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Do you honestly believe the USSR honored it's constitution? There were referendums because the dictator at the time decided to allow it. If Putin or Stalin were in charge at the time, this wouldn't have happened just like the decades of suppression and exploitation prior. It's very disrespectful and somewhat unhinged to claim all those vassal states had a choice all along and wanted to be part of the soviet union just because they were granted the privilege in the very end when the regime lost it's grip anyway. The truth is Moscow couldn't hold them together for much longer. Most of those states would just revolt even more so than they already did anyway.
Because yes, of course they tried to free themselves in the past but didn't have the means to do so previously. Similarly, Russia's vassal states today have no choice, as all elections and referendums are only for show and all leaders are installed by the Kreml.
Long story short: Constitutions in autocracies are worth as little as the paper they're written on.