Soviet Flag Lowered at Kremlin for the Last Time | Collapse of the Soviet Union | 26 December 1991.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the process of internal disintegration within the Soviet Union (USSR) which resulted in the end of the country&and its federal government&existence as a sovereign state, thereby resulting in its constituent republics gaining full sovereignty on 26 December 1991. It brought an end to General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev&(later also President) effort to reform the Soviet political and economic system in an attempt to stop a period of political stalemate and economic backslide. On 25 December, Gorbachev resigned and turned over his presidential powers—including control of the nuclear launch codes—to Yeltsin, who was now the first president of the Russian Federation. That evening, the Soviet flag was lowered from the Kremlin and replaced with the Russian tricolour flag. The following day, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR&upper chamber, the Soviet of the Republics formally dissolved the Union.