Anon10/18/25, 20:22No.18085210
There is a schizo theory that it never collapsed but it was a KGB coup against the CPSU and the Soviet Republican leadership agreed to pretend to declare sovereignty to isolate themselves from the liberals running Moscow while KGB took turn to grab power in Russia. They successfully duped the gullible Westerners into believing that since they are no longer commies they can be trusted but the process went out of hand and the newly independent republics refused to unite with Russia.