Had it been reformed in time, the Soviet Union could have survived as a union of sovereign states, but by now it was too late.
This is the reflection delivered to TASS by the last president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev on the thirtieth anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet empire.
Gorbachev resigned as president of the USSR on December 25, 1991. The red flag above the Kremlin was lowered and replaced with the Russian tricolor. The Soviet Union ceased to exist on the same day, although it formally dissolved on December 26 by order of the Supreme Soviet. "Those were dark days for the Soviet Union, for Russia and for me too. But I had no right to do otherwise," Gorbachev now recalls, also explaining why he never used force to try to hold the empire together: "In the first place because I would have stopped being myself. And then such a decision would have triggered a very serious civil war with unpredictable consequences. I was sure that this scenario should be avoided at all costs".
"It is certain, however - continues Gorbachev - that the country could have survived even after the coup attempt in August 1991 as a Union of sovereign states. But from the beginning we underestimated the extent and depth of the problems in inter-ethnic relations and in relations between the center and the republics. It took too long to understand that the Union was in need of renewal ".
Gorbachev explains that in those confused days the objective of the Soviet authorities was "to preserve the Union and create a true federation with real sovereignty for the republics, which would have delegated part of their powers to the center. Security, defense, transport network, currency and human rights were to remain in the hands of the central authorities under the draft new Union treaty. I am sure it was a viable option and that most republics would have supported it, but the attempted coup overwhelmed this possibility. "
"Even after the coup, however, when the republics proclaimed their independence and the powers of the Kremlin were severely weakened, I was convinced that the Union could be preserved. For this I proposed the Union of sovereign states", says Gorbachev, reiterating that such a subject would have become a confederation with the constituent republics which would have enjoyed even wider powers.
"For one thing, they would become members of the United Nations, while the Union would retain their seat on the Security Council. The military and nuclear weapons would remain under one command. I am sure it would have been much better than it is. following the collapse of the Soviet Union ".
