Bennigsen appeared prescient when the Soviet Union began to crumble, and especially in its aftermath. Events supported his belief that Soviet Muslims had retained their Islamic identity, though not a solid knowledge of Islamic practice, despite having been cut off from the larger Islamic world since the 1920s.
Bennigsen's perception proved accurate as the Soviet Union began to disintegrate, and especially in its aftermath. The events substantiated his claim that Soviet Muslims retained their Islamic roots, although they lacked a comprehensive knowledge of Islamic traditions, despite being disconnected from the wider Islamic world since the 1920s.