The 15 Countries That Were in the Soviet Union

Russia

Russia incorporates European and Asia regions. Its capital city is Moscow, and it shares borders with 14 countries.

6,601,665 square miles, of which 6,323,142 square miles are land (a whopping 11% of the planet’s landmass), making Russia the largest country in the world. Russia dominated the countries in the Soviet Union.

Nine mountain ranges run through Russia, including the highest peak in Europe, Mount Elbrus, which towers 18,510 feet. Russia’s wilderness has 125,000 animal species, including rare animals like snow leopards, polar bears, and amur leopards.

Ukraine

Ukraine borders Russia. Its capital city is Kiev (pronounced Keev), the second-largest European country.

Known as the world’s bread basket, Ukraine was responsible for vast amounts of wheat, maize, barley, and rapeseed. However, in recent years, its output has been severely damaged by the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine is home to epic animals in its vast steppes, forests, and tundra, including rare Eurasian lynx, European bison, and Iberian wolves. Its national animal is the sweet singing nightingale.

Belarus

The Republic of Belarus is home to 9.2 million citizens, and it covers 80,200 square miles, of which 40% is forested. Belarus borders Russia and Ukraine. Its capital is Minsk. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus maintained close ties to Russia.

This landlocked country is mostly flat, with vast marshes, 11,000 lakes, and incredible wildlife. Over 70 mammals and 309 bird species thrive here, including the largest population of European bison. Lynx, greater spotted eagles, and wild boar roam the forests.  

Moldova

Moldova, historically Moldovia, is an Eastern European country bordered by Romania and Ukraine. It’s a member of NATO and sits east of the Carpathian Mountains, covering 13,067 square miles. Moldova is currently home to 2.5 million people, and its capital is Chisinau. Despite its status as the second poorest country in Europe, Moldova has taken 75% of Ukrainian refugees.

Animals in Moldova include gray wolves, ermines, wild boar, polecats, and the national animal, the auroch, a bovine, cow-like animal that reaches eight feet long with a thick, shaggy coat.

Kazakhstan

The Republic of Kazakhstan was one of the countries in the Soviet Union, but it declared its independence on December 16, 1991, shortly after the Soviet Union’s dissolution.

This beautiful country stretches over 1,052,100 square miles, of which 327,000 square miles support agriculture. Its largest land mass lies in Central Asia, with a small European area across the Ural River. Over 20 million people live In Kazakhstan, making it one of the least densely populated countries on the planet.

Kazakhstan’s capital city is Astana, and its magnificent wild spaces are home to epic Pallas cats, Saiga antelope, snow leopard, and Eurasian lynx. Hot, arid summers and dramatically cold winters create a range of habitats.

Estonia

Next to the Baltic Sea lies the European Republic of Estonia. Its capital city, Tallinn, is an up-and-coming European tourist hotspot.

Estonia’s mainland is just one area of its territory. The republic encompasses the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, plus 2,200 smaller islands. Altogether, Estonia’s territory is 17,505 square miles.

Its terrain is varied and supports many animals that are considered endangered, such as the Siberian flying squirrel, lynx, grey wolf, and European jackal.

Latvia

Formerly one of the countries in the Soviet Union, Latvia is now a northeastern European republic. Its capital, Riga, is home to 1.8 million citizens, and it’s a popular holiday spot for Europeans due to its quiet Baltic Sea beaches and reliably hot weather in summer. Bordering Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Estonia, Latvia joined NATO and the EU just ten years after the Soviet Union’s collapse.

Latvian animals include Arctic foxes, beavers, badgers, elk, and lynx. Over half of Latvia is forested, and it promotes national conservation, so animals thrive there.

Lithuania

Lithuania is a member of NATO, the UN, and the EU, which it joined swiftly after its independence from the Soviet Union. Forced to join the Soviet Union in wartime 1940s, Lithuania often protested its inclusion.

