Of the former republics and satellite states of the USSR, many have moved on to join the European Union and in Putin’s eyes have become more “westernized” and further from Russian values. In fact, Ukraine has recently been approved for its EU candidacy status. A whole century has passed since the creation of the USSR. A lot has changed since then, and this visual timeline breaks down how countries in and around Europe have aligned over those 100 years. ℹ️ In the image above, the Soviet satellite states are not shown as part of the USSR, as they were never official republics. Candidate countries still in the EU accession process are not shown.
USSR / Soviet Union
The Soviet Union – officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) – was founded 100 years ago in 1922 and dissolved in 1991 almost 70 years later. At its height it was home to 15 republics, over 286 million people, and stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Ukraine, with virtual control and influence over countries as far west as East Germany. Notable leaders have chronicled both the rise and fall of the USSR, from its founding under Vladimir Lenin to the dissolution of the union under Mikhail Gorbachev. Latvia and Lithuania were among the first republics to make the move for sovereignty, beginning the collapse of the Soviet Union. See which modern countries were part of the USSR. Modern Day CountryName Under USSRDate JoinedDate Gained Independence 🇬🇪 GeorgiaGeorgian Soviet Socialist Republic19221991 🇺🇦 UkraineUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic19221991 🇦🇲 ArmeniaArmenian Soviet Socialist Republic19221991 🇦🇿 AzerbaijanAzerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic19221991 🇧🇾 BelarusByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic19221991 🇷🇺 RussiaRussian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic19221991 🇺🇿 UzbekistanUzbek Soviet Socialist Republic Republic19241991 🇹🇲 TurkmenistanTurkmen Soviet Socialist Republic19241991 🇹🇯 TajikistanTajik Soviet Socialist Republic19291991 🇰🇬 KyrgyzstanKirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic19361991 🇰🇿 KazakhstanKazakh Soviet Socialist Republic19361991 🇱🇹 Lithuania Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic19401990 🇪🇪 EstoniaEstonian Soviet Socialist Republic19401991 In addition, there were several satellite states, which were not officially affiliated with the USSR, but operated under strong Soviet influence. Modern Country Country Name at the time 🇭🇺 HungaryHungarian People’s Republic 🇸🇮 SloveniaFederal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia 🇭🇷 CroatiaFederal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia 🇷🇸 SerbiaFederal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia 🇧🇦 Bosnia & HerzegovinaFederal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia 🇲🇪 MontenegroFederal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia 🇲 🇰 North MacedoniaFederal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia 🇲🇳 Mongolia People’s Republic of Mongolia Today, there are still some countries that align with Putin and Russia for the EU. Belarus, sometimes called Europe’s “last dictatorship,” shares borders with both Ukraine and Russia and has facilitated the entry of Russian soldiers into Ukraine. In addition, according to the Pentagon, Russian missiles have been launched from Belarus.
The European Union
The European Union was officially founded in 1993 and has 27 member states. A number of republics of the former USSR are now part of the union, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The most recent member to join was Croatia in 2013. The EU has its roots in the European Coal and Steel Community which was founded in 1952 with Italy, France, West Germany and a few other countries as its first members. There are currently six candidate countries on track to join the EU — all but one of which were either former Soviet satellite states or formal democracies:
🇦🇱 Albania 🇲🇪 Montenegro 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 🇷🇸 Serbia 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇲🇩 Moldova
There are many reasons why countries choose to join the EU: common currency, easier movement of goods and people across national borders and, of course, military protection. However, in 2020 the United Kingdom officially left the Union, making it the first country in history to do so. Here’s a look at each EU member state. EU Member States Year of RegistrationFormer Republic of the USSR;Former Satellite State of the USSR? 🇦🇹 Austria1995NoNo 🇧🇪 Belgium1952NoNo 🇧🇬 Bulgaria2007NoYes 🇭🇷 Croatia2013NoYes 🇨🇾 Cyprus2004NoNo 🇨🇿 Czechia2004NoYes 🇩🇰 Denmark1973NoNo 🇪🇪 Estonia2004Yes– 🇫🇮 Finland1995NoNo 🇫🇷 France1952NoNo 🇩🇪 Germany1952NoYes (East Germany) 🇬🇷 Greece1981NoNo 🇭🇺 Hungary2004NoYes 🇮🇪 Ireland1973NoNo 🇮🇹 Italy1952NONO 🇱🇻 latvia2004yes- 🇱🇹 lithuania2004yes- 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇱🇺 🇸 🇪🇸 🇪🇸 🇪🇸 🇪🇸 🇪🇸 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇿 🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇪🇸 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇸🇮 🇪🇸 🇸🇮
Prospects of Ukraine
The Iron Curtain that was erected across Europe, which divided the continent politically and ideologically, has since been pulled back. But the war in Ukraine poses a threat to many in Europe, and countries such as Poland have expressed fears of the conflict spilling over. At the end of June, the European Council approved Ukraine’s application for fast-track EU membership, but the process will still be long—for example, it took Croatia 10 years to officially join at full speed. Apart from other needs such as military support, joining the union will allow refugees from Ukraine the freedom to migrate and work in other EU countries with ease.
