In the political terminology of the former Soviet Union, the socialist-leaning countries (Russian: Страны социалистической ориентации, romanized: Strany sotsialisticheskoy oriyentatsii, lit. 'countries of socialist orientation') were the post-colonial Third World countries which the Soviet Union recognized as adhering to the ideas of socialism in the Marxist–Leninist understanding. As a result, these countries received significant economic and military support. In Soviet press, these states were also called "countries on the path of the construction of socialism" (Russian: страны, идущие по пути строительства социализма, romanized: strany, idushchiye po puti stroitel'stva sotsializma) and "countries on the path of the socialist development" (Russian: страны, стоящие на пути социалиcтическо