The Sovetstarussian Affair; (ATTN Sondria)

[Sovetstaruss]

Your Country
Your Office
6:00 AM

Before you is a titanium case. The means of opening the secured briefcase is a code known only by yourself and by your most trusted adviser, who prepared the contents of the case for you. As you open the case, you are presented with a plethora of photos, diagrams, and charts, among stacks of papers, all of which are enclosed in several manila folders marked "TOP SECRET." How this information got to you is irrelevant, perhaps, your subordinates had spies embedded in Sovetstarus, or perhaps they had received it from an ally or a freelancer. What matters are the documents, themselves. While international news reporters have been unable to fully appreciate the destabilizing situation that is developing in Sovetstarus, these reports supply an ample, yet basic, briefing on most of the known status quo in the United Socialist States of Sovetstarus.

You open the files.

“Ever since the riots, Sovetstarus has become a free for all. The violent protest combined with economic uncertainty and the personal self-interest of those in power have caused the country to descend into something of a civil war. Now, neither of the sides have attacked each other, yet. Everyone seems to be taking their time to prepare for what might be ahead. And, so long as you have the muscle and the money, you can participate. So far, a few new factions have been taking shape to claim the destabilizing communist state.

Here is a list of the provinces in Sovetstarus, with the faction that claims control over it to the right. Note: A faction can “claim” control without actually having any boots on the ground or major influence in that area, though this note mostly applies to The Coalition in Svoboda:

Mir – The Coalition
Pravosudiye – The Sovetstarussian Empire
Kollektivnyy – The Communist Party of Sovetstarus
Tio iz Sovet (The capital district) – the United Socialist States of Sovetstarus
Progress – The United Socialist States of Sovetstarus, The Coalition, The Sovetstarussian Empire, and The Communist Party of Sovetstarus
Svoboda – The United Socialist States of Sovetstarus, and The Coalition
Ravenstvo – The United Socialist States of Sovetstarus

The Coalition

More officially, the Coalition of Young Capitalists, or Koalitsiya Molodykh Kapitalistov, is a newly emerged political party in the province of Mir. Made up defected legislators of the province, local gang members, and angry rioters, The Coalition's goal is to, essentially, transition the province into a free market economy, from its current command economy. Their members, mostly rebellious youth or disgruntled men and women, channeled their frustration of the current system of government into capitalist reforms. The province is, itself, still unstable and filled with gang violence and post-riot disasters, such as flipped cars and looted buildings, and is lacking any real police force. No other provinces have dared send any amount of police units in, at least yet. There are rumors that Kollectivnyy, retaining communistic principles with a relatively massive police force, might send in the units into the province if properly motivated to abandon their isolationist policies. As for the politicians that retain some power over The Coalition, most are defected from the old government, and just might as easily flip flop to another side if given enough 'incentive.' Likewise, other politicians could be persuaded to join The Coalition. The Coalition, being fairly democratic with their free market ideals, is a haven for ear-to-the-ground politicians who aren't afraid to bend themselves to become lap dogs. However, some of these politicians, reacting to the desire of their new-found 'constituents', are debating on whether or not militarize The Coalition and expand their capitalist crusade beyond the province of Mir. With that said, The Coalition is relatively informal and lacking in military resources. If The Coalition was to get hold of military armaments, then this new faction could be used to effectively combat a police or military presence in the region. However, you would still have to deal with the dissenting politicians. The people of Mir seem to have elected a 'President' of a sort. He's actually a small-time ex-Mafioso, who seems to have taken this opportunity to advance his career in politics. His picture is below.




Name: Akula (Formerly) Narodnyy Parnya
Birthplace: Slovak Socialist Republic (SSR)
Age: 53
Affiliations: President of The Coalition; Sovetstarussian Mafia (Formerly)
Biography: Born somewhere in the SSR, and, after a certain amount of time, migrated to Sovetstarus. It is suspected that beyond joining a Mafia outfit, he may have had significant involvement in its leadership structure. The rest of his life is unknown. With that said, more research is suggested.

