How many Soviet republics were there?

Hundreds of peoples with nothing in common, forcibly included in the Empire/Federation, and who cannot leave voluntarily.

Ukraine was not forced into the Union, and neither were many other republics. There were undeniable drawbacks to this "communal living," but we were a unified state that was respected. The collapse of the Union primarily benefits those who prefer to be "independent" rulers and do not want to share their wealth. It is easier to survive as a large family, and now, instead of the Union, we have a group of weak states with ruined economies. I am more than confident that cultured people, who are tolerant of each other, can find compromises for cooperation. The collapse of the USSR shows that before the Union, we were simply "not ready." And the right of republics