Dictionary
Com'monwealth of In'dependent States'
an alliance of former Soviet republics formed in December 1991, including: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Abbr.: C.I.S.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.