 The Russian Federation was the largest of the fifteen republics that made up the USSR, accounting for over 60% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and over 50% of the Soviet population.Russians also dominated the Soviet military and the Communist Party (CPSU).As such, the Russian Federation was widely accepted as the USSR's successor state in diplomatic affairs and it assumed the USSR's permanent membership and veto in the UN Security Council (see Russia and the United Nations).