NationStates Jolt Archive

—Cathedral Of The Shroud, Versailles—

“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

The darkly clad figure knelt in the central corridor of the Cathedral. The massive arches and flourishing buttresses purveyed a pure sense of power throughout the gothic Cathedral. Shadows danced across the vast chamber, as they fought a vicious battle against the wondrous lights that poured from the ornate glass windows. The President knelt in fervent prayer right before the magnificent altar, which was carved from the finest stones of the Holy Land, and draped in a gold red cloth. At the very focus of the Cathedral, on the wall directly in front of Putin and above the altar, was the centerpiece of the entire building, the very reason the Cathedral had been built, the very reason he was here.

The Shroud Of Turin.

Yes, in this Cathedral, which was hidden away in the darkest, deepest corners of Versailles, lay what many believed to be the very burial cloth of the Son Of God. For long a KGB unit had been detailed to investigate the Shroud on Putin’s personal order, and it had come to the fore that the Shroud displayed in public was a fraud. Years ago, ODSL agents, under Louis’ personal command, had toiled feverishly to work out a deal with the Vatican, and while the full specifics of that deal were still a closely guarded secret, the KGB had discovered that one aspect of that detail of that bargain involved Louis’ personal ownership of the Shroud.

And so now, Putin fulfilled the actual reason for his coming to the party. The time for Disco was over; the time for war had begun. Sweat poured down his brow, as his prayers reached a feverish pace. Faster and faster he prayed, ever more fervent, as he whipped himself into a devout frenzy.

“God almighty, grant me the strength for one last mission. Grant me the might to bring back Russia’s glory, so that it may again become a power worthy enough to carry out your will. Give your blessing to this noble enterprise, so that the Russian people may again raise their heads in pride, so that freedom and morality again span a new Russian empire. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! AMEN!”

Oddly enough, not only was that the end of Putin’s prayer; it was also the beginning of a war. The code word had been activated, and the thresh hold had been crossed. The word was transmitted through a small radio on Putin’s wrist, and channeled into the highest echelons of the Russian government. The highest echelons then dispatched this message to the governments of Estonia and Latvia.

Start Of Highly Encrypted Satellite DataBurst Transmission

Our border disputes have gone on too long, and caused far too much chaos. In order to extend the hand of friendship to our neighbors and usher in a new era of peace, the Divine Russian Republic has acquiesced to all border demands by your government. Our troops will withdraw as soon as they establish contact with yours; we cannot leave such an area unguarded for too long, as it will become a No Man’s Land for crime. This offer will stand for 24 hours.

End Of Highly Encrypted Satellite DataBurst Transmission

Putin allowed himself one weary smile before he returned to his prayers.

((OOC: I've got the combat part written up, but need to wait for Spyr to respond. Elk, assume the cruise missile agreement has been arranged.))

OOC: just a TAG

tag

The Lavragerian Republic stood today a landlocked state extremely similar in geographical size to its Baltic neighbours, Latvia and Lithuania, and half way between the two in population. So recently it had been more peopled than all three Baltic states combined, and the ambitious and egotistical architect of Republic, President Larionko Aidarov -presently formalising free trade agreements with Russia while ploughing foreign aid dollars into making it distinctly unfair in certain limited sectors- made the undemarcated borders with the less militarised Latvians and Lithuanians one of his pet concerns as he pursued cut-price MiG-29s and other weapons with which to intimidate them. There was no question of bullying his other neighbours.

Russian militancy around the Baltic states tended to ruin his fun as Riga and Vilnius dismissed his relatively petty shows to attend Glakatahn border raids and Russian interests, but that was as a matter of national policy really neither here nor there.

Lavrageria went about the business of reconstruction with an added task of attending a lately increased hospitality industry for the Russian servicemen on hand in the Republic.

(Tagged, then)

[tag]

OOC: I understand that Spyr is probably a busy fellow, and I apologize if I'm acting out of hand, but with my time constraints, I need to be moving this along.

IC:

—Russo-Latvian Border—

Commander Boris Vlakor cursed bitterly. Four days until retirement, and this happens!

Four days before I get my pension and ditch this boring hellhole, a war happens! I could be out there, drowning in a sea of alcohol and cigarretes! I could waste the rest of this miserable life on cheap booze and even cheaper women, but instead...I have a war to fight! F*ckin’ bastard Putin...

He scratched his gray— salt and pepper — mustache, and looked out through his old, battered binoculars. All officers had been offered newer equipment, but Commander Vlakor was a greedy bastard. If he got new binoculars, he’d have to give up the old ones. The army didn’t really need the old ones, however, and would most likely not even notice if he took them with him.

And antiques, especially Soviet Military ones, sold handsomely on the black market.

So he stood there, a relic soldier holding a relic pair of binoculars and wearing a relic uniform, and waited for the inevitable march of Latvian soldiers.

“There they are! The poor Latvian bastards! Ahh...It’s time for my favorite part!”

Even Boris had to admit that, as much as he hated the thought of fighting in yet another war at such an age, he still relished the thrill of waiting for a perfectly laid out plan to spring into action, like a well oiled mouse trap, upon the unsuspecting victims.

The Latvian group approached the Russians cautiously. They wore old, battered uniforms and wielded fairly outdated Russian weapons, a testament to their minuscule defense budgets. The commander of the Latvians attempted to speak, but an “angry” Commander Vlakor cut him off.

Alright, Boris, this is your Oscar moment...

“Halt! How dare you defile the national sovereignty of the Divine Russian Republic! I demand a full withdrawal immediately!”

A young man in the Latvian ranks smiled maniacally. Andrei had, a year ago, been on leave from the Latvian army. Instead of staying home with his mother, he’d decided to visit Moscow.

That was his mistake.

A KGB team had been in need of a sleeper agent for “Latvian Operations”, and a young Latvian conscript on vacation provided an ideal specimen. The Latvian Army had been told that poor Andrei was too sick to serve (a fact “confirmed” by a Moscow hospital), and his family that he had been sent back early. For a year, the young man was subjected to a truly brutal program of brainwashing, with consistent violence, repetetive messages, drugs, and unspeakable torture. The man’s mind had been shattered, torn asunder. Then, it was slowly rebuilt, with one key goal inserted in.

Moscow Hospital then reported that Andrei was “cured”, and one week before the the current events, he returned to his unit.

Now, Andrei grinned like a maniac, ready to fulfill his “purpose.”

“DIE YOU RUSSIAN PIGS!”

He wildly fired at the Russians, missing by a mile. But the intended role had been played, and the farce could continue.

“AAGGGHHH! They’re attacking! Don’t just sit there, you fools! ATTACK!”

Boris slammed a red button on the small remote he held, and smiled as a line of panels on the ground flipped open. The camouflaged panels now opened to reveal thick, long barrels.

“See you in hell, you poor Latvian bastards!”

The barrels exhumed huge plumes of flame directly at the Latvian forces, incinerating Andrei immediately. They continued to pour into the Latvian ranks, cutting through them like a reaper does wheat.

The triggering of the flame thrower traps signaled automatically to a team of MiG-35s patrolling overhead. As Commander Vlakor’s team evacuated hastily, the MiG-s scorched the earth with gigantic doses of napalm, unleashing hell upon any Latvians that still remained.

The Russo-Latvian border erupted in flame, as all incoming Latvian units (which had come in order to secure their “newly gained territory”) were engaged with swarms of infantry, APCs, the new T-95 “Katrina” Tanks, offroad vehicles, and heavy aerial bombardment. Motor Rifle Division after Motor Rifle division poured into pound the Latvians.

Another sleeper agent/hidden flame thrower set-up had been put to use on the Russo-Estonian border, now Russia was at war with Estonia and Latvia.

—Rocket Defense Forces Base Near Moscow—
General Armand Domalewski grinned ferociously. One of the youngest generals in the Russian Army, he was also the most powerful, with only the Secretary of Defense outranking him. His meticulous and daring plan had resulted in the annexation of Kazakhstan, and he intended to further his winning streak by restoring the Russian Empire. He sat back in his chair, wiped his thin, black glasses and chugged a can of Rasputin Cola , waiting for that single message. The message that would allow him to achieve his plans, his goals, his destiny. The message that would, unbeknownst to Putin or Wingert, restore Wingert to the throne as Tsar of Russia, with Armand at his side. Armand had always been a firm believer in the glory of the Russian Empire, of the need for an iron fist to rule over that empire. It had lead to a strained relationship with Putin, a devout democrat, whom he only served as a matter of loyalty to Russia. He’d grudgingly served this democrat, despite loathing his every action.

But now...

With the joint Russo-Ukrainian war effort initiated, cooperation between the leaders of both nations would be of utmost priority. If both men gained joint Supreme Command over a unified army, and if this army were given, say, martial law powers over both nations, and say, one of these men happened to disappear...

Armand smiled as he polished off the can of Rasputin Cola . He grinned even more ferociously when a brief text message flashed onto the monitor.

Initiate Operation: Freedom’s Blade.

Armand barked the order out over the speaker systems.

“Initate Operation: Freedom’s Blade. I repeat, initiate Operation: Freedom’s Blade.”

Within minutes, the already prepared cruise missiles launched. Fiery streaks behind them, they soared over Russian skies. The long, cylindrical tubes of doom soared through the night sky, before identifying their targets. Already, they had been pre-set with coordinates for all major Latvian and Estonian anti-air installations that could be seen by satellite and/or were known to the public. Messengers of death and destruction (approximately 500 of them) pierced the night sky, seemingly eager to deliver their message.

Twenty additional missiles had a very different goal. They split into two groups; one headed for Latvia and one for Estonia. The missiles would further separate if they reached the national capitals. Ten missiles headed for the Presidential Palaces of Estonia and Latvia (five for each) and ten attempted to strike the Parliamentary buildings of each nation.

If every element of the plan worked, Estonia and Latvia would be left for all means and purposes, impotent.

—In Front Of Palace, Versailles—
With a hastily prepared podium in front of him and flag behind him, President Vladimir Putin of the Divine Russian Republic spoke.

“My fellow Russian, citizens of the world...I am here to be a bearer of mournful news. Today, the long standing border disputes between Russia and her neighboring states of Estonia and Latvia erupted into full scale war. The soldiers of Estonia and Latvia violated the sovereignty of the Divine Russian Republic, and then proceeded to fire upon our brave soldiers. With superior technology and tactics, our men now fight a battle that rages over the entire span of our borders. We are at war with the nations of Estonia and Latvia. Now, some have asked me to excuse this simply as a “rash action” by a minor power, and have plead that we spare them with minor recourse. After all, our military greatly overshadows theirs, and Estonia and Latvia do not represent a major threat to our security. Or so they say.”

