I sometimes refer to Russia as the Soviet Union if the subject of a conversation changes to that country or to regional politics related to Russia. I’ve been asked a couple times why, or if I knew that the Soviet Union collapsed 3 decades ago. In response, I tell the person that I may be more aware of the political situation and history of that country than they are. I then recite an amended version of the duck test:

1. The military’s field uniforms (not pictured above) haven’t changed much when compared to the former Soviet uniforms.
2. The national anthem sounds pretty much the same and shares the same melody, but has different wording in some places.
3. They have a “President” who has been in power for 2 decades (that puppet, Medvedev, doesn’t count).

Think about it:

• If it looks like a soviet-duck…
• If it sounds like a soviet-duck…
• If it acts like a soviet-duck…

That may just be a soviet-duck, comrade.

Most often than not, people find my observation to be a funny (yet accurate) representation of the country and the actions of their leader.