The answer is: Many independent states formed.
The separation of the Soviet Union in 1991 accepted the independence of fifteen countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. A large number of these post-Soviet states have kept close relationships with Russia and formed multilateral organizations, such as the Commonwealth of Independent States.