Putin paused there for a moment, allowing the words to achieve their dramatic effect.

“But what they say is wrong. This is yet another act of belligerence by our neighboring states, a pattern set forth since the fall of the Soviet Union, and even before that. Russia has stood by as these minor states nip at our heels, biting away piece after piece of our glory. We fell so far from our previous might that small nations dare harass us constantly! So bold have they become that evidence exists to link Polish nationals with the assasins of Louis XX! No more! No more will Russia stand by and let the world move on its own accord, so that we wither away into insignificance. We cannot afford it any longer. No more will Russia be sickly and weak, no more will Russia sit idly by as an army of small, corrupt and evil governments beat us to a pulp! No more will Russia will allow those who do not even give their own people freedom to attempt to strip away ours! This was the last straw, the needle that broke the camel’s back. The party is over, ladies and gentlemen. Russia will no longer be the world’s doormat, to be stepped upon by minor powers!”

Putin spoke passionately, tossing his notes behind him and speaking purely from the heart.

“Today marks both the beginning and end. It is the end of a weak, sickly Russian Republic that could not stand up for its ideals, could not give its people freedom, could not provide prosperity, and could not achieve greatness! And it is the beginning of a nation that will stand up for what is right, will spread freedom across the glove, become as prosperous as any other first world nation, and achieve eternal greatness! It is the end of the old Russian Republic...and the rise of new, Divine Russian EMPIRE! ”

Putin raised his hands into the air, as if beseeching God himself.

—Divine Russian Empire—

All over Russia, it spread like a disease. A thunderous roar of applause, stretching from the mountains of the Caucasus, to the Senate Chamber of Moscow, to the Tsarist Throne of St. Petersburg, to the farms of Siberia, to the ocean oil rigs of the Pacific. The nation was abuzz with pride, and that very day recruitment centers flooded with volunteers. Recruiting agents, previously fighting tooth and nail to pull someone into the army, now had truckloads of volunteers dropped into their lap. Drunken crowds danced the streets, some furious at the “belligerent bastard Estonians and Latvians”, others simply spewing out horribly garbled lines from the Russian National Anthem, Elektronik Supersonik Churches overflowed with attendees, small Russian flags flew off store shelves, and statues of Putin were erected.

Perhaps the patriotic fervor was best summed up by Pravda , Moscow’s top newspaper, whose front page was splashed with a soon to be famous shot of Putin, clad in black trench coat and scarf, raising his body towards the heavens, with a massive Russian Flag behind him. This shot, along with a photo by a Russian journalist accompanying the Estonian army which featured the Estonian division seconds before the flames from the line of trap flamethrowers reached them, became immortalized and would be symbols of the war for decades to come.

In the end, however, if one cut through the rhetoric, patriotic fervor, and hype, only one word could emerge to describe what was occurring. Ironically, that word was also the headline of the Pravda front page.

“War!”

BUMPz0rz! Ahem.

Uneasy at the news of war to the East, Polish commanders initiate a slightly higher state of readiness, moving aerial and artillery assets towards their eastern border. However, a press attaché with the Polish air force has remarked that they will probably return soon; and that Polish EUROCOM has faith that the matter will be resolved before Polish sovereignty is ever threatened.

Slovakian prime minister Mikuláš Dzurinda stated earlier today that "No trouble will come to Slovakia.".

An anonymous soldier serving with the 2nd Slovakian mechanized infantry commented that with "If I had a koruna for everytime the prime minister said that... I'd have my boots full of korunas!"

The Russian surprise offensive was a success... the advance units of Estonians and Latvians had been nervous, perhaps, but had certainly not been expecting such total and widespread destruction.

Still, the Baltic commanders were not stupid... with recent tensions, fears of a revived USSR behining with Kazakhstan, and rumours of secret meetings, there had been much wariness. Neither command had ordered a full advance, sending forth the greener units of their foot infantry. Should the Russians withdraw, they could hold until met with engineers and heavier units: should there be an attack, they could hold until mechanized veterans reinforced them. Neither circumstance had come about, but now the remaining units manned the border fortifications and faced the crushing advance of the Russian tide.

There was little defence against the massed cruise missile assault... the Baltic states had few aircraft and fewer heavy SAM sites, relying instead on a smattering of vehicle mounts and ex-Soviet MANPADS. What static defences there were boiled down, after a few central bases, to local National Guard barracks mounting rooftop 20mm AA guns. Still, the sheer volume of missiles meant the majority of even these were soon left smouldering, along with the civil governments of Estonia and Latvia. Legislators, bureaucrats, national guardsmen, family members, and civilians too close to the target made up an increasingly lengthy list of casulaties as firefighters and ambulances struggled to sift through flames and rubble.

In Riga, battered President Vaira Vike-Freiberga held an emergency meeting for what press could be assembled, blackened cheeks stained by soot and tears.

"... Today, a horror has begun which all hoped would never be seen again: the horror of war. Already, our losses cut deeply as we lose members of our families: sons, daughters, siblings, parents... my own husband, my two children, have now been lost to me, as once I lost uncles and cousins long ago...

When I was seven years old, the Russians advanced across our border, and with my parents I was forced to flee. I spent my life in exile, seeking to preserve our identity and restore our independance, until the Soviet Union fell and we were free at last. I returned, to do what I could, and you opened your arms to me.

Now, the Russians come again, they seek to take our hard won freedom and all we have accomplished over these past years. They seek to rebuild their 'empire' of corruption and oppression. But this time, I am not seven years old. This time, I will not flee. This time, I will take a stand to preserve our freedom from the Russian yoke."

----

From Latvia, a plea is sent out to the world, with specific focus on East European neighbours, NATO, and the Quinntonians, pleading for aid against the Russian invaders. The Estonians send a number of similar messages, though the names on the messages are those of minor parliamentarians, municipal leaders, or military officers: the destruction of central authority in Estonia has sent the remnants of government reeling.

----

According to the BALTFOR agreements for mutual security, the Estonian-Latvian-Lithuanian combined unit is shifted north, to secure the Latvian-Lithuanian border while Latvian units move from the interior in an attempt to bolster their own northern and eastern fronts. Estonian forces suffer a more difficult time coordinating, with command degenerating somewhat into the formation of military district 'pockets' of fortified defence waiting in the interior while the border units attempt to hold the line against the Russian advance.

Publically the romanian govenrment echoed thier Slovac equivlelents in stateing that they doubted they had any real reason to fear the current actions of the russians woudl spill over.
Of course this didn't stop Escadrillas 712 and 861 being put on high alert and a constant air patrol of 2 LancerCs being in the air 24/7.


The Czech authorities have been a bit more hesitant about making any statements bar joining in with whatever criticism may be forth comming from the west....
Secret IC: the czech MoD are currently approaching the UK govenrment to request an emergency purchase of Meteor AAms for thier small fleet of Grippens).

The Quinntonian government asks that the Roycelandian commander of the NATO base in Russia put those forces on alert, and contacts all involved governments, asking what their positions are.

WWJD
Amen.

OOC: I hope you don't mind but I'm slightly changing the nature of the Hungarian government, and in comparison with the RL one it is rather less democratic.

IC:

Hungary Introduction

President Ferenc Petretei had been in power since 1990, and at the age of 68 was reeling from yet another election victory, with his United Hungarian Reform Party receiving just over 86% of the votes. Whether the election was exactly 'free and fair', was open to debate, except of course in the National Assembly, partly because it hardly ever met, and partly because the few opposition members valued their parliamentary salaries too much to make a fuss about such a comparatively minor issue as electoral fraud.

The Republic of Hungary had made what could be called measured steps towards reforms rather than great leaps, and although private ownership was encouraged, and the economy liberalised, the government was still a much larger employer than it needed to be. The President in order to keep everyone happy, had kept welfare at nearly communist era levels whilst at the same time slashing tax rates to stimulate growth and foreign investment, a tactic that was still several years away from paying dividends. Meanwhile an energy crisis had ensued with Hungary's own poor reserves of oil and natural gas finally drying up, with the country's electricity supply relying mostly on Hungary's plentiful but low quality coal reserves that was far too expensive to extract.

Militarily, Hungary was still quite powerful, at least on paper, with an Army of 75,000, 55,000 of which were conscripts , organised into three corps with each corps consisting of five brigades subdivided into battalions, including an independent artillery battalion, an SA-6 air defence regiment and an engineering battalion for a combined total of five tank brigades and ten motorized rifle brigades. The 1st Corps (West) and 2nd Corps (East) were fully manned and active, with the 3rd Corps (Central) being a skeleton reserve unit.

In addition the Hungarian Army possesses independent artillery and Scud surface-to-surface missile brigades, as well as an airborne battalion (the thirty-seventh, stationed in Szolnok). An antitank regiment, an antiaircraft artillery regiment, and an SA-4 SAM regiment are retained as Army, and not corps, troops. A few independent engineering battalions are used for rail and roadway repairs, construction projects, and maintenance and repair of telephone and power lines.

In terms of equipment the army possesses approximately 1,200 T-54 and T-55 battle tanks, many of which have been upgraded with infrared night-vision systems and laser rangefinders. The Army also has about 100 T-72s and a similar number of PT-76 light tanks. Reconnaissance units in the Army possess an estimated 300 BRDM-2 and 400 Hungarian-produced FUG-65 (OT-65) scout vehicles. Motorized infantry units are equipped with 350 BMP-1 infantry combat vehicles and 1,000 Hungarian-produced PSz-H-IV (FUG-70) armored personnel carriers.

The Army's artillery inventory includes 225 M-1938 (122mm) and 50 M-1943 or D-1 (152mm) howitzers and 100 D-20 (152mm) gun howitzers. It also has 90 2S1 (122mm) and 20 2S3 (152mm) self-propelled guns and 100 M-43 (120mm) mortars. There are just over fifty BM-21 (122mm) multiple-rocket launchers and twenty-four Frog-7 and Frog-9 surface-to-surface missile launchers. Antitank defense consists of 100 AT-3 Sagger (including BRDM-2 self-propelled) and 100 AT-4 Spigot antitank guided weapons, 125 SPG-9 (73mm) recoilless launchers, and 100 D-44 (85mm) and 50 D12 (100mm) antitank guns. Air defense equipment includes 80 S60 (57mm) towed antiaircraft guns, 50 ZSU-4 SP (23mm) selfpropelled antiaircraft guns; and 30 SA-4, 60 SA-6, 350 SA-7, and 50 SA-9 SAM launchers.

