the CIS at the first stage were related in the same way as Great Britain and the countries of the British Commonwealth after the collapse of the colonial system. The difference, however, was significant. The "popular fronts" and nationalist movements that came to power in many former Soviet republics fanned the "Russian occupiers", sometimes turning to real pogroms, and the Russian leadership at that time looked at what was happening with a strange expression on their face, seemingly approving, and slightly condemning these "fruits of democracy and the rise of national identity." Since the decoding of the CIS clearly stated that the commonwealth is, of course, the commonwealth, but the states are still independent, then any shy remarks by Yeltsin about the inadmissibility of ethnic cleansing and slogans about a suitcase, train station and final destination (historical homeland), the answer there was one: "It’s not your business, we will decide everything ourselves!"
Strange Transition
At the same time, energy and raw materials continued to flow through the old, still Soviet system of power lines and pipelines, and the prices for all the riches supplied were symbolic. In fact, the former brothers, and now independent neighbors, taking an increasingly hostile attitude towards Russia, continued to parasitize on it.
Another popular then popular decoding of the CIS is "Hitler's Fulfilled Hope."
There were other consequences, not always pleasant. The borders remained transparent and no one controlled them. Illegal labor migration began, a spontaneous flow of goods arose. The same revived Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia suddenly turned into the world's largest exporters of metal, while not having any metallurgical industry.
The “Field of Miracles” reigned on the television screen, things were happening in the economy that were far more amazing, bordering on science fiction.
The representatives of the criminal world also took advantage of the situation, committing crimes in one independent power and hiding from responsibility in another.
CIS today
The inefficiency of the Commonwealth of countries that previously formed a single whole is proved simply. Entering or leaving it does not entail any legal or economic consequences and can only serve as a symbol of protest, as in the case of Georgia, which left the CIS in 2008 after the August war, offended by the fact that the Russian army intervened in the conflict in South Ossetia . It is unlikely that such a "revenge" puzzled the leadership of the Russian Federation, and other participants in a reputable international organization, at least there was no sharp reaction.
Customs Union - an alternative to the CIS
To implement plans for serious economic cooperation in mentally, politically and geographically close countries - the former republics of the Union, another structure has been created, with much less vague principles of membership and much more effective. From the USSR, the states inherited powerful and high-tech production of aerospace, nuclear, energy and engineering sectors, originally built for unified programs. The customs union allows them to be used at full capacity, avoiding bureaucratic barriers to the benefit of all participants in this economic interstate association.
Apparently, the Commonwealth of Independent States will cease to exist as unnecessary. And if they will remember him, then in a joking manner. "God save us!" - this decoding of the CIS, there is hope, already in the past, as well as the “Set of Insolent Reptiles”, “Consciously Violating the Borders”.