new culture. so you are not a visitor, not the guests. you want to become a citizen. in phil migrants, your platform for reliable information ah ah moscow. thus he is off to the collapse of the soviet union on the banks of the moscow river, the gleaming towers of a new business district stretching to the sky, presenting a confident picture of the new russia a short distance away above the crime. then the red star, if the soviet union still glimmers and it red square in the mostly em lice, the leader of the october revolution of 1917. vladimir. each man in the long lines in front of the mausoleum may have disappeared. but the kremlin has remained the center of power with, ah, it is led by vladimir putin, the president of the russian federation. he rules over a country that even without the former soviet republics, is still the largest in the wild. russia in the kremlin, a new government has long since taken over. but across the country, the old symbols are as powerful as ever. the legacy of the former soviet union is a complex one. the soviet empire covered a thick that the earth's surface and was home to 218000000 people. the collapse of this giant superstate in 1991 was an event unprecedented in history. a superpower abolished itself. since then, 15 new states, a few struggling to find that place in the wilder son of gravitated towards western europe, while others looked to china. but all are defined by their relationship to russia. instead of the right soviet banner to day, the russian flag flies over the kremlin with the collapse of the soviet union brought hopes of independence and prosperity for the former soviet republics as well. but what remains of these dreams? what to this new freedom look like? which old conflict? the flat up again? who is one who has lost? and what role does russia play in this post soviet power struggle or moscow today. at 1st glance, the russian capital looks much like any western metropolis. consumerism is in that even in wealthy moscow. the sophia chapter of history is still not fully closed. the past has left a deep impression leading many to ask what was good in sophia times, and what has changed for the better ah no lo nestor, everyone believed that things would continue to get better. would it total culture because of democracy? right? yeah. ah armenia, the smallest of the former soviet republics no longer even shares a border with russia at the military cemetery and the capital yerevan. u graves are constantly being added. they bear witness to ongoing war and suffering raging for decades between armenia and as a by john. both sides lay claim to the region of not gone. o' caraballo with its majority armenian population. fighting over this mountain enclave goes back to sophia times. when gone battles and pogroms on both sides cost countless lives. for those caught up in the war, the scars run div of it of venice young and his son gave. org or armenians who live and not gone oak harbor. they were soldiers like their friend friar of c panel. yet they are also civilians. of it runs a sports school. his son studies confusing and their friend is a businessman. the most recent fighting entered and defeat in part because as a by john received military support from turkey. the prospects of peace with that as a by johnny neighbors has never seemed more remote than it does to day evoke out of food for thought out. but they doesn't live during the 44 day watch. no western country took any concrete measures to help us go good coach their market. also, then the russian army entered to reach us. we'll salgado her with the help of the russians. john with the war was stopped, but they love mac allan. this with the was hone in the summer of 2021. a french al ceasefire is in place between our media and as a by john. like here at this border control point, it is monitored by russian peacekeepers. last year as a by john, we captured significant parts. if not go, no quarterback. armenia was forced to feed the last territory. these 3 armenians meet every day to play chess. they remember the soviet era, and if long since grown weary of war mode dish funny. 30 years ago we took their land. now they've taken it back. but he said lit me at the gym to virginia. if the russians hadn't come, they would have slaughtered us of nevada. is it new bob vasquez lemming, low mosquito. oh, because you know what? freedom is to blame it. them not for every one was calling for it. so i would do it all began with colonel box independence, era, lasting peace is still a distant prospect. the people who consider themselves armenian, the country's flag, is always present. driving with gog leon into the war zone. he is the mayor of a small border village. just museum otto, whose missouri were about to enter a village where the azerbaijani and armenians size are not directly facial challenge, prostate bombs, today, it is peaceful one year ago. this was the front line where gunfire was exchanged with beyond the region itself. this won't barely righteousness despite it lasting for the past 3 decades on your external border with the numbers this new dark, bizarre bus during the daytime choose it safe head hurts. but i'm still with them today, but at night it's dangerous enough. there are people living the lighter with that company to external up locally will be right to make sure nothing bad happens. we do what's that? we have to monitor the area for them. yes. no minus thought. yeah, i know much villages go to work in the day it done and at night mode they keep watch this or that on the border with the result was there. there as if by gene is everywhere. some a little bit of spare, but there's a certain, literally just an old church in the middle of the was on the azerbaijani of the shiite muslims. while the armenians practice christianity, their respective religions are an important part of our national identity. and one reason for the decades old conflict in the visual, and there's no rush to mirabelle spoke. we're in a burglary. these are the people here. she's like, they just want to live in peace. her bus, one of our daughter to harper armenia, is a small country covering just 30000 square kilometers on the journey from the border to yet. yvonne, the capital is not fine for months of it of venice young has been bringing his son to the hospital here given was badly injured in the war. but instead on account the capital of not going oh, caravan longtime calf, a wounded sanchez is not available at the carrollton benson again, we dallas and i was injured on the 21st of october last year by a cluster board of ed and order. it was the very 1st day that these weapons were deployed to ceo. oh i sent me the other bombs exploded in the air and the shrapnel hit me in the head and the back back on may the top for oh, golfing i am off to the hospital, father and son visit the cemetery together. the last heavy fighting in 2024 thousands more soldiers loose. i lives. many of them still very young. my belly, even adults. oh no, i was physical just because they're no longer in this well doesn't mean they are no longer with us. as long as we are alive, so of a, the conflict in the caucasus has had far reaching consequences. nato member turnkey supports the muslim nation of azerbaijan. france, however, is on the side of the armenians. russia is attempting to remain neutral. after all, moscow values good relations with the oil rich as a by john this is not how the armenians imagined that freedom and independence 30 years ago 15 sophia's republics became independent states. one day, part of sophia territory. the next foreign countries with cut most of us, but you might grains of how can you see ukrainians, but a russian is or armenians as foreigners. and these places as foreign countries, e. it's very difficult. and russia of foreign policy expertise in regard to post soviet space is very weak, that even the experts acknowledge this expertise. this sounds strange and paradoxical with which they were part of the same country for so many years. a complex legacy. despite the dissolution, the old dependencies continue to exist. the entire infrastructure of roads and railways, power lines, and oil and gas pipelines was built according to the needs of the soviet union and its centralized power base and moscow. the institute of economics at the academy of sciences is examining the relationships to moscow as they were, and as they are now roseland greenback is the institute director. this long time confidant of mikhail gorbachev has reached a simple conclusion. be my dfcs that i have to understand that all states of the posts of your region have one single principle when it comes to that relationship with russia. and it's been this way for 30 years, achieving a maximum of economic advantage from russia only while having a minimum of political obligations manual. pretty sure, beside the soviet union was formed in 1922, the joining together of the union republics. voluntarily. at least this is how it was framed and the constitution that the right to secede from the union had never been tried in practice and certainly not withdrawal of all its members. but in 1991 . that is what happened. the country dissolved into its constituent parts. the west looked on amazed at the rapid disintegration and 25000000 russians were left in shock. they suddenly found themselves inhabitants of other countries, compounded by the uncertainty of whether they would be accepted, barris, citizens, opium, now to keep the homes and land. mm. let us, le baylof is the director at the center of german studies. he is no political ally of latter may oppose him, but he agrees with the president's claim that the fall of the soviet union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. ready moore's neglect. yes sir. yes. one can agree with his statement, which if by geo politics you primarily mean the interests of certain people, william mila. and if we consider the fates of millions of those who g at the unconstitutional, i repeat, unconstitutional dissolution that the ussr found themselves trapped behind the borders of the country in which they thought they lived linear. though i'm talking about 25000000 russian speaking citizens who over night, woke up to find themselves living in another country. at fuss, there were attempts to rebuild the ruins, following the collapse of the soviet union. the tall right panis in saint petersburg, was to become the seat of the commonwealth of independent states, a loose organisation of the former soviet republics. however, the 3 baltic states, georgia and ukraine withdrew, who chose not to participate. and the commonwealth of the remaining states exists only on paper. no summits have been held and yes, the c i s, has no power yet, hartman god walks the university of ins, broke in austria. and is one of the west's most renowned russia experts. he also sees the c, i ask, as a failed attempt to continue the legacy of the soviet union over mondanca in moscow. although in moscow, on the yeltsin, there was certainly the expectation that some kind of confederation would be possible of them. but as the armenian president said, at the time of this confederation of independent states was more like a vehicle for an amicable divorce. i don't want to swap, and indeed that's what it was. it's incredible, but this association still exists to h t, at least on paper, yet because no one wants to kill the baby as it were by dissolving the organization entirely such, but it simply has no practical political significance anymore. she told me the baltic states played a special role, estonia, latvia, lithuanian with a 1st to break away from the soviet union and successfully pursue that own path. that relationship to russia is. ready county how near the lithuanian capital the feeling platform of the tv tower is a popular attraction. from here one can see how the city has changed. in the last 20 years alone, around 50000 new apartments have been belt. more than anywhere else in the baltic states. ready in the center is the country's parliament. since independence it is known again as the famous bruce lana spot or no of us is a philosophy graduate at wax for an m p of the social democrat party. massive barometer ramos, i'm guy, we've integrated into the european union and the west and our living standards have increased. the borders were opened up for us, and many lithuanians emigrated to western europe. but at the same time, our main problem is inequality problems to work in the quality of incomes, unequal opportunities given in 30 years ago. it's elena was home to 3700000 inhabitants. but then the exit us again, 900000 lithuanian last the country, young people, especially most to some well educated and went to find work in the west. a huge problem for the small republic. despite this, the capital and the country as a whole, has embraced the modern world. and your economic growth has long been around. 3 percent. and lithuania has one of the best fiberglass internet networks and all of europe. but lithuanians also have a strong sense of national history and identity. these hunters in apartment recall the independence movement of 1989 psycho study. our history is our guide. and many things that are going on in society now are linked to our past upgrade to mit. the goal of our security and foreign policy is to make sure that history does not repeat itself. is that a good number sticker thought? lithuania has long felt part of the west, an exhibition about the so called forest brothers partisans who fought against the soviet occupation until 1953 is currently on display. at the same us, the younger generation can take democracy for granted. immediate passcode she might a studied educational science in germany, but vilnius has remained her home. i shook my could have been built. yeah, this is so was i was talking about this with my grandparents just yesterday or it is that we were discussing what we have gained after 30 years of independence if bigger and my grandparents said, just one thing we salinas, my mom that we can express our opinions freely that we live in a free country, monarch and i see my generation and young people in general are often told, even my parents say this, that we don't know what freedom is, because we've never lived in a country without freedom. we can't appreciate what freedom means life, because we can just get home with our lives and believe this is normal, it wants to to and this is probably true here. go. the united jasa, emil belongs to an organization that wants to influence the political discourse. in lithuania, yeah, nemo debit high youth debate now the magenta boy. yes. the oregon that said to market through iowa, karen lithuania, and we organized programs that are supported by the european union. so every day i am living in the valleys of the european union. i consider myself to be more if i'm allowed to say this, yet a citizen of urine, me that the was a, this is free lithuanian ties to the west of the coming closer every year. in 2004, the country joined nato, along with its baltic neighbors, estonia and lapierre and 4 other members of the former eastern bloc. responding in miscellaneous, now makes op around 2 percent of g. d. p. in 2021. nato. carried out exercises here, reflecting that deep mistrust of russia, another legacy of the soviet era. but the baltic countries a home to a large russian minority who do not want to give up their identity. roslyn us knows this while his own father is russian manager merchant. and ruth, i think russian influence today takes on a more hybrid form such as influence over television at that which a lot of people in lithuania, still watch it. and over the internet at the voice that internet, for many people are, russian is the only foreign language they know record. and so if they want any information beyond what's provided by lithuanian tv and website, so they'll go straight to the russian platform, scissors dog, america, national park valley, lithuania, cease russia as a potential aggressor and is counting on support from nato. the european union. ah, in moscow, there is little sympathy for this position. not even at the influential and critical journal garcia for global nie political. russia in global affairs, is to be able, by the outcome of leer, if i were polish or from one of the baltic countries soccer. i might also see things that way music was my thoughts on line, but when you look at it from a rational perspective, it's not at all clear why russia would attack poland or the baltic states. what would it achieve? g at on the idea that russia wants to test nato's readiness, decrease, and thereby approve. it's incapability is in my opinion, complete fantasy monopoly in our stern as possible. nick, our soap is, of course we don't agree with nato on us, but no one he wants to risk another world war just to test nato. so what will be the point doesn't exist anymore. guten is nevertheless demonstrating rushes military strength by carrying out its own maneuvers on the board as to the nato countries. tension is building on both sides military marches in front of the kremlin. the message russians should be proud of their army while the west and nato should be deterred the country is a fortress under siege cesspools and throwing up. so it's people must stand together, you know, order move. last year, russia spent 4.3 percent of its g, d, p on its military, vomiting a incident under yelton. the army was humiliated, insulted, under financed, and its soldiers left to starve. fall when putting came to power in 2000. it was suddenly paradise on earth, there was peace and happiness in europe. and today we have astronomy and military careers are desirable. again, this is all part of the propaganda. the imperial mindset of the former soviet union persists in russia to day legitimized, through the victory of the red army over hitler's germany and the 2nd world war 27000000 dead. the great patriotic was the russians call. it has left its mark on almost every family among russians, but also ukrainians, bella, russians, cossacks, and kick us. these memories also shape to day society riviera door for my garage than you really this believe that we russians are a significant power one that can push back against hostile pressure and hostile influences from the outside world. this is an important part of our collective identity with juvenile assessment, and like this belief in the soviet union and russia's unique authority chip, and that we are a special civilization see that we are so way through eliza. this compensates for the feelings of dependence, poverty and humiliation is i mean that people have in their private lives senior, a chill eric of just lasers. now, what might seem strange for western visitors is for russians completing almost a mural of gay oak? he shook of the great 2nd world war commander proudly overlooking an inner city shopping street. this modern day veneration of what i'm heroes sends another message. never again, will this once glorious army present, such a shameful image to the world, as it did after the collapse of the soviet union. ah, today russia is showing its strength again, investing in new atomic weapons. the military industrial complex established in sophia ties is now experiencing a renaissance with the country as a whole is paying a heavy price. he preaches futile. the buy and even political leadership is making the mistake of believing that a 21st century superpower one needs only to, to find itself militarily. wilson, east and russia is only a superpower in military terms, yet not economically, not financially, not technologically, and not demographically, off. the purchasing power of the russian people is increasing at a slower rate than or less anywhere in europe. still some slight growth is currently predicted for the russian economy 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