The Hungarian Air Force with about 22,000 personnel possesses nearly 135 combat aircraft and 40 attack helicopters. Three fighter-bomber wings possess sixty MiG-21F/PF/bis/U, thirty-two MiG-23M fighter-ground attack aircraft, fourteen Saab Gripens and thirty Mig-29A multirole fighters. The reconnaissance squadron flies ten Su-22 aircraft. Two transport squadrons are equipped with fifteen An 24/26s and several An-2s. The three helicopter squadrons together have over forty Mi-24 attack helicopters, twenty-five Mi-8 medium-transport helicopters and twenty-five Mi-2 light transport helicopters. L-29s, and MiG-15UTIs are used for training purposes.

The Air Force also has an Air Defence capability consisting of one division with three SAM regiments, together possessing some twenty sites and 120 SA-2/3 missiles.

Hungary also maintains considerable paramilitary strength with the Soviet era Workers Guard numbering some 60,000 members having been rebranded as the Civil Guard. The guard coninues to wear its own distinctive gray uniform and possessing only small arms, its mission is officially limited to protecting the population and state property in times of war or unrest. The Border Guard force numbering some 12,000 is trained for frontier protection, but also is perhaps the best trained non-military security force in Hungary.

Budapest

Two men stood before the President, who himself sat in a worn leather chair, smoking a cigar, reviewing various papers in a stack of manilla folders. One was the President's Chief Economic Advisor, Zsigmond Simonya, and the other, dressed in an brownish-olive drab uniform with much gold braid was the Palatine of Hungary, the head of the armed forces who's title had recently been resurrected from the dual monarchy days.

The military officer was the first to speak "Sir, you have heard that Russia is at war with the baltic states?"

The President grunted indicating that he had before gruffly muttering, "They'll be coming for us next...I'm sure...to settle all of those old scores."

"Sir, our allies, Romania and Slovakia, they appear not to be too concerned..."

"Yes...well call me an old drunken fool, but I don't trust Russians, even when they bear gifts, and they are not bearing many gifts up north are they?"

"No sir, shall I order the military on alert?"

"Yes...also call up all the reserves, activate the 3rd Corps."

Mr. Simonya chimed in at this point, "Sir I advise against it."

"Why?"

"Sir, we cannot afford it, we'd have to take at least twenty thousand reservists out of their usual employment and pay them. We'd have to spend millions of forints on buying up foreign petroleum reserves, we would have to spend on making sure that all of our equipment is functional. Our budget is so far in deficit already that we cannot mobilise when there is no clear threat to the nation."

"There is a grave threat, if we do not prepare now, Russia will catch us off guard like they will Romania and Slovakia, we must prepare to defend ourselves. If you need to, borrow more money, issue bonds, turn off my hot water, anything, just see that we pay for this...wihtout raising taxes of course, that we cannot do."

"Cut government salaries?"

The President grunted again, "Yes, start with yours....but you can sell off the parliament building before you tough mine, after all, I am the only one who does any work around here." The President snubbed out his pipe and reached for a decanter, pouring into it a glass, not offering any to either of the subordinates.

OOC: Strath, mainly...

Military advice needed. In order to pound the nations of Estonia and Latvia into the stone age, I need to...
A) Establish air superiority.
i. How many MiG-35s and Tu-160Ms do I need to take out fighter capability and airbases?
B) Destroy Major Military Targets (Command and control, barracks, etc.)
i. How many strikes per day?

(Taiwan here)

For the record, the IAF's preempitve strike destroyed the combined air forces of the Arabs (400 odd) with some 180 aircraft.

OOC: Can someone please explain to me the NATO situation with regards to Russia in AMW? Also the old TBF player said that there were some British troops stationed on some border somewhere in Eastern Europe, anyone know where? Thanks...

OOC: Russia and NATO are generally friendly, and Russia has at some point come close to joining NATO. Recently, we've become more aligned with the HL, but still maintain friendly relations with NATO.

Britain has peacekeeping troops deployed in Lavrageria (belarus) and Russia as part of a NATO force. Lavrageria is a NATO protectorate and a close Russian ally.

Army Group B, as the Imperial High Command now designates the newly formed group that is on the southern border of Ukraine, get their signal and immediately march across the border of Moldova, Five Heavy Armoured Divisions, each of 20,000 men with almost 7,000 tanks and other armoured units between them, as well as one Division of Engineers. Their entry into the country is broadcast quite heavily, and is supported by most of the Attack Helicopter Fleet at Imperial Command, including almost 100 Attack and Interceptor Type Jets, that begin to fly over Moldova, the sound of the jets, choppers, tanks and 120,000 troops deafening to hear and awe inspiring to behold for the people of that tiny nation.
Hoping that the bribes and promises that have been placed in Moldova for years are now going to pay off to pressure a surrender, the Imperial High Command issues a message to the Moldavian government that "Tsar Wingert can no longer stand by and watch the people of his friends, the Moldavians, be brutally oppressed by their Communist government, allowing the people to languish in abject poverty while the party members get fat off the blood of the people. You are asked, as a government to surrender and accept your role as a vassal state of the Tsar, and accept your place as a province in the Tsarist Empire!"

At that same time, the rest of the air force, its other 400 fighters begin to fly over Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in a massive combined strike, ensuring air superiority. Following that, 300 Long Range Bombers, follow, carpet-bombing military targets all over the combined area.

The northern group, Army Group A, is crossing the Latvian border with
5 Heavy Armoured Divisions, including over 7,000 pieces of armour
4 Fully Mechanized Divisions
4 Light Infantry Divisions
1 Engineering Division
a total of 280,000 troops.

Tsar Wingert has also issued an order calling up the first tier of reserves, forming 5 more Light Infantry Divisions for a total of 100,000 more troops.

It should be noted that my military is also very experienced, having been toughened by the ordeal in Lavrageria, so it is full of veterans.

Imperial prepared missives are sent to the governments of Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic that state that tha Tsar has absolutely no designs on their territory and respect their soveriegnty, they do not require their vassalage.

Tsar Wingert I.

Lithuanian-Estenlands Border

Compared to the might of the Tsar's armies, the Baltic states could muster little. However, unlike their northern borders, the Lithunian and Latvian borders with former Lavrageria had defensive measures in excess of infantry and anti-tank guns. Glakatahn nomads had always presented a security threat in the region, and a network of landmines, barbed wire, and fortified pillboxes stretched up along the border in an effort to discourage raiders from attempting to cross over. While such measures would not stop a modern force, they would certainly force some delay... long enough at least for the Lithuanians to grasp what was occuring around them.

In the air since just after the disaster in the north, the combined squadron BALTSQUA turned to confront the invading Tsarist air fleet, joined by scrambled Lithuanian aircraft... Sixteen MiG-29s and six L-39s against 400 invaders did not a victory make, especially with the trainer-attack craft wielding little but their 23mm cannon, and within a span of some twenty minutes the Baltic States couldn't muster a single combat plane between them.

Voices from Vilnius join the cacophony emerging from the warzone to the West, begging for assistance against unchecked belligerence. NATO, and particularly the British who under John Bull had been staunch backers of the Lavragerians against the Estenlands invasion, are implored by Lithuanian diplomats not to allow Russia and the Estenlands to crush their neighbours beneath a despotic heel.

Moldova

There is little that can be done in Moldova... the Russo-Ukrainian minorities in Transdniestria, and the Southern Turkish Christian minority, respond with unmitigated enthusiasm at a political change which will dramatically alter their power vis-a-vis the Romanian majority. A number of the five thousand Transdniestrian troops along the internal frontier celebrate their (assumed) newfound superiority with a charge westward to take control of Moldavian communities bordering Transdniestria and establish Tiraspol-based administrations. Tiraspol itself declares itself the 'sole legitimate authority in the artificial entity of Moldova', and signs into law the vassalage of Moldova to Tsar Wingert.

In the west, a different scene plays out. Aware of Estenlands buildup and their own obvious weakness, the Moldovan military had retreated to the western regions to dig in. There, several political leaders and intellectuals called upon the 'strength of Romanian brotherhood', asking their ethnic brothers in Bucharest to advance across the border and restore Greater Romania, defending Romanian identity against 'artificial division and Cossak oppression'.

In the capital, a quickly convened session of parliament finds the majority Communist Party, longtime supporters of closer ties Eastward and suppressors of Romanian ethnicity, generally in favour of assenting to the Tsar's call for a declaration of vassalage, save for its cryptic and unusual condemnation of their Party. An official request is dispatched, asking for clarification of the terms of vassalage and an assurance that the democratically-elected government and existing constitution will be respected and left unrescinded.
Several more nationalist parliamentarians threaten to leave in protest.

Feelings in the nation as a whole are difficult to gauge... the ethnic minorities once dominant under the USSR now support wholeheartedly the change of administration, while the minority Romanian-nationalists back an altogether different ideal. However, the majority remains as it always has: mistrustful of both its larger neighbours, seeing in the East the pain of past Soviet rule, the chains of vassalage, and a politically overbearing entity; and in the West seeing the dangers of centralized authoritarian rule and a shared culture, but within which they do nt command equal respect. Theirs is a vision of an independant Moldova, but it is a vision for which they lack the capacity to fight.

Mumbai is thoroughly shocked at the Russian invasion of the Baltic states, and can do nothing but pile on condemnation of Putin's actions. Hindustan, no friend of the USSR, is not at all keen to see something like it rise again and swallow the free (if a little corrupt) nations of Eastern Europe.

But, given Hindustan's deployment situation, any sort of direct action is, for the time being, unlikely. HNS Cadiz has reportedly recieved orders to make for the Baltic sea, but this is likely in order to safeguard neutral shipping.

OOC: Much thanks to Churchill and Eisenhower here.

IC:

----Latvian-Russian Border---

“Ladies and gentlemen, today marks the most important day of your lives.”

Standing before a massed column of Russian infantry, Putin paced ferociously. He refused any shielding from the massive downpour, and his signature black trench coat was soaked to the last thread. His boots splashed water aside as his feet rushed onwards, carrying him with a measured yet frantic pace.

“Today you embark on a great crusade. The hopes and prayers of the people of Russia are with you, the hopes and prayers of the people of Estenlands are with you, the hopes and prayers of all moral and freedom loving peoples of the world are with you! For you are not tyrants nor criminals, fascists nor communists. No matter what slander is laid upon you by the dogs of immorality that are spread across this earth, remember this. You are soldiers of freedom. You march to forge a new Russian Empire of peace, freedom, and prosperity for generations to come. You are servants of God, country, and humanity!”