The Communist Party of Sovetstarus

Kommunisticheskaya partiya Sovetstarus. Ever since the inception of modern day Sovetstarus, a certain right-wing politicians, more conservative than most, have been pushing for tougher communistic reforms, a higher military presence, and a transition from a democracy to a dictatorship. With the state of Sovetstarus becoming more and more fragile, many of these politicians persuaded the conservative governor of the province of Kollektivnyy to separate from the USSS and form itself as a new and more despotic, more socialistic nation. With it being said the governor was among the more conservative and militaristic group of politicians, his province of Kollektivnyy had a much larger police force than the other provinces. This large police force defended the area from intruding factions and rioters during the revolt, and has helped to establish and legitimize the Communist Party of Sovetstarus. Meanwhile, the de facto leader of this province, who we assume to be Maxim Ivchenko, has publicly communicated, via broadcast, the intention of the province to become hostile towards any faction that does not follow the principles of the CPS. Furthermore, the de facto leader stated that Kollektivnyy would not actually be its own country, but would remain as the USSS, figuratively speaking, and would cleanse the government of “traitors,” as he put it. For the sake of simplicity, however, the CPS is being identified as its own faction with Kollektivnyy as its territory, which is backed by a de facto “President,” a few hundred politicians, and thousands upon thousands of well-armed police units.



Name: Maxim Ivchenko (Alias?)
Birthplace: The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Age: Unkown
Affiliation: President of The Communist Party of Sovetstarus ; Member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (Formerly); Yugoslav People’s Army (?) (Formerly); USSS Supreme Councilman (Formerly)
Biography: Much less is known about Maxim than about Akula. Sometime in his life, Ivchenko was affiliated with the above groups. After the fall of SFR Yugoslavia, Maxim migrated to Sovetstarus, believing that only a more conservative and socialist form of running Sovetstarus, than those currently expressed by his colleagues, would prevent Sovetstarus from collapsing like the SFR Yugoslavia. He is reserved, private, secretive, and is highly dedicated to his job. Be careful, with Mr. Ivchenko.

The Sovetstarussian Empire

Or, as it is more popularly known in Sovetstarus, Sovetstarussian Imperiya, and officially as The Empire of Sovetstarus. This government is formed by one of the most powerful former Army Generals of the USSS, along with three other former USSS Generals that represent the Sovetstarussian Naval fleets, their Air fleets, and, we suspect, that the fourth was affiliated with the Sovetstarussian nuclear weapons, and possible chemical weapons, programs. Aside from this, we do not know much more about the individuals that are running the Empire. We do not even know their names. These Generals, and we suspect and cannot confirm that there are four, are very private and secluded, leaving most of the heavy lifting to be done by officers that also have defected from the USSS. From its appearance, the ES is formed from a coup. Currently, the ES has the largest military presence in its province, than other factions have in their own province, as these Generals are clearly operating with Tanks, Ships, Aircraft, Artillery, and much more. With that said, this faction maintains a small sphere of influence on the coast of this province, using a naval and air force. More research is suggested.

The United Socialist States of Sovetstarus

This report will only note the changes about the USSS during and since the revolt. First, the second military forces began amassing around Pravosudiye and not doing anything but sit there, the politicians within the capital district Tio iz Sovet realized that the military was no longer under the government’s control. So, they shut the place down. Layers of barbed wire went up, the gates locked (The city was already fortified), and all of the sudden, armed guards began popping up. Tanks, armored cars, everything. It’s like a Berlin Wall was erected within a week. Now, no reporters have been able to crack the place open, and Tio iz Sovet, where the capital of Povet is location, is dark. I couldn’t even get anyone in there, because the guards are not letting anyone in or out and they are not taking bribes. My guess is that these are very loyal troops the government had in reserve, in case of some situation like this. Conclusively, we have no idea what the government is doing, beyond the obvious, and we can’t make any solid predictions about what the USSS will do next. So, your guess is as good as mine, on this one.

If you want to make contact with any of the factions, whether you want to end in a “diplomat” to work behind the scenes or greet the faction with the end of an assault rifle, it would be wise to embed a few people, first. My resources are limited, so while my info is solid, while it is intensive, it is not very extensive, and there is much more work and research that we are going to need to do. Meanwhile, I will begin compiling a report on the geographic and political significance that the provinces, their resources, and their people will have in this civil war.

End of Report.”

OOC:

This is very important. The only faction I, as Sovetstarus, control is the United Socialist States of Sovetstarus. Think of me as, simply, an rp moderator for the other factions. This is a democratic roleplay, and I hope that people try to manipulate the factions to fit their own agendas, like a good geopolitician. If you want to change the USSS into a catholic state, talk to me, yet, in contrast, if you want to turn The Coalition into a McDonalds state, 'speak' to The Coalition. I will simply represent the identities of the other factions, as they have been portrayed in this rp. I leave the molding to you.

[Sovetstaruss]

The Povet Council Building
The Office of the Secretary of International Affairs
Mikhail Akulov's Desk
March 12th, 2014
5:35 AM

The wet dew of the morning glided upon the glass window and down the side of the portal.

"Mister President?"

The sun trickled into the tight room as the rays shimmered off the loose blinds.

