Why Ukraine's role in the USSR still shapes Russian strategy

Global Watch | 2026-01-12

In Western discussions of Russian foreign policy and President Vladimir Putin's repeated lamentations over the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is tempting to dismiss his rhetoric as emotional grandstanding or propaganda.

However, to fully understand the logic behind such statements, we must examine Ukraine's historical and structural significance to the Soviet Union, a role rooted not in nostalgia but in the economic, political and social integration that defined the USSR's functionality and global standing.

Ukraine's incorporation into the Bolshevik project in the early 20th century was neither incidental nor superficial. Following the chaos of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Lenin's leadership faced the challenge of legitimizing a new socialist order across a fragmented, multiethnic empire.

Lenin's policy of national self-determination, which theoretically granted constituent republics the right to secede, was not merely an ideological concession but a calculated state-building strategy. By formalizing Ukraine as a distinct Soviet republic, the Bolsheviks co-opted pre-existing Ukrainian national movements, integrating them into the Soviet center rather than opposing them as separatist threats.

This integration was not symbolic. Ukraine emerged as one of the USSR's most strategically significant republics, situated between Moscow and Europe, with fertile agricultural lands and rapidly developing industrial regions. Its agricultural output underpinned Soviet food security, while its industrial enterprises supported machinery, metallurgy and chemical production vital to the planned economy.

The Soviet Union's ability to project power across Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia rested in part on Ukraine's economic foundation.

Agricultural surpluses stabilized domestic inflationary pressures, while heavy industries in Ukraine fed into broader military-industrial chains. This deep integration made Ukraine indispensable to the Soviet Union's geopolitical weight and economic stability.

Secession

When the USSR collapsed in 1991, Ukraine's overwhelming vote for independence in its October referendum reconfigured the political map of Eurasia.

The secession of Ukraine dealt a severe blow to the integrated Soviet economy, reducing industrial capacity, agricultural resources and export markets. Ukraine's subsequent reorientation toward European integration amplified the geopolitical consequences of independence, further diminishing Russia's regional power and economic potential.

Putin's repeated assertion that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was a "catastrophe" reflects more than sentimentality for Soviet geography.

His critique is rooted in the belief that the federation's disintegration stripped Moscow of key structural pillars, with Ukraine's departure representing the most significant loss. The collapse of the USSR weakened Russia's political center and removed vital economic and infrastructural capacities that had defined the union's global standing.

This historical context explains why Ukraine remains central to Putin's worldview and strategy.

As peace talks between Russia and Ukraine continue, understanding Ukraine's historical centrality to the Soviet Union provides critical insight into the stakes of the conflict. For Moscow, Ukraine is not just another neighbor -- it is a symbol of lost power and a key to restoring regional dominance.

For Kyiv, independence is not just a political reality, but a rejection of the structural dependency that defined its role in the USSR.

The uncertainty surrounding peace negotiations reflects this deeper historical tension. Ukraine's significance to Russia is not rooted in abstract nostalgia but in the concrete economic and geopolitical realities that shaped the Soviet Union and continue to shape the region today.