The crowd stood silent, not because they didn’t react to his words, but because of how consumed by them they were. Putin was in full dramatic force, his speaking ability at it’s prime, and perhaps its speak. Never had he enunciated so clearly, spoken with such a blend of passion and precision, such subtle strength.

“Soldiers of Russia, we go to liberate, not to conquer … we will bring shame on neither our uniform nor our nation. For we are Russian! Behind us stands a legacy of proud warriors and heroes, from those who overthrew the Mongol yoke to those who struggled bitterly against the Bolsheviks to those who defeated the Nazi campaign of annihilation. Generations have toiled and struggled to preserve Russia and its ideals, and now that duty has been passed onto you. Always remember, that is no duty of selfishness or greed. We are fighting to save the this continent from the pestilence of tyranny and in defense of all that is most sacred to man. This is no war of domination or imperial aggrandizement or material gain; no war to shut any country out of its sunlight and means of progress. It is a war, viewed in its inherent quality, to establish, on impregnable rocks, the rights of the individual, and it is a war to establish and revive the stature of man.”

“But let us not get caught up in these nice ideals and words. I was, and continue to be, a soldier. I know that when all the talking, when the politicians have had their say, it is the soldier who must shed his blood for the nation. Make no mistake, men. Some of you will die. Our enemy is fierce and unrelenting in his defense of corruption. We are even fiercer and even more unrelenting in our offensive for freedom, but their dedication is not to be underestimated. And so, some of you who stand before me will die on this day. But will you flee in fear of that death, and live with the knowledge for the rest of your life that you abandoned your country when she needed you most? Or will you fight, so that freedom and democracy can reign supreme? Will you fight so that when you grow old, when your children’s children celebrate this day, you will be able to say “I was there”? Will you be able to point to your scar with pride, to tell them that you were a hero? Will this be your Finest Hour or your Darkest Moment? Will you fight on the streets, the cities, the fields, the markets, the shops, the stores, will you fight with every inch of blood and sweat within your bodies, with every bit of strength you can muster?”

“My brothers, let us rise to the full level of our duty and of our opportunity, and let us thank God for the spiritual rewards He has granted for all forms of valiant and faithful service. Let them remember this day as your finest hour, let them remember your valiant courage and infinite dedication! LET THEM REMEMBER THIS DAY!”

Putin lowered his hands, standing at full attention. The rain had now fully seeped into every soldier on that field. The tension was palpable as the only sound heard was the endless pattering of rain.

Suddenly, with perfect military precision, Vladimir snapped a military salute. He smiled wearily. The tension finally burst, and the crowd erupted into the full, raucous roar only an army can unleash, the applause and cheers that contained within them pride and shame, courage and fear, loyalty and independence. Putin smiled again, as he marched off into his command center, with the rigid poise of a soldier.

_____________________________________________________________

With the Ukrainians establishing full air superiority, Russian reconnaissance air craft begin to move into the nation, filling any reconnaissance gaps undetectable by satellite. As the reconnaissance birds scout out potential targets, which are transmitted to patrolling Russian and Ukrainian aircraft, ground forces begin their assault.

Kraslava, Ludza, and Zilupe are the unlucky Latvian border towns to be stricken with a Russian force of 75,000 men, stocked with T-95 “Katrina” tanks, APCs, artillery, offroad vehicles, and heavy air support. Another seventy five thousand pierce through the Lavragerian border towards Kraslava and Daugauvpils. On the Estonian side of things, 150,000 Russian men attack the city of Narva. Lightning strike strategy is employed, with the modern array of precision weaponry playing a key role. Russian forces hope to avoid damaging civilian areas and concentrate on wiping out military garrisons as quickly as possible, in order to take advantage of the loss of central command and disorder caused by the cruise missile strike on the parliament and executive leadership.

If any areas that are conquered, Russian troops will quickly turn to humanitarian roles, providing food and water, along with a hefty dose of propaganda. The Russian Red Cross is poised to move into any areas that are deemed safe by Russian commanders.

However, any civilian resistors are deemed “illegal combatants” and are summarily executed if they are unwilling to provide useful information. The reasoning behind this is that the resistors are deemed as not only threats to the Russian military, but to the native people, as their acts only further destabilize the governments Russia hopes to establish and often harm innocent bystanders.

Estonia

Estonian military forces along the border were overwhelmed... given the forces arrayed against them, it was a matter not of possibility but of time, and that time was short.

Fighting in the nation was sporadic at best, with Estonian command control reduced to an almost squad-by-squad level. The military forces took to civilian transport when massive air superiority fell to the enemy: the soldiers knew that there was little use in riding mobile deathtraps such as APCs. The resulting situation was difficult to predict, with every town, forest, or roadside shack possibly housing one or more Estonian soldiers who knew nothing save that the Russians were coming, bringing treacherous, fiery death. Worse, the National Guard was bolstered with spontaneous volunteers, some with uniforms, some with weapons, and some who actually had contact with the existing command structure. Those who lacked any of the three were forced to improvise however they could, further ading to the military-civilian confusion.

Latvia

Latvian military forces, along with a scattering of retreating Estonian squads, establish a defensive line along the Daugava... against such a potent onslaught, the northeastern areas are seen as largely untenable by regular means. In these regions, lightly armed units of the zemessardze, bolstered by volunteers, remain scattered amongst cvilian populations and the countryside to harry supply lines and support units as best they could while the main military forces held the river line and awaited reinforcements.

Overall

The consensus amongst the Baltic populations was obvious to the occupying forces: some 20 percent of the Baltic states peoples were overjoyed. These were the ethnic Russians, once overlords and now oppressed themselves, some of these took advantage of the chaos to take revenge on the shaken majority through looting and violence. In the remaining population, there was little but anger and resentment at the Russians: memories of Moscow's rule were still fresh, and national sentiments had been defined in relation with, and separation from, their former occupiers. The Russian vision of themselves as bringing a better future to the Baltics was lost upon a people who felt that they had been advancing already towards a better future, free of foreign domination. It will take some time before viable quislings can be found.

The damage dealt to the Balkan States was substantial, in both military and civil terms. With hundreds of heavy bombers and cruise missiles, there was in fact very little military infrastructure to target outside centralized areas... strikes against home guard barracks could not help but impact into the midst of urban life, and strikes against the civil governments of Estonia and Latvia had only intensified the damage. In addition to hundreds of military dead now stood hundreds of civil casualties... attempts were made by the Latvians to get footage of Riga in flames broadcast through foreign press, charred bodies and all... of particular note to the Hudecians, newly-emerged from isolation, would be the reported death of Imants Freibergs, a Hudecian citizen, when Russian cruise missiles struck Riga Castle.

In China, thousandsof protestors and demonstrators rallied in Tiananmen square denouncing the Russian invasionof the Baltics.

Hundreds of militia police surrounded the Russian Embassy in Tianjin, and hundreds more were to guard several consulate offices as hundreds of protestors chanted outside.


The Chinese government has openly criticesed the war, and will have none of it.

"Because Russia has started this war, the Chinese will not be a part of this, and we will offer no military support for any side. The Chinese-Russian Agreement will affect China's military stance." said Chancellor Yeh.

Most of the demonstrations were peaceful and proper authorities were on scene. Apparently, the footages of the negative impact of the war had reached every media network in China. Even the Pro-Russian news agency, Zhong Hua Ri Bao, a state run media service held a column dedicated to the casualties.

Upon reaching the Latvian defence structures, the Imperial Forces break into two groups, smoothly breaking in half. Each division is split and two Army Groups are formed, Alpha, and Omega. Army Group A is under the command of Princess Adrienna, the remaining daughter of the Tsar.
Alpha now consists of:
5 Heavy Armoured Divisions, including 3,500 pieces of armour
4 Fully Mechanized Divisions
4 Light Infantry Divisions
1 Engineering Divisions
a total of 140,000 troops.

Their directive is to pull ahead of Omega Group and attack the Latvian defences, with an eye on pacifying the southern nation and capturing the capitol. Once inside the nation, they will be the ones who engage the military and set up and defend the supply lines, they will not engage outside of the nation of Latvia, but will be assigned to that area.

Omega Group consists of:
5 Heavy Armoured Divisions, including 3,500 pieces of armour
4 Fully Mechanized Divisions
4 Light Infantry Divisions
1 Engineering Divisions
a total of 140,000 troops

Their directive is to pull back behind Alpha Group and let them take most of the initial fighting and ground defences. Then, when a gap is big enough to move, they will drive west into Lithuania and engage the border defences there. They are hoping to circumvent the worst of the Lithuanian border defences and will only attack from the Latvian western border, as it is assumed that defences there will be mostly light and hastily thrown together.

Also, Wingert has decided to offer Putin the honour of being knighted by a true Tsar, in recognition of the capabilities that he has shown in combat on behalf of Mother Russia.

Kiev issues a statement accepting the vassalage of Moldova. The terms of vassalage would be exactly the same as those for Tsarist Russia and Tsarist Lavrageria, in essence, a local Duma would be set up, with a Ruler appointed over the new nation. It would allow elections of officials to the Duma, who would present bills and offer advice to the Ruler, who would have final say, and be Commander in Chief over the military and control foreign affairs. The Dumas powers would be limited to presenting bills, and final say over all matters would be in the hands of the Ruler. And, the ruler would, in return for the appointment, offer 20% of the national budget to his liege, and take his “advice” on all matters. The Estenlandian system of law would be introduced, and the constitution would be suspended, with the Ruler accepting instead, the Estenlandian law codes, that act as an “unofficial constitution” in the model of the UK one. Then the Ruler would have authority of granting local ruler ship to those nobles who would become Boyars, and rule the smaller districts and townships for the Ruler, for the Tsar. Of course, the request of the 20% of the budget is mostly symbolic, as in Lavrageria, billions are being invested with little return yet, and Moldova, being the poorest in Europe, would get far more than it gives. As of right now, the government of Moldova is suspended, and Parliament is dissolved. All currently sitting elected officials will be allowed to offer an oath of allegiance, and some may even be knighted and allowed to continue to rule in some capacity, depending upon their service in these crucial first days. Your Tsar is counting on you. And with the announcement of the acceptance of vassalage, the secret police, the infamous Kargat moves quickly into the new province, and start to quell any organised opposition with ruthless efficiency.

Tsar Wingert I.

Moldova

The Communist Party of Moldova sees no other alternative to maintain its hold on power, and hoping to later ingratiate itself with its beloved Russians as security against being subsumed within the feudal structure of the Tsar, it dispatches messages to the Divine Republic/Empire, filled with the language of Russian brotherhood, restored glory, freedom & democracy, and the like. The Communists then push through a bill that sets the dissolution of parliament after twenty-four hours, after which Modova will officially enter vassalage, with the provision that the Tiraspol seperatist government is barred from official recognition by the Tsar. The Communists then depart their posts to prepare back-up arrangements and await the arrival of their new masters, in expectation of knighthoods and fiefdoms.