Its thriving capital city is Vilnius and Lithuania is recognized for its outstanding natural landscapes, including warm sandy beaches, leafy forests, marshes, lakes, and flatlands.

No surprise that its incredible variety of landscapes provides homes for moose, bison, roe deer foxes, and its national animal, the white stork.

Kyrgyzstan

Lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains in Central Asia is the Kyrgyz Republic. Soon after the Soviet Union’s dissolution, Kyrgyzstan declared itself an independent republic.

Its mountainous ranges, basins, and valleys are rare earth mineral-rich and home to birds of prey species such as steppe eagles, endangered snow leopards, and plentiful markhor goats who take advantage of the mountain landscape.

Tajikistan

The smallest country in Central Asia is Tajikistan, just 54,952 square miles. Absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1929, it declared independence in 1991 and the new capital city of Dushanbe.

Mountains comprised over 9/10s of Tajikistan’s territory, and at least half is 10,000 feet. This makes travel to remote areas difficult. Remote Tajik people chiefly reside in qishlaqs, mainly homes built alongside a river or canal.

Mountain-range animals, like goats and golden eagles, inhabit Tajikistan, but brown bears, jackals, wildcats, and great gray lizards abound in its lower regions.

Turkmenistan

Central Asia’s Turkmenistan is one of its six Turkish states and the second largest country, though much of its land is mountainous or arid desert. Tourists rarely visit this ex-Soviet Union country.

Turkmenistan joined the Soviet Union in 1925 and declared independence in 1991. A large population of 6.5 million people live here, and its capital city, Ashkabad, lies on the border with Iran.

Tigers, brown bears, Caspian cobras, and the deadly karakurt spider live here, but wildlife is under threat due to human encroachment and very few liveable habitats.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan joined the Soviet Union in 1924 until its collapse in 1991. It’s now a republic with 173,351 square miles of arid, dry terrain and very little rainfall.

Unfortunately for Uzbekistan, Soviet-era cotton-producing policies have caused an ecological disaster. The inland Ural Sea, once irrigated, has emptied the land to 10% of its volume.

Despite this, wildlife hangs on. Uzbekistan’s few forested areas are home to Turkestan sand cats, endangered antelope, and snow leopards. Snakes and reptiles thrive in the desert regions.

Armenia

Armenia joined the Soviet Union in 1924 until its collapse. Once part of the Ottoman Empire, it was one of the early Christian civilizations. This Asian country lies south of the Caucasus mountain range.

Mountains (including the national symbol 13,420-feet tall Mount Agarat), deserts, steppes, and fast-flowing rivers mark this 11,484 square-mile landscape. Very few forests exist here. As a result, the animals survive in difficult conditions. A few of Armenia’s amazing animals include golden eagles, steppe eagles, wild goats, and brown bears.

Azerbaijan

Absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1920, the Republic of Azerbaijan emerged from its ashes in 1991. This country marks a boundary between Europe and Asia. Azerbaijan’s capital city is Baku, home to two million people

This varied land stretches 33,400 square miles with three main geological features: the 497-mile Caspian Sea shoreline, the Caucasus mountains, and the internal flatlands. Interestingly, Azerbaijan is home to half the planet’s mud volcanoes!

Incredible animals include tortoises, jackals, Caspian seals, wolves, ibis, and flamingos.

Georgia

Georgia covers 26,900 square miles, and 3.7 million people call it home. Around a third of Georgians live in the capital Tbilisi. This unusual country straddles Eastern Europe and Western Asia’s borders.

In 1921, Georgia was incorporated by force into the Soviet Union, and it left just before the collapse, proclaiming independence in April 1991.

Georgia’s landscapes vary from semi-arid plains to Caucasus mountain glaciers and marshy forestland, but many of the Colchis Plain’s old forests disappeared under the Soviet Union.

Wolves, lynx, bears, and goats reside in the mountainous regions, and near the Black Sea coastline, visitors spot flamingos, otters, and pelicans.