Final answer:
Russia inherited the most significant amount of the former Soviet Union's petroleum, timber, and mineral resources and is heavily reliant on them for its exports and government revenue. The correct answer is option 1.
Step-by-step explanation:
The newly formed post-Soviet country that possessed most of the old Soviet Union's petroleum, timber, and mineral resources is Russia. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited the vast and sparsely inhabited Siberian region which holds enormous quantities of natural resources such as oil, timber, diamonds, natural gas, gold, and silver. These resources are crucial for Russia's economic future as they play a significant role in their exports and government revenues. Although other former Soviet countries like Azerbaijan have oil reserves and Ukraine has agricultural and some industrial resources, Russia's natural resources far exceed those of the other former Soviet republics, making it the clear holder of the majority of these assets.