"Yes---Yes Sir, it was."

Outside is where the snow flakes danced off the cut grass and glimmered as they melted towards the hard streetways. And that is where Mikhail turned his head as he chuckled, though his laughter emanating no farther than through the receiver of his phone.

"I did, sir. I did. The affair was a precious opportunity, may I say: Not too often do leaders of foreign regions marry. It seems now that any negotiations with them will serve as a package deal."

Mikhail rubbed his black tie as he reclined in his chair. He quickly moved forward and into an upright position, as both his hands intimately grasped the receiver.

"Yes Sir. Thank you again, sir. I greatly appreciate the promotion and the trust that you have in me, and I will not let you down. Yes Sir. Goodbye, Sir."

Mikhail set down the receiver on its side as the other side hung up. The new Secretary leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face. A man barged into the room and set of manila folders upon Mikhail’s desk.

“Thank you,” said Mikhail, leaning forward graciously. And his personal aid nodded, smiled, and left the room swiftly.

Down and before Secretary Akulov’s eyes was an assorted pile of papers wrapped in a file marked “TOP SECRET.” He opened it; his eyes rolling back and forth in his head, as he shifted his face from left and right across the paper. His hands felt the paper while he scanned it. His eyes narrowed upon the words as he formed each sentence in his mind. And, with each passing minute, he consciously divulged the meaning of the information to himself, before, in not more than two hours, he reached for the receiver and began to softly press the buttons on the telephone with his fingers. He coughed his throat clear and rocked back in his pillowed chair before speaking:

“Good morning, Mister Secretary. This is Secretary Mikhail Akulov of the Department of International Affairs within the United Socialist States of Sovetstarus.”

Minister of State Suderity listened intently to the voice at the other end of the line, putting down the folder he had been flipping through as the name caught his attention, "Secretary Akulov, how are you? This is Alan Suderity, Minister of State for the Union."

"I'm great, thank you. And I hope you are faring well."

"That I am," answered Suderity, standing up and turning to look at the window at the Federal Plaza below, what can I help you with?"

"No doubt you are an intelligent well-informed man, being as experienced as you are in your station. So I assume you have an understanding of the status quo within the USSS."

"Would I be correct in my assumptions?"

Suderity chuckled, "I think I would be more correct in saying lack of status quo. From what we can understand, things are not too stable over in your neck of the woods...which happens to be our neck of the woods, so we are obviously monitoring the situation very closely."

Mikhail smiled gently and with softness "Well, I hope the LCU will respect the independence and legitimacy of the USSS as a free and sovereign nation, and that the LCU will refrain from any aggressive deforesting policies."

"I am in no position to make any promises," came the sharp response as Suderity twirled the phone cord around his fingers, "if the safety and security of the Union or its citizens are threatened, we will be forced to take action. Considering the current state of affairs with your nation disintegrating, this is looking more and more likely."

"Well, then, Mister Secretary. You have been amply supplied with your information, as you have said, and, from what I hear, your decision is solid and resolute. So, allow me, then, to confide in you my own information, my own persuasion, and allow me to come meet with you, Mister Secretary over this affair of ours. What concerns the Union, concerns the United Socialist States and I am sure vice versa. We are neighbors, and it is only fair that we confide in each, bearing each his own ability and station, so that we may conclude our business and discourses with a proper, peaceable, and diplomatic way. You are, no doubt, accustomed to this line of duty."

"Sure. How soon can you be in Vienna?"

"A little under an hour."

"You flying a Blackbird or something?"

Mikhail grinned "No, Mister Secretary. I am flying a government accommodated SAA-44ST. And, without the government accommodations, it is a supersonic commercial airliner."

Suderity paused in thought, "Just make sure you pass through customs."

Suderity hung up the phone and turned back to the window, deep in thought.

[Tiami]

Alkharanian-Sovetstarussian Deal struck
Febuary 13, 2014

Alkharanians now have something to cheer about. Officials this evening announced that Alkharanian and Sovetstarrussian leaders were able to establish a financial aid plan to help stimulate the faltering Sovetstarussian economy. The financial plan has been set out for a period of five years, numbering Five trillion Universal Standard Dollars annually. This financial aid plan marks the largest in Alkharanian history. Alkharanian citizens have openly discussed their distaste of the plan, regarding the Sovetstarussian ally as 'worthless' and 'not capable'. These remarks may or may not refer to Alkharania's ally as being too small and underdeveloped to be in consideration for such a plan. Official later stated, "Sovetstarus is an important ally in Sondria; seeing an ally falter is not something we can stand by and watch. It was with our best interest, that such a deal be finalized before anymore harm in Sovetstarus could be done."