In the remaining parliament, barely able to reach quorum, the remaining nationalist parties manage a final gasp as the minutes tick by. The last act of the Moldavian parliament is an official refutation of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, before Tsarist troops enter the capital and cut short further deliberations and trigger the flight of many nationalistic members for the Romanian border.

In the 'far' west, assent to the Communist decision is far from complete... several military units attempt to put up scattered resistance to approaching Tsarist forces. A few more surrender outright, but the majority simply ditch their uniforms, and attempt to return home to defend their families. The most elite units, experienced from fighting in the Dniestr, made a break for Romania, joining the ongoing exodus, of mostly nationalists and intellectuals, that was attempting the crossing.

Latvia

The fiercest fighting of the conflict occurs along lower parts of the Latvian border, around the prepared anti-raider defences. It still does not approach anything near a victory for the Baltic troops, but their actions are a far cry from the scattered and diffuse resistance in the north. Above the Daugava river, the home guard continue to lie low and wait, but the narrow land border between the river and Lithuania is the base for the heavy units of Latvian resistance: the entirety of the Latvian armoured corps sits ready to engage the Estenlands... the fact that this corps consists of three T-55 battle tanks may detract somewhat from its significance. In addition, some two hundred fifty infantry sit entrenched with rifles and anti-tank guns behind the screen of mines, while a quartet of heavy artillery pieces spit out their defiance into the advancing horde.

Along the Daugava, before crossing, stockpiles of mines and jury-rigged explosives are scattered about, while ferries, bridges, and boats are demolished to slow the eventual enemy crossing. Latvia's remaining artillery, infantry, and scatered mobile AA are spread across the length of the river, with vehicles operating individually to carry additional firepower and reserve squads to sectors under attack. The goal is to buy time... the Latvian President remains confident of international succour for her people.

As the battle in Latvia rages, reinforcements arrive at the border and along the Daugava... BALTBAT, the joint Baltic battalion, moves up from northern Lithuania, along with Lithuanian units including the eliteGelezinis Vilkas. The Daugava is seen as the last major natural defence line, above the one border the Lithuanians have had little reason to fortify heavily, and if it falls, Lithuania will follow Latvia and succumb to invasion.

Lithuania

Lithuania, of the three Baltic states, is perhaps best prepared for a war of the scale now occuring. Having fortified south and east against nomad raids and Russian buildup, with many reserve units already summoned to serve on the front, Lithuania prepares to hold the line as long as it can. The complete call-up of the SKAT potential reserve forces, some quarter million men, is issued along with a call for further volunteers and conscription of police, firefighting, and ambulance units into the military structure. Vehicles are commandeered en-masse to transport as many men as possible to the border lines, supplementing mechanized and helicopter military transport which has suffered heavy losses to Russo-Ukrainian air superiority.

The Lithuanian civil government, left untargeted in the fatal Russian missile barrage, issues a call to the international community to take a stand against an obviously illegal invasion of their territory. Private inquiries are also made through ambassadors to Quinntonia, Britain, Hindustan, and Hudecia, about future sponsorship of refugees and a government-in-exile.

The Chinese government held an emergency conference on the Russian-Chinese Agreement. Because of the quick decision to wage war against smaller independent states right after the signing of the treaty. Are the Russians really trustworty. Chinese troops, thousands occupy the Russian bases all along the Southern Russian border. Many of the bases commands were fearful of an international war.

The Chinese government had warned Russia that a costly war will only bring down economic stability between the the two giants. China had promised not to interefere with military aid. However, several humanitarian aid agencies were already finiding out what needs were to be required in the war ravaged countries.

Intellegence networks in Russia began their first day of some hard-ass work.

The Chinese government is now demanding any Chinese Nationals to return to China. Because of the possible closure of airports, several commercial ships have been hired to assist in taking in a number of refugees and Chinese to The British Isles.
[Emperor Zhang, please check TG, concerning this thread.]

The Commonwealth Final Senate has announced a full condemnation of the governments of Russia and the Estenlands, and while the Commonwealth is not prepared to prop-up the regressive governments of the attacked nations, it has expressed solidarity with the people of those nations in their time of need. The Soviet Commune has declared, "commercial and defensive warfare against Russian and Estenlandic economic and military traffic within the sphere of the Indian Ocean" and submarines, surface vessels, WIGs, helicopters, and planes are organising to sweep the region clean of vessels belonging to those nations, be they freighters to be detained or submarines to be destroyed.

This, said former military leader comrade Kivi Eikki Paatelainen, would continue while Russian and Estenlandic aggression -or later occupation- persisted in Eastern Europe or elsewhere.

Ariamnes of Rhayader-Kokkilai, departing for Zanzibar, said that he shared the common view of his peers in that imperialism could not simply be ignored just because it was happening to people already in chains. Most Beddgelens had little time for the two despots of the month, thinking them not half as wicked as the popular hate figures like the Drapoel who were prepared to take on all comers instead of just kicking small people when they were down.

Adorning torpedoes and anti-shipping missiles with silly hats and frilly collars and jack-booting the machinegun post at the side door, the crew of the first helicopter responding to a possible submarine contact detected by a pre-deployed sensor started the first song that would catch on with servicemen and women in this campaign:

Putin and Wingert, who's at the door?
At such an hour, who's at the door?
In the back of an old Super Helix
You're on your way to the guillotine

They took off with one man hanging out the side of the helicopter to draw a grotesque Putin face on one of the under-slung torpedoes to which they sang.

Here the rabble comes!
The kind you hoped were dead
They've come to chop, to chop off your head

OOC-I guess for the first time I am glad that I have such a limited contact with the East. I don’t think that you will find anyone flying the Ukrainian flag in the Indian Ocean. I could not imagine why they would be there. Russians may be another story. Wingert has a total long-range Nuclear submarine fleet of two Las Angeles Class Nuclear Platform Subs that Wingert calls his "liilte insurance policy." One is in Sevestapol, being refitted, and another is out on manauvers, in a top secret location somewhere.

After the initial air attacks, and the following attack against the Latvian border guards, and assuming that now Russia is coming along to help pounding Latvia and Estonia into the dark ages, most of the Air might of the Imperial Air Force is unleashed against Lithuania, with every plane being manned by three or more pilots in order to keep them moving 24 hours a day, flying a mission, refuelling and re-arming, and flying another mission. They were turning the sky black in Lithuania and though they were attempting to limit their pounding to military targets, with all the new volunteers, it was hard to tell, and collateral damage was beginning to become devastating. Most of the long-range bomber fleet was being put into service on the Lithuanian border, softening them up, as well as against some of the larger concentrations of troops that were apparent in support positions near the border.

Army Group Alpha was slowly making progress against the heavily booby-trapped outer defences and was using its Engineering units to full effect, disarming mines, finding hidden explosives, etc. Before moving tanks into position and brining up mobile artillery to pound pill-box positions from afar, with full air support against any ones that gave too much trouble, and then moving against whatever was left with massive waves of well-trained, highly armed and veteran troops, whose eyes were cold from the long months in Lavrageria.

Army Group Omega was holding back and soon, beginning its progress towards the Lithuanian border, knowing that they were about to encounter the worst of the fighting, they were moving into position along the border, engaging targets of opportunity, and watching the hundreds of planes fly overhead to drop screaming fiery death upon the hapless volunteer army and their hastily constructed defences. (It probably seems like a lot more planes than we really possess, seeing as how they are constantly running and their airstrips are within several hundred kms.


Tsar Wingert I.

The Japanese government responds to the war by stating that all nations have the right to self-defense, provided that it is justified. Behind closed doors, the government suspect foul play as the Imperial Japanese Army used a similar ploy to provoke an invasion of China in 1937. Japan is no real state to oppose Russia without assistance, and decides to hold off any statement of official position until the Quinntonians have revealed their position.

Shigi Akira of Aikoku Toko organises various small nationalist demonstrations, declaring that if Russia turns its attention on Japan, then Japan will win out just as they did in 1905.

OOC: Yeah, just like the Japanese Expansionist war, especially he said, liberate the countries...

Lavrageria Retpvblika

Russian trucks and personnel tracking through the country daily saw it change shape every time they passed through. Old streets were blocked off and new ones opened up. Fences were everywhere, military grade chain link affairs in the most part. Larionko Aidarov and Ivan Gukov were doing their damndest to keep the Republic's conflicting elements from reacting together as the suppressed leftist element of this new society lead demonstrations that often became riots fueled first by a perceived Russian-influenced erosion of Lavragerian culture and now by extended co-operation with the Tsarists as they carried out another round of invasions.

At the Latvian and Lithuanian borders, The Committee of People's Ground Forces worked to prevent a not insignificant flow of arms, explosives, and veteran partisan fighters -many with Glakatahn warrior youths and Red Bamboo tunnel warfare training behind them- from moving into the assaulted Balkan states, but were hampered somewhat by the fact that the overwhelming majority of their own personnel fully agreed with the one way trade and were at most times a hair's beadth away from taking a pot-shot at Estenlandic and now even Russian forces. Many think that Russian co-operation with the Estenlands means that Lavrageria is now dead inside anyway while living off Russian support, that Putin's decline will see all of Russia turn Tsarist in the near future and the Republic will be isolated and doomed, and that this conflict is the best chance they will ever have to make a break for real freedom. Still, it certainly looked like Aidarov was doing something as his new jet aircraft flew patrols along the frontiers.

The government had begun to designate protest zones and to divide streets on which Russian traffic moved in hopes of keeping the problem from international attention, including Moscow's.

While not quite as drastic a measure as the Igovian provisions concerning Russian and Estenlandian ships, Parliament approves an act on the matter not long after the invasion.

Mumbai announces to the Russian Embassy that, while peaceful civillian trade will not be interfered with (to do so would be hypocritical at best, given Hindustan's own reliance on shipping), all military vessels belonging to Russia or The Ukraine located within Hindustan's exclusive economic zone will be escorted out of it.

To these ends, the HDF's coastal defense component goes into action. Andover (or rather coastguarder) and Atlantique ASW aircraft fly more frequent and longer patrols off the coast, escorted by PAf. 4 multirole fighters in case of trouble. Bengal and Rajasthan class corvettes are put to use as well, employing their considerable anti-submarine capability to turn back a rumored Russian pacific submarine squadron. The more benign patrol-trawlers and cutters (think British Island and Castle class) also break out their Javelins, Sea Skuas, and GPMGs, just in case...

