How many Soviet republics were there?

By the way, I don't consider the USSR to be a paradise on earth, for example. But the fact that the situation has changed for the worse now is undeniable. In Soviet times, many talented people emigrated from the country (although many, no less talented, did not), and what about now? Now, almost all those who have truly achieved fame and fortune deserve it (that is, they are not corrupt politicians or untalented pop stars) are rushing to move permanently to more civilized and stable countries. While some forum users here praise our democratic state, everyone who can be in demand in the West is fleeing it.
By the way, the current situation with the monument in Tallinn clearly shows how much weight Russia has on the political arena. We are nobody. And it pains me to understand this.