The union of Russia and Belarus: formation and development problems

The subject of this article is the Union State of Russia and Belarus. The purpose is to analyze the processes of its formation, development problems and activities, to trace the main forms and methods of interaction between the main subjects of both states, achievements, difficulties and failures on the way of its development. Considerable attention is paid in the article to the ongoing discussions about the formation and development of the Union State, the analysis of the arguments of supporters and opponents of the Union of Russia and Belarus. The internal and external factors constraining the development of the Union State are revealed and analyzed, among which are different ways of transformation of public relations in Russia and Belarus after the destruction of the USSR, different views of Russians and Belarusians on modern activities, prospects and the final form of the Union State, the increasing activity of external opponents of interstate integration in the post-Soviet space, etc. The conclusions of the analysis are that, despite significant achievements in the activities of the Union State, there are still unresolved issues, such as the completion of the formation of an organizational management structure with a clear definition of the functions of each of its components, the adoption of a Constitutional Act, the activation of information support for all processes related to the activities of the Union State. With the solution of these and other remaining problems, the Union of Russia and Belarus can become a good example for other interstate groupings, their states and peoples.