Polish EUROCOM, Warsaw

"They did WHAT!?" General Damian Fasczyzmovi, supreme commander of Wojsko Polskie, almost spat out. The aides quickly laid down the advance of the Estenlandian forces, and then re-iterated the promise their government had made. Forcing back a bitter grin, Damian assesed their promise, and saw it fall flat. "They move an entire corps into Moldova, send another for what is most likely Lithuania; call up reserves, and tell us not to worry? We're next.". While some of the senior aides told him not to worry, Damian was not so convinced. Calling up the entirety of the Wojsko Polskie on alert status, current forces are:

Army. The Wojsko Lądowe contains 140,000 active-duty soldiers, organized into one armoured division and three mechanized divisions. Riding into their positions primarily in BWP-1, OT-64 and new-received AMV Patria; as well as a smattering of other new and old vehicles kept in service until the remaining 400 Patria are delivered from Finland. MBT capability is filled by PT-91 'Twardy', T-72 and Leopard 2 battle tanks. Backed up by too many support craft to mention, the mainstay of support is 2S1 "Goździk" artillery tracks, SA-7 Striela SAMs and Hip and Hind Helicopters.

Air Force. The newly reduced Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej is still a powerful, eclectic air force; currently employing some 32,000 personnel. The Polish Air Force has a mainstay of Mig-29 and Su-22, but employs a variety of more modern fixed-wing aircraft like the F-16C and F-16D. Also, Air Defense has stepped up readiness, and numerous ZSU-23-4V1(and not-so-numerous ZSU-23-4M) Shilka are now rolling east to defend Polish airspace to complement the national SAM sites.

Navy. The Polska Marynarka Wojenna has doubts about its ability to battle Russian or Estenlandian ships in a conquered Sea of Finland, but has standing orders to protect Polands extensive coastline. Currently employing 14,300 enlisted and comissioned men and women, the PMW has 3 fleets and a naval air arm. Using a variety of frigates and submarines, among which are Oliver Perry frigates, Tarantula class corvettes, Osa corvettes and Orkan class warhips.

Needless to say, preparations are made to prepare the 450,000 potential soldiers of the Polish reserve for active duty.

Today, Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski called upon the world to condemn the attacks, speculating that "Anyone could be next".

After news comes in of the Polish activation of their troops, and not totally trusting that they will not get involved, Tsar Wingert declares that all trade and high schools will close, with those students to be moved to factories and war production to begin.
They will be replacing the next two tiers of reserves that are called up, with another 15 Divisions of Light Infantrybeing formed again, all of those who saw action in the south of Lavrageria, a total of another 300,000 troops that are being called up to drill with the 100,000 already gathered.

Another missive is sent to the Polish government explaining that again, the tsar has no designs on then Polish people. Reminding them that most of the noble children, including the Tsars own wife, God rest her soul, were educated in the Polish universities during the revolution agains the Soviet taskmasters, and the Tsar will never forget that.

However, with no garauntee that the Poles will not get involved, the Imperial High Command is forced to include a stern warning that should the Polish government become involved against the Russian/Tsarist allaince, no quater will be given.

In the emantime, the Estenlandian embassy in Poland begins to ask to see the government leaders to propose new trade agreements, most to supply the new Tsarist governments that will soon be in the Baltics,


Tsar Wingert I.

While Mr. Kwaśniewski is sure the Tsar's intentions are good and honest, has his family not also good relations with the peoples of Lithuania and Moldova? Of course they do. Poland has, as explained at a recent press conference, seen way too much conflict to have its borders and sovereignty lost thanks to a brief lapse in vigilance. When peace is re-instated, and Poland will through NATO channels gladly host or aid with peace talks; military readiness will be stepped down again - this is not a mobilization for offense, only for defense should said defense be necessary.

Soon after orders had been dispatched from Budapest, the Hungarian Army's 3rd Corps (Reserve) was well on its way to full manning as reservists reported for duty. In fact the nation's lingering economic problems meant that this process became easier, with many unemployed people seeing service as the prospect of a guaranteed wage. Although there were supposed to be no recruiting drives, beyond calling up those already in the trained reserves, recruiting offices are inundated by applications, especially given the historic contempt for Russia. Despite President Ferenc Petretei's national television address reassuring the public that the nation's moblisation was only as a precaution, citizens are already panic buying foodstuffs, and especially in rural areas, groups of peasants are forming informal militias. Whether or not the threat of war with Russia, the looming threat of invasion has served as a great unifier in what has been in the last decade a socially divided nation. In order to raise funds quickly, the public are being asked to buy government issued bonds and so far this program has been moderately succesful.

The President contacts his Polish counterpart, Kwaśniewski, in order to secure some sort of mutual defence agreement, and present a united front. Efforts are also made by diplomatic officials in Washington, Port Royal, London and Baghdad to get the more moderate reactionary governments to condemn Russian and Ukrainian Imperialism.

Meanwhile, the Air Force dramatically increases its rate of training sorties, in an attempt to quickly makeup the shortfall in pilot flying hours and plans are made for the dispersal of major aviation assets, with mobile refuelling and rearming points being readied to deploy on highways and roads throughout the nation. In highly secretive echelons of the civil service and the military, classified contignecy plans are being made for military assets and government to go into exile, should the nation be faced with defeat.

Poland

The last Baltic troops in LITPOLBAT present their redeployment orders to their Polish commander, and begin the trek home across the border to supplement the remaining defenders of their states. They leave behind a heartfelt plea, joined by a similar note issued from the Warsaw embassy, for brotherhood between people once chained to Moscow's yoke so that the horrors of slavery and oppression might not return. "Solidarity is Salvation for All".

Secret location, northern Lithuania

Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus meet at an undisclosed location in the Lithuanian interior, along with the Estonian ambassador to Lithuania and several members of the Lithuanian national Seimas. Rather quickly, a joint cooperative arrangement is hashed out to further unify military commands, as well as political administration and international efforts to gain support. Freilberga is selected as Chair of the provisional Union of Baltic States, and retired Lithuanian Brig. Gen. Jonas Kronkaitis (http://www.nato.int/pfp/lt/biogr/j_kronkaitis.html) is selected as Head of Combined Forces.

The choice of Kronkaitis is both a practical and political one... he is a veteran, who helped build up the modern Lithuanian forces as Armed Forces Commander, and who never served in the armies of the USSR. In addition, the General had been one of many refugees who fled to Quinntonia after the first occupation, and the imagery of a 'Quinntonian' General and 'Hudecian' leader was hoped would finally dispel belief in Moscow's anti-Baltic propaganda and build a sense of closeness with the 'Westernized' Baltics against the invading hordes of nations whose former imperial designs had sparked the Cold War.

Southeastern Lithuania

The guns coming across the border from Lavrageria were a Godsend, thought Lt Col Rimas Zinkevičius of the Lithuanian Great Hetman Jonušas Radvila Regiment. From the forme Soviet era and modern conscription, Lithuania's available reserve numbered about a quarter million on paper, but stockpile of uniforms and equipment could barely supply a hundred thousand... conscripted police units still fought with their uniforms and police equipment, firefighters and many vehicle drivers operated without regular access to firearms. Several new brigades were equipped with private armaments such as hunting rifles... Lavragerian weapons were making it possible to get forces up to the front without waiting for surviving factories to switch fully over to wartime production.

The Lavragerian partisans themselves were being put to work, many in the north directing tunneling efforts to 'mine' the lower banks of the Daugava for detonation once an enemy landing effort began. As they moved across the border, Zinkevičius had requested that they wear prominent Lavragerian colours... if the enemy thought Aidarov was aiding the Baltics, they would move against him, and the only hope for Lithuanian survival was to expand the scope of the war. If the Tsarists tried to finish invasion of Lavrageria, then the potential for greater ambitions against the remaining East-European states would appear as a very real threat to Poland, Romania, Hungary, and the Czechs, and perhaps as too much to be permitted by the Western/NATO
nations.

Global

Massive efforts begin, centred around cooperative committees from the Baltic States embassies, to swing world opinion in favour of aiding the beleaguered states.

In Hudecia and Quinntonia, the effort is perhaps the best-equipped for its task. With a Hudecian-raised President in Latvia (a former psychology professor at Universite de Montreal, no less) and a Quinntonian-raised General commanding forces from Lithuania, there is much imagery for the media, bolstered by chief spokesperson Indra Friebergs, daughter of the Latvian leader, whose father and brother were killed in Russian cruise missile strikes on Riga Castle. Attempts are made amongst the Montreal intelligensia and the expat Baltic communities in North America to orgnize marches on government buildings demanding action to halt a 'new era of Russian imperialism'.

In Lavrageria, Poland, and the other East-European states, efforts concetrate on the need for solidarity, the obvious danger that the Russo-Estenlands expansion will not stop after this round of invasions, and memories of the horrors visited upon all the nations by the USSR during years of occupation.

In Britain, the effort attempts to reawaken public sentiment which had put the UK as a staunch supporter of Lavrageria against the Estenlands. "How far will they go until they're satisfied? Will France gobble up all of Africa, Russo-Estenlands all of Europe, before they have crossed the line of what is acceptable? If they are to be stopped, the world must, united, take a stand NOW."

In United Elias, the effort points to the destabilisation and shifts in power balance that will result: "Today's security may transform overnight into tomorrow's fear... a disruption of the balance of power in Europe will catapult new and belligerent players into positions where they can threaten the continued economic prosperity and political security of numerous states. Just look west to the French tide sweeping eastward towards the Suez, along with this northern thrust to bring Europe under the thumb of two aggressive imperial powers... the status quo which has served strong but peaceful nations up until this day may collapse into hostilities, and if the belligerents have been allowed to build themselves further in size and prowess unimpeded, then others may find their ability to preserve present status curtailed."

NATO is bombarded with requests for military assistance to preserve the right to self-determination and stability in Europe. The three states also continue to make requests for inclusion within the alliance.

In Hindustan, Beth Gellert, and the 'progressive bloc' nations, Baltic pleas are couched in terms of preserving human rights, freedom, and progress, against a tide of imperialism and despotism. The bonds of universal brotherhood and the evils of the Holy League recieve a good mention as well.

In China, pleas are also made for military assistance, along with cooperation in Chinese efforts in getting humanitarian aid to the civil populace of the Baltics. "Is an alliance signed with a purportedly peaceful Divine Republic of Russia still valid when that political entity is replaced by an untrustworthy and belligerent Divine Russian Empire?"

