How many Soviet republics were there?

And I am also struck by your widespread pseudo-patriotism on the forum.

Someone wrote: "We used to focus only on America, but now we have to consider even Latvia and Estonia."
Your words are frankly disgusting. And what, are they not countries? And how are they worse than Russia? Russia is the heart of the USSR, and it is the same USSR, only smaller.

Hundreds of peoples who have nothing in common, who were forcibly included in the Empire/Federation and who cannot leave by their own free will. The same was true of the USSR. A crisis was brewing; a country consisting of dozens of completely different countries cannot exist. History is proof of this. The empire of Alexander the Great collapsed 10 years after his death. All empires (the Arab Caliphate, for example) collapsed either after the death of their leaders or slowly moved towards that. Unite Ukraine and China and call it the UKS (Ukrainian-Chinese Union), and what? What do they have in common? Culture? Language? Religion?

And, as usual, everything said here is IMHO, and does not claim to be the absolute truth.