MOSCOW, December 7 (RIA Novosti) - Most people in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine regret the collapse of the Soviet Union 15 years ago, according to a survey by the Eurasian Monitor international research agency.

Gathering in the city of Minsk, the capital of Belarus, on December 8, 1991, the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine declared that, given the profound crisis in which the Soviet Union found itself, the country cease to exist.

They then signed an agreement on the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which was later joined by other former republics of the Soviet Union.

The survey said that most of the respondents who regret the collapse of the Soviet Union are in Russia, amounting to 68%, while in Ukraine the percentage is 59%, and in Belarus 52%.

Between 44% and 47% of respondents in the surveyed countries said it would have been possible to avoid the collapse, but a majority said the union cannot be restored, with 68% of respondents in Russia, 71% in Ukraine and 76% in Belarus holding that view.

Most of the respondents in Russia said the unification of their country with Belarus, Ukraine or Kazakhstan is possible. Sixty-four percent of respondents in Belarus said they favor a union with Russia, 30% with Ukraine and 23% with the European Union.

Respondents in Ukraine were divided along almost the same lines as Belarus.

The survey was conducted throughout November in Russia by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (1,600 surveyed respondents), in Belarus by the Novak social laboratory (1,107 surveyed respondents), and in Ukraine by the Research and Branding Group company (2,215 surveyed respondents).