Institution

Commonwealth of Independent States

1991 · 20th century · Also known as CIS

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organisation of former Soviet republics, founded by Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the Belovezha Accords of 8 December 1991 and joined by most other republics at Alma-Ata later that month. It replaced the Soviet Union as a framework for cooperation, but with limited powers; Georgia left in 2009 and Ukraine ended its participation in 2018.

Commonwealth of Independent States
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Russian SFSRDeclineSoviet UnionDecline

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Commonwealth of Independent States. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/commonwealth-of-independent-states
MLA
“Commonwealth of Independent States.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/commonwealth-of-independent-states. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Commonwealth of Independent States.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/commonwealth-of-independent-states.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Commonwealth of Independent States’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/commonwealth-of-independent-states (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