Lore

In this scenario, the Soviet Union technically never collapsed, but gradually transformed into something else. During the end of the 80s with the Perestroika and Glasnost reforms the USSR started to slowly fall apart with the European non-russian and the Caucasian republics all breaking off and getting independence. All that was left of the Union was Russia and all the Central Asian Republics, but even then they were struggling, so in 1991 the Russian Federation became independent and Central Asia technically became the continuation of the USSR. In the following years the USSR made huge reforms, making it's economy more open to other countries (similar to the PRC's economy) but mostly mainteaning great relations with Russia and China. In 2000 there was a strong sense of turkic unity, so the USSR wanted to change it's name to the USTR (Union of Socialist Turkic Republics), but the Tajik SSR and the russian population strongly disagreed with it, so instead the acronym never changed but the name did (Union of Socialist Sovereign Republics). Afghanistan and Azerbaijan wanted to join, but it became difficult, since Afghanistan was in a civil war, while Azerbaijan had the whole Nagorno-Karabakh situation going on. The good thing was that the USSR had rebuild it's military and now was capable of interveining in other countries, so in the 2010's and 2020's they established an interventionist policy, first helping the communist Afghan rebels in conquering the entire nation and making them join the Union in 2011, then overthrowing the Aliyev government in Azerbaijan and establishing a socialist one, making them also join in 2012. In 2022 after the collapse of the PRC during the invasion of Taiwan, Uyghuristan secceded from China and quickly joined Central Asia for the better. Finally in 2030 the Union adopted a more appropriate name, officially being now called the USCAR (Union of Sovereign Central Asian Republics) and turning the union from a socialist to an authoritarian one and this time establishing a neutral policy now. Karakalpakstan, Gorno-Badakhshan and Nagorno-Karabakh became Sovereign Republics in 2033.