Kazakhstan would join such a union, since they proposed such a thing back in 1994. Also Kyrgyzstan's new government is pro-Russian and would willingly join. The eastern half of Ukraine is far more pro-Russian than it is pro-west, so if joining the union was put up to a vote and all you need a is...
Uber update this thursday!
http://www.teamfortress.com/uberupdate/
Edit: Apparently this will be "the biggest, most ambitious update in the history of Team Fortress 2."
Wasn't Contracts just recycled levels from the first game? I didn't play the first one, so please correct me if I am wrong.
Excited to play this nonetheless.