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The Soviet Union Of Soviet Republics

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Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, former Soviet republics have been forced to undertake the harrowing task of achieving stability for their citizens and developing their own identities independent from the former hegemon. Some, such as Poland, have been successful in this regard, while others, such as Georgia, have been less fortunate. For Ukraine, a vast agricultural country with centuries-old ties to Russia, answers to the questions of stability and identity have been uncertain ones. In spring 2014, following the Ukrainian Revolution in which pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was deposed and replaced by Olexander Turchnyov, Russian forces invaded Crimea after signing an accession treaty on March 18. Throughout the year, this conflict escalated with violence between pro-Russian militants along with Russian forces and Ukrainian military and thousands of deaths. The violence in Crimea, where Russians have an ethnic majority of 58%, and eastern Ukraine began to dissipate in late September when Russian military commenced a withdrawal from Ukraine. The violence intensified again in early November when pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine held new elections supported by Russia and denounced by Ukraine, the United States, and the European Union. This is an issue that has vast economic repercussions for powerful eurozone countries such as Germany, whose GDP growth rate fell to 0.4% in the second quarter, and who has 300,000 jobs that rely on Russian

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