While the Lithuanian ambassador concentrates on efforts in Beijing, the Latvian ambassador travels to Suzhou, sister-city of Riga, to try and drum up grassroots level support. Prominent images of the destruction wrought by the intensive Russo-Estenlands bombing campaign upon Riga are distributed.

Moldovan embassies across the world close their doors, awaiting a final outcome, with a few notable exceptions.

In Mumbai, the Moldavian General Ambassador to the Indian Subcontinent is fully aware of his future prospects: an overly-idealist member of the Moldavian Communist Party, he had been bumped out of the way to the underfunded Indian embassy. His future in a Tsarist regime was even more bleak, and so he embarked upon a speaking tour of Hindustan and Beth Gellert, calling for the 'international revolutionary forces of progress' to 'bring a new era to Europe through tearing down both regressive and imperial structures to build a future of true freedom'. While such a view has little support even amongst the general populace of the invaded state, or its nationalistic anti-Tsarist elements, the ambassador hopes to carve himself a new role as head of a Progressive-funded Moldavian government-in-exile, or at the very least avoid extradition back home to a Tsarist-controlled regime.

In Romania, the Moldavian embassy issues a simple statement in an attempt to gain Romainian aid: Romania has never acknowledged the legality of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Ergo, Moldova is technically still a Romanian province. Meaning that, in a very technical sense more relevant to nationalist sentiment than to practicality, Tsar Wingert has invaded Romania.

In North America, a feud develops. The Ottawa embassy, perhaps emboldened by the Baltic media efforts, joins the joint committee of the Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians, and their drive to gain support for efforts against the invaders. The embassy in Washington, on the other hand, declares itself to be representative of Estenlands-Moldova, a Tsarist vassal state. The two embassies begin throwing about accusations of treason through the media, each condemning the other as illegitimate.

Pleas for aid from the Baltic states are addressed by Parliament, which promises to do all it can to discourage Russian invasion. To these ends, the cruiser Blake, formerly stationed in the Mediterranean, is ordered to the Baltic sea. There, it will join the even older destroyer HNS Cadiz, and do what it can until joined by a larger group of ships lead by a Type 42 destroyer, once stationed off the Nigerian coast.

The Moldovan ambassador is looked at suspiciously, his motives questioned by not a small number of parliamentarians.

[OOC: and now for a post from the Spyrans themselves...]

Lyong

The Congress of the Strainist Party officially passes a resolution condemning the overt imperial invasion of Eastern Europe by Russia and the Estenlands, and calling for global solidarity of purpose in combatting and restraining the feudalist despots who seek to bind the peoples of the world in chains of slavery.

A large number of SRA divisions are redeployed along the Russo-Lyong border, joining Yamani Spearguard and existing SRA infantry divisions already in place, with aircraft and naval activity over and around the peninsula intensifying in the north. Youth Guard and Levy drill schedules are stepped up in intensity. The submarines of the Indian Ocean fleet join the Hindustani-Igovian efforts to locate Russo-Ukrainian assets, though they are under orders to report locations but refrain from engagement. Other submersible packs slide out into the cold waters of the North Pacific.

Diplomats are dispatched to Beijing, Tokyo, and Dak'heim, to seek a consensus and a strategy fo dealing with Russian belligerence, alon with pacts to assure cooperation and defence against agression in the East.

In what is an entirely pointless statement, the tiny and projection-incapable SADR announces that it will not recognize any government imposed upon the invaded states by thier occupiers as legitimate, before parliament returns to the debate on the camel tax.

China will answer the call for aid. Several hundred crates of medical supplies will be delivered to the Baltic states by cargo planes from France. Chinese cargoships have also been paid to transport refugees out of the country.






Chancellor Yeh Zhao Feng calls for Talks between Russia and China over the military invasion of the Baltic States.

"Is an alliance signed with a purportedly peaceful Divine Republic of Russia still valid when that political entity is replaced by an untrustworthy and belligerent Divine Russian Empire?"

The Chinese Government took it to some deep thinking. China signed the treaty with Russia so that they can both protect each other in case of atack. Now, Russia is now attacking smaller countries to the West. China wants to remain passive in millitary affairs, especially in Europe, but if Russia keeps looking for wars to start, China will not be able to sustain such an aggresive ally.

Russia has already breached an agreement to consult with China over any military actions.The Agreement however,prevents Chinafrom any form of military aid or equivalent unless the agreement is to be a void.

OOC: Guys, can you hold off a bit? I've just been dumped by my girlfriend, and I have to study for Finals. I just really can't post right now. Can you wait until I post?

Ohman, I am sorry to hear that, I'll wait.

The Quinntonian government is suddenly confused over the mixed messages it is recieving from the governments involved. WE still call for the Roycelandian government, who is in command of NATO forces in the area, to consult and try to come to a decision as to what stance that NATO should take.
WWJD
Amen.

In United Elias, the effort points to the destabilisation and shifts in power balance that will result: "Today's security may transform overnight into tomorrow's fear... a disruption of the balance of power in Europe will catapult new and belligerent players into positions where they can threaten the continued economic prosperity and political security of numerous states. Just look west to the French tide sweeping eastward towards the Suez, along with this northern thrust to bring Europe under the thumb of two aggressive imperial powers... the status quo which has served strong but peaceful nations up until this day may collapse into hostilities, and if the belligerents have been allowed to build themselves further in size and prowess unimpeded, then others may find their ability to preserve present status curtailed."


(Spyr, you're observant, your pitch focuses exactly on the things that most concern UE with regards to foriegn policy, nicely done)

Baghdad

The various Baltic state diplomats are well recieved, being given an audience with the Foreign Minister, Defence Minister and the Vice-President in turn, and their arguments are considered compelling. In fact general feeling in government circles was that for many reasons Russian expansionism could only spell trouble in the long run, and the ambassadorial delegations had indeed helped to convince, but ironically it was unlikely to help them directly. Effectively, the Baltic States were as good as written off, and were quite honestly insignificant in terms of geo-politics. On the other hand, it was becoming increasingly likely that UE would go to some lengths to protect the soverignty of the Eastern European nations, and Ambassadors in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will be giving offers of vague 'assistance', possibly in the form of arms in return for trade concessions. In Moscow, the UE Embassy will start to exert some pressure on Putin to limit the extent of his territorial ambitions to the Baltic States and no further. In London, Washington and Port Imperial the diplomatic machine lobbies to get NATO to offer a similar view, saying that this would almost certainly deter Russia's expanisionist agenda.

-Ottawa-

A Presidential decree from MacNally openly condemning their Russian allies for the unprovoked attack was released after the President himself had died. His staff said that it was his intention to make the press release after the confidence vote.

President MacNally's statement emphasized the idea of liberty and freedom, but offered was tempered by the acknowledgement that there is little that Hudecia can do execpt offer its intense disagreement.

OOC: Guys, this is assumed to be before much of the international reaction and Polish buildup, as the Baltics are pretty tiny and the Russian Army is focused on a lightning strike.
IC:
---The Kremlin, Moscow---

The map of Estonia and Latvia was littered with an array of glittering points, like stars on the canvas of a night sky. They represented cities, and as each one fell, the lights began to dim. Soon, the entire region of the Baltics up to their fall back position of the Daugava river was covered in darkness, as the retreating Estonian-Latvian Force left little defense for the cities, which were devoured by the Russian horde.

Putin’s pale lips formed a weary grin, sipping his vodka laden coffee. He turned to a middle aged woman clad in a faded green military jacket. The Boss stood impassively, her silver hair almost unmoving, adding to the impression of total and complete concentration.

“Vlad. The enemy appears to have retreated to the Daugaz River.”
“What is your recommendation, Boss?”
“Their anti-air capabilities are almost non-existant now. Smash them with airpower, and perhaps a few artillery strikes.”
“That will most likely destroy any bridges in the vicinity…”
“A few bridging units can handle that. Besides, our T-95s and APCs are semi-amphibious.”
“Alright. Air strike is authorized. Annihilate them.”
----Miles Away From The Daugava Line---
“Poor Baltic bastards…They’ll never know what hit ‘em…”

Boris Vlakor chewed on his cigar, smiling sardonically. Although his rational mind abhorred the idea of killing men who he knew were really no different from those he commanded, there was still a primal element within him that loved the feel of impending victory. That feeling that one could almost taste, anticipating a total and overwhelming victory.

He scratched his gray--- salt and pepper ---moustache, and whipped out his binoculars.

“Dammit, in my day, you could see those overhead recon birds…”

Far above where the naked idea could see hovered a vast array of high altitude stealth reconnaissance planes. Utilizing the most advanced surveillance technology Russia could offer, and with aid from Kosmos I , the satellite tasked overhead, they constantly plotted enemy fortifications and locations. This information was poured into central command centers, and then sorted, assigned priority, and tasked to several Tu-160Ms (for heavier targets), Tu-22’s, and MiG-35s.

“Here the bastards come!”

Like demons, the dark planes swarmed into the sky. Hails of precision munitions were unhinged, and a literal rain of fire was soon unleashed upon the Baltic Forces. With bases nearby in both Lavrageria and Russia, the planes simply kept coming back and forth in an endless barrage.

Soon they were joined by precision artillery, and the rain of fire intensified to a fever pitch.

----Days Later---

A gigantic muscled man with thick brown hair and an even thicker green trenchcoat stormed into the room.

“Arnold? What is it? Time for the daily briefing?”
”Yah.”
“Alright, get me the international reaction first.”

Arnold filled Putin in on the various bits of international outcry, mainly focusing on the Hudecians, Chinese, Bedgellens, Hindustanis, and Poles.

“Eh, Arnold…Looks like it’s time to bust out the Press Conference-o-matic…”

Arnold stood, puzzled.

“It’s a joke, dammit! A joke! You know, humor ?”
“That…was…terrible.”
”Shut up and get a press conference started.”

----In Front Of The Kremlin, Moscow---

Clad in what some reporters now jokingly called “Putin’s exoskeleton”, a black trenchcoat-scarf combination that he seemingly never abandoned, Vladimir stood in front of a marble black podium.

“Ladies and gentlemen, much international concern has been raised in the past few days over the recent Baltic War. Firstly, I would offer my sincerest regards for all the innocent civilians who have died in this conflict. Rest assured that all international humanitarian aid will be delivered to the innocents that suffer in the crossfire. The Russian Government has already poured millions into the Russian Red Cross, and I urge every Russian citizen to donate what they can for the innocent Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian civilians. In fact, I have already donated ten million dollars from my personal fortune to the Russian Red Cross.”

A Polish Reporter from TVN, Poland’s premier television news service (OOC: Heh, helps having Polish TV in the house, for once. ;) ) stood up.

