Wind Of Change

Wind Of Change

Communism did fall and the USSR collapsed in December 1991, but sadly the Dictatorships continued for 9 out of the 15 of the now independent countries (with the Communist Leaders in power during Soviet Times simply changing the name of their Political Party and staying in power.)

 

Current Post-Soviet Dictatorships:

1.  Russia: Vladimir Putin (President: 1999-2008 and 2012 – Present Day; Prime Minister: 1999 and 2008-2012)

2. Belarus: Alexander Lukashenko (President: 1994-Present Day)

3. Kazakhstan: Nursultan Nazarbayev (President: 1990-2019; Chairman: 2019-Present Day)

4.  Azerbaijan: Ilham Aliyev (President: 2003-Present Day) before that his Father, Heydar Aliyev (President: 1993-2003)

5. Tajikistan: Emomali Rahmon (President: 1992-Present Day)

6. Turkmenistan: Gurbanguly Berdimuhamdow (President: 2006-Present Day) before that, Saparmurat Niyazov (President: 1990-2006)

 

Former Post-Soviet Dictatorships:

1. Ukraine: Viktor Yanukovych (President: 2010-2014) He was ousted and fled to Russia. Russia has occupied Crimea and eastern Ukraine since 2014.

2.  Uzbekistan: Islam Karimov (President: 1991-2016)

3. Kyrgyzstan: Askar Akayev (President: 1990-2005) ousted from power. Then Kurmanbek Bakiyev (President: 2005-2010) ousted from power.

 

Current Post-Soviet Democracies (not including those already listed above):

1.  Georgia (Russia has occupied the Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia since 2008)

2. Latvia (now a member of the EU and NATO)

3. Lithuania (now a member of the EU and NATO)

4.  Estonia (now a member of the EU and NATO)

5.   Armenia

6.    Moldova (Russia has occupied the Moldovan territory of Transnistria since 1990.)