A conversation I had with Vladimir, my father (who happens to be the same name as both Russian and Ukrainian leaders), reminded me about the first stanza in the Soviet National Anthem.
Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сплотила навеки Великая Русь.
Да здравствует созданный волей народов
Единый, могучий Советский Союз!A union indestructible of all free republics
The Great Russia joined for good.
We live long, made by the will and determination of the peoples
One, powerful Soviet Union
This reminded me of “the Holy Roman Empire wasn’t neither”. It is hard to imagine a stanza with a greater density of falsehood in the first three lines. Although the Soviet Union did exist for some 70 years, it was not strong enough to last beyond this time.