The financial aid plans come at a time when the Soverstarussian state has been stricken with the threat of civil war and political instability. Much of the country's population can barely afford to take care of themselves. It is with hope, that this financial plan, nearly as large as the Soverstarussian economy, will be of great use to the fractured country.

Alkharania has already announced it's plans to send medical aid in the form of hospital vessels, to Sovetstarus so citizens can receive healthcare. It is worth noting that Alkharanian healthcare is among the best in the world. This is a sense of pride in Alkharania. Furthering the announcements, Alkharania has also expressed its interest in increasing its imports of Sovetstarussian wheat, as to further improve economic prosperity and stability. Sovetstarus is Alkharania's large wheat supplier, meaning the country is vital to the Alkharanian economy, as most farms in Tiami cannot produce wheat due to extreme cold.

For more information, please visit our website!

[Crontor]

Sondria;
Hellas;
Luso-Cron Union;
Imperial Federation of Crontor;
Columbia Province;
Vienna:

The incoming Sovet SAA-44ST had been directed to the special diplomatic section of Vienna International Airport. Only a few airports within the Luso-Cron Union received international traffic. These select few facilities had been specially tasked with the influx of foreigners that were allowed to travel to these airports. Foreigners of course, were only accepted from select countries that the Union had deemed allies or strategic partners. Should a citizen of a foreign power wish to travel to the Union, for purposes of business or leisure, their first stop would be a Union embassy or consulate. Should the citizen belong to a nation from a preapproved list of nations, then said citizen would begin the process of obtaining a travel visa and Temporary Identification Card (TIC) which would allow them quick and easy transit around the Union and conveniently track their movements for the National Citizenship Administration (NCA).

Foreign diplomats did not have to see themselves through this process. But a state obsessed with security wasn’t just going to let anyone into the country without proper security checks to ensure that all Union laws and ordinances were being followed. Firearms were banned within the Imperial Federation, although allowed in the Impireacht, while narcotics were banned throughout the entire Union. All entering diplomats, guards, and support personnel were sweeped, although depending on the status of relations with the Union, the closeness of the inspection varied. A visiting delegation from Erjunhuf received far less attention than a delegation from Rustonia, a nation that always brought an interesting array of items that the Union considered contraband and therefore subject to confiscation by security officials. The presence of several dozen armored security officials alongside Ministry of State staff indicated that this would be a lengthy process.

Sovet officials and guards were led off their plane and greeted by the Ministry of State officials who led them into the Diplomatic Reception Terminal where they would be greeted by the first round of security, the Infrastructure Security Administration. This was the agency tasked with protecting the physical infrastructure of the Union. Heavily armed and dressed in combat gear bearing the ISA insignia in plain sight, agents of the ISA protected ports, railway terminals, airports, and all other assets of vital infrastructure. Here, they were tasked with running each and every visiting official through full body scanners and patting them down to ensure nothing had been missed. All weapons and narcotics were confiscated, should they be found. Diplomats had nothing to fear in the Union and their visiting delegations were not allowed weapons except in their own embassies.

Following the initial scanning and pat-down by the ISA, came a second round of scans this time run by the Federal Contraband Enforcement Agency (FCEA). The FCEA was tasked with enforcement of Union laws regarding banned items across the nation and areas of possible foreign infiltration of these banned items received specialized attention. Drug sniffing and bomb sniffing dogs roamed the line of the visiting delegates searching for any hints of commonly trafficked drugs or bomb making chemicals. Should the dogs find something, their handlers which were in tow of each dog would quickly move to apprehend the subject and locate the substances the dogs had singled out.

The next stop was the Border Security and Customs Administration (BSCA) which checked and received the passport of each visiting dignitary, questioned the purpose of their visit, handled any questions about visiting the Union, and gave them a quick rundown of Union laws contained in a handy pamphlet given to each traveler. During this explanation, the agent manning each desk entered the name of the traveler into the National Citizenship Database. The NCD, managed by the National Citizenship Administration, was a compilation of data of all Union citizens, containing their private and biometic information, as well as any prior travelers to the Union, any known foreign citizens, and any wanted criminals by the Union. The name was crosschecked against this database during the BSCA explanation of Union law and policy, and should the name check out as clean, the visiting dignitary would be ushered to the final stage of their trip through the Diplomatic Reception Terminal.

Arriving at the Federal Tourism and Immigration Administration (FTIA), delegates and visiting dignitaries would finally be ushered out into the Union. This would happen after they received their diplomatic visa and Temporary Diplomatic Identification Card (TDIC). Said card included a picture, fingerprint, and the biometric data of that foreigner. The process was quick and efficient, with the cards printed there on the spot and handed directly to the visitor. Should anyone resist giving up any of this information to FTIA officials, they would not be allowed to pass into the Union and would more than likely face deportation. Such measures were harsh, but in the opinion of the Union, completely necessary to uphold the creed of the Ministry of State Security, “To create a safe and secure society”.

At the end of this arduous process stood Minister of State Suderity waiting patiently for Secretary Mikhail Akulov. Flanked by Federal Military Police Administration agents clutching rifles, he waved to Akulov as he passed the out of the FTIA area and beckoned him over.

“Welcome to the Union. Let’s get your delegation together and head to the Ministry of State.”

[Mahdah]

Unknown Town, Near the Sovetstarus-Former Euphrani Border

Saparbek Barsukov stood outside his home as he scratched his beard and looked about the neighborhood. Activity was sparce in this part of town which was close to what formerly was the border with Euphran before the Imperial Federation representing one half of the Union he knew today invaded the country. Many memories swamped his mind at what had occurred in Euphran and his escape from Crontorian Military personnel hunting him and his kind which were members of Al Hafa. How he had escaped was a difficult story for him to explain, as he had been ambushed several times by Crontorian Army operators who seemed to know they're every location.

When he finally got across the Euphrani border into Sovetstarus, the attacks ceased and he soon met up with others who had escaped the hell he had gone through and they had formed they're own cell together in the country. Saparbek had joined up with several others at a local bar that was in the area, which was where they mostly hung out at and discussed things about their operations which were slim. They had communication connections to their Al Hafa brethren in Alkharania and talked to them daily to keep them updated on there situation.

The leader of the group is a man who went by the name of Ivan Khattab. Ivan had been a Lieutenant in the Euphranian Army before he defected due to his conversion to Islam. He then joined up with the Al Hafa cell in Euphran and worked his way to have a fierce reputation on the battlefield against his enemies , Euphrani or Crontorian alike. He had been one of the men who had accompanied the raid on the Euphranian Politburo and had held the lobby against Euphranian authorities and even before that he had done attacks against Euphranian Military units across the country. Ivan was a tough man and was also very religious and close to God as he would say when he spoke to his men when they were sitting around somewhere.

Saparbek respected the man who was his leader and would be honored to follow him into battle anytime. The group was a total of 250 men and were spread throughout the border areas with former Euphran. They of course were decently armed and had scavenged weapons when escaping the Crontorians when they pushed further and further into the country. Weapon caches were hidden in several areas, mostly inside towns within relative reach of the militants. It had been heard that soon Khattab would call a meeting soon and discuss the situation going on in the country and what their leaders in Nasiriyah and Mahdah wanted done about the situation.

[Crontor]

Union Broadcasting Company

"The premier news source for the entire Luso-Cron Union since 1999!"

Union Moves Combat Fleets to Sovetstarsus; Cranico Hints At Military Strikes

---

Elements of Southern Command are thought to be deployed.

UBC: Vienna- Amid rising concerns over the chaotic situation in the nation of Sovetstarsus, President Christian Cranico of the Luso-Cron Union announced today that the Union Armed Forces would be deploying no less than three Union Combat Fleets to the area to patrol and observe the evolving situation. This follows the mobilization of some reserve forces within the Union and an increased UAF presence at the Union’s western border. These movements within the UAF have led many to speculate that the Union may be preparing for a military strike or series of strikes, possibly followed by some manner of military intervention. This sentiment was confirmed by President Christian Cranico who said that “military strikes are being considered.”

This represents a growing concern over the stability of the nation of Sovetstarsus with which the Union shares a long western land border. It is feared that instability brought by the civil war there could overflow into the westernmost provinces of the Union and lead to violence in the newly assimilated territories of Euphran and Alteria. With the Union increasingly involved abroad, fears of instability at home have capture the attention of President Cranico and the Imperial Congress, although no outward signs of instability anywhere in the Union have been shown.

According to the Ministry of State Security, the border to Sovetstarsus remains closed and the Border Security and Customs Administration has reported no incursions or attempted incursions along the border fences. The BSCA has stepped up patrols and surveillance with drones and thermal cameras to keep an eye on anyone trying to cross the border in either direction. The few border checkpoints guarding the roads between the two countries have recently been reinforced by Union Army Mechanized Infantry Brigades deployed from Field Armies based in Western Euphran. These units refused to speak to UBC reporters asking about their presence here and Union High Command has likewise refused to comment on their presence.

An unnamed source said that these UAF forces may be preparing for the opening stages of an armed intervention, but said that this was just speculation as of now.