The Soviet Union officially dissolved on December 26, 1991, marking the end of the Cold War.

Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991.

Perestroika was the policy of economic restructuring implemented by Gorbachev in an attempt to revitalize the Soviet economy.

Glasnost was the policy of openness and transparency implemented by Gorbachev, allowing for greater freedom of expression and access to information.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 is often seen as the symbolic end of the Cold War, as it represented the collapse of the Soviet bloc in Eastern Europe.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union, eliminating all intermediate-range nuclear and conventional missiles.

The Belavezha Accords were a series of meetings held in December 1991, where leaders from the Soviet republics agreed to dissolve the Soviet Union and establish the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Estonia was the first Soviet republic to declare independence on August 20, 1991, followed by Latvia and Lithuania.

Kazakhstan was the last Soviet republic to declare independence on December 16, 1991.

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was formed in December 1991 by the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.

Russia emerged as the dominant power in the post-Soviet era, inheriting most of the Soviet Union's military and economic assets.

The Russian Financial Crisis, also known as the Ruble Crisis, occurred in 1998 and resulted in a severe economic downturn in Russia.

Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia in 2000 and has been a dominant figure in Russian politics since then.

The Putin Doctrine is a set of principles and policies implemented by Vladimir Putin to strengthen Russia's economy and assert its influence on the global stage.

The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 led to a significant deterioration in relations between Russia, Ukraine, and the West.