Lithuania leads the wayOn March 11, 1990, Lithuania became the first republic of the Soviet Union to secede. Determined to keep the 15-country Soviet Union united, Soviet leader Gorbachev quickly acted to counter Lithuania's independence. Domino effectIn the course of 1990, 11 of the 12 other Soviet republics also declared sovereignty, including Russia, by far the biggest, on June 12, 1990, driven by democracy hero Yeltsin. On the same day Ukraine declared independence, one of nine Soviet republics to do so in August and September. On December 8, 1991 the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, agreed the Soviet Union "no longer exists", formalizing the creation of 15 separate countries.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 10, 2020 16:52 UTC