The wild nineties

‘The wild nineties’ (Russian: Лихие девяностые, Likhiye devyanostyye) is a term with a negative evaluative connotation, characterising the period of the transition period after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Russian Federation's formation in the 1990s. The term refers to the decade following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a time characterized by major political, economic, and social transformations. With social instability inherent in the change of state political system.

The era is typically associated with the rapid shift from a command economy to market capitalism, marked by a breakdown in central authority, the rise of organized crime, and significant declines in public living standards. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia entered a period of transition characterized by significant political, economic, and social instability. While primarily applied to the Russian context, the term is also used more broadly to describe the chaotic political and social upheavals experienced across the post-Soviet countries after the fall of communism.