“Sir, how do you address the accusations of further Russian dreams of expansion, mainly from Poland?”

“Secondly, to address the concerns of the people of Poland and Hungary…We wish you no harm. I ask you to immediately stand down your forces, as your rash actions are only further causes for unrest. Remember, this war was caused by the Estonians and Latvians, whose belligerence and greed for land lead them to attempt to seize Russian territory. Their soldiers fired the first shots, not ours. Lithuania was dragged into this because of their military cooperation with the Estonians and Latvians. I cannot speak for my ally, Tsar Wingert I, of Moldova, but his actions were also fully justified. The liberation of the Moldovans from that corrupt and useless regime is an action that should be welcomed and celebrated in the international community. I know that a full democracy will be implemented there, albeit with a very powerful executive branch. In this sense, it is no different from the Roycelandian government.”

((OOC: Wingert, it’d probably be a good idea to let the Moldovans have some say in who their regional ruler becomes, alright? Just give them a limited range of trusted nobles to pick from, who vary enough to give the illusion of choice.))

A Hudecian Quebecois reporter sneered at Putin as he rose for his question, his leftist rage simmering inside.

“How do you address the death of Hudecian civilians in this war?”

“I apologize deeply to our Hudecian friends and allies. But this is war, and war is never how we want it to be. And although the current President of Latvia may be a Hudecian citizen, it does not change that she is working for the illegitimate regime of Latvia.”

A reporter from Iskra! , the major Bedgellen news agency, stood up, his long hair flowing with Celtic spirit.

“What will the Russian government do in response to the Indian declaration of ‘commercial warfare’?”

“All Russian military divisions in the area have been ordered to return to the Russian homeland. We do not wish to stir tensions with Hindustan and Beth Gellert. However, civilian merchant ships have been given no orders to withdraw. This is for two reasons: first, because the government does not meddle in commercial matters, and second, because under international law, the merchant ships are allowed to travel anywhere they wish, as long as it is in international waters. We will not surrender this principal simply to satisfy angry Bedgellens.”

“Any more questions?”


---Private Communiqués---

---China---

The Russian Government is essentially the same entity as it was before. Therefore, the agreement stands. Secondly, we did consult with the Chinese government, with the secret conference held by Putin. Do not worry, we do not require any military aid, and humanitarian aid is most welcome. And remember, if any nation attacks China, Russia will always be there to aid you in your time of need.

---Republican Lavrageria---

President Aidarov,
We cannot ignore the problem of arms and soldiers flowing across your border and into the Baltics. If you wish to continue receiving discount arms supplies and to obtain the Free Trade Agreement, I urge you to clamp down on this problem immediately. I suggest turning the Glakhatan against these rebellious elements.

---The Estenlands---

Tsar Wingert I,

I would be honored to accept knighthood. It would be best to do this as quickly as possible. After I receive knighthood, I would propose forming a joint Ukrainian-Russian military command to better coordinate our efforts.

In reference to your efforts to recruit the Glakhatan…Let’s use them as shock troops against the rogue Lavragerians who are aiding the Baltics. That way we can simply shrug it off as “inner Lavragerian conflicts”.

---Hudecia---

Dear Family Of President MacNally,

My prayers are with you now. I realize that the late President and I have had our differences, but I have always viewed him as a friend. I will never forget his brave aid to our nation during one of our greatest crises. He shall always be viewed as a hero in Russia, and may his soul rest in peace.

---Quinntonia---

Dear President Obed,

With the continuing oil crises and the potential for NATO’s splintering looming (with the Roiks most likely on the Russian side), I would urge you to limit all NATO involvement to humanitarian aid in this affair.

---United Elias---

Russia has no intent for further expansion. However, the nations of Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia seem increasingly aggressive. Perhaps it is them that you should be lobbying.

(OOC: Note that any UE lobbying effort in Russia is probably very weak, as UE’s trump card, oil, doesn’t have that much influence in such an oil rich nation as Russia.)



---A Seedy Bar In Moscow---

It was not really a place most would expect to find the second highest ranking military official in the Russian Army. Grimy, dirty, filthy, racked with crime, alcohol, and gambling, the bar was literally a wretched hive of scum and villainy.General Armand flinched as the smell hit him, the horrible smell of too many days gone by without any contact with anything vaguely resembling water. He pulled the old brown cloak further over his head, in a vain attempt to block out the “atmosphere.” Almost immediately, a drunken fat man made a lewd “proposal” to Armand, apparently too drunk to consider the possibility that underneath the cloak was a man.

“C’mon baby…I got cash…How ‘bout you and me get---“

“Get” was the last part he got to. With a move as swift as lightning, Armand’s right and left fists repeatedly slammed the man in the face, sending him staggering back. The drunkard growled, revealing a mouth that was in serious need of dental attention.

“You’re a tough hooker…Good, I like ‘em fierce…”

He pulled a switchblade from his boot, ready to rush at Armand. From within the depths of his cloak, Armand snatched out an item that was sure to freeze the drunkard in his tracks.

An AK-101.

The drunkard sweated nervously, the gun pointed directly at his forehead.

“Are you feeling lucky, punk? Well, are you?”
“I…I…WANT MY MOMMY! AIIIE!”

The man rushed off like a little school girl, barreling past all in front of him, and screeching quite loudly.

“Anyone else want some?!?”
“…”
“Good. Now tell me: Where is the village?”

A bartender leaned over.

“In the pond with porridge or lucky in china?”
“In the pond with homosexual porridge.”
“Alright. That’s the right password. It’s the dude in room 109.”
“Thank you.”

The cloaked figure walked out of a silent room. He strode the hallways in search of room 109, memories of how this whole thing began flooding through his mind. It had been an e-mail. A simple e-mail titled “The Woman In Red”. It seemed like nothing more than spam. But something…something intrigued him about it. So he opened it, and realized he was in for the opportunity of his life.

“Room 106…”

The “Woman In Red” was none other than the legendary leader of the Russian Mafiya, the Red Leader. At first he refused to believe it, but a series of events that could only be orchestrated by someone in control of the Russian Mafiya occurred to convince him otherwise.

“Room 107, 108…”

She had offered him an amazing plan. For years now, they had worked to achieve their plan, starting with the annexation of Kazakhstan and culminating in the restoration of the Russian Empire under the Tsar. Armand had yet to figure out who the hell this “Red Leader” was, but whoever she was, she certainly held significant sway with the government, perhaps even Putin himself.

“Room 109…”

A key that had been delivered to his home now fit perfectly into the handle of the door. The wooden frame slowly creaked open, to reveal a simple, bare room. Only four things adorned it: two chairs, a chessboard, and a mysterious figure clad in a rich, red cloak. It appeared that the only way the being inside could see was through a black slit. That black slit was the emptiest thing Armand had ever seen. The entire room seemed to be drawn into it, as if it was a black hole.

(http://www.theforce.net/swtc/Pix/Xsydney/costumes/Pc210082.jpg)

“Welcome.”

It’s voice was chilling, draining the life from it’s surroundings. Two guards who Armand had failed to notice suddenly appeared, scanning, checking, searching, and disarming him with a vast array of technological gadgets.

“Hello…”
“I am the one they call Red Leader. I bring you here to discuss a vital matter. Soon, phase one will be complete. We need to orchestrate …an attack. Tell your men to leave this…”

It’s long, slender fingers pointed to a map.

“…location unguarded at the specified time.”

“But…couldn’t you tell me this through e-mail?”
“Yes…but I needed to do…this….”

Suddenly, the figure rose. The surprising speed of its movements and the vibrant color of its garments turned it into nothing more than a ghostly blur. Armand attempted to back up as it rushed at him, but he only met the closed door. Its arms wrapped strongly around him, and sweat poured down his face. Its empty slit hypnotized him, as it drew closer and closer, finally causing him to panic and close his eyes.

God no…Will I die…? All of my efforts… for nothing… no…Wait…what….is.. she…it…doing?

What occurred then was a sensation that Armand least expected. Her soft lips pressed against his…in…a kiss? The hell? The combination of fear and surprise turned what was a matter of seconds into eternity. Finally, it pulled back, and Armand opened his eyes only to see it calmly sitting in its chair.

“What…?”
“Now you are eternally bound to your mission”
“What are you talking about?”
“Held in my lips was a potent neurotoxin. In your confusion, the pill easily slipped through your throat and into your body.”
“But… why? ”
“And don’t even think of trying to vomit it. It is already dissolving into your bloodsteam as we speak. It is of delayed reaction, however. If you keep receiving the antidote, it will eventually fade away. But to receive that antidote…you must remain eternally loyal to me. I cannot trust a fool like you, so controlled by your emotions. So I must take…precautions….”

---Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary---

Within all these nations, KGB units were hard at work. Utilizing a stunning degree of methods ranging from bribery to blackmail to promises of power, they maintained a stealthy effort to secure the loyalty of politicians and military commanders.

OOC: More on the espionage and the status of conquered city governments later.

Pastavy, near the Lithuanian border

"...to triumph is for good men to do nothing!"

The small town, established only months earlier in any kind of serious way and populated largely by those tribespeople who'd escaped into the Republican zone before, during, and shortly after the surrender of over 2/3rds of Lavrageria, was within spitting distance of some of the roads carrying war supplies to the front as per Aidarov's agreement with Moscow: the sort that enabled his air force to field was was rapidly approaching a total of seventy-two Flankers amongst other modern arms, and that put uniquely configured T-80L battle tanks on the streets of the Republic's three major cities, not to mention the co-operative Ulanger-Moscow deployment of two A-50 Mainstay aircraft in Republican colours as Lavragerian bases flew reconnaissance missions over-looking Baltic airspace.

Pastavy was one of the hotspots of activity for the New Resisters, an amalgamation of none-Lodoz clanspeople settled in the Republic and of escaped Fellows and their sympathisers, not to mention pro-democracy fanatics trained at Aidarov's blackmarket-expense in the Caucasus mountains, all of the opinion that the President's complicity was dooming the Republic to eventual encirclement by purely Tsarist elements and that no matter what the odds, it was now or never for freedom of any sort. Various amongst them were opining on a poorly organised range of topics from whether or not it was all that bad (even though everybody agreed that it was) to what should be done, how, and where.

Gunfire outside the market warehouse-cum-den-of-dissent turned out to be the result of armed police catching up with a man leading a pony laden with various RPG-7 derivative warheads for everything from signals work to ERA-penetration and bouncing anti-personnel devices.

It wasn't long before the resisters had surrounded the security forces after flooding out of the warehouse quite unexpected, brandishing butcher's knives, hunting bows, and petrol bombