RE: The FSU fell before the Internet was up and going.
100% wrong. The internet was well underway by 1990. Where do you think email and web addresses of the type "somedude@someplace.co.su" and "www.someplace.co.su" came from?
Oh and one other thing. I actually worked for several years at a tech company that was one of the earliest ones into the USSR, back during the Gorby period. We were dealing specifically with the internet there. Oh, but I know, I am just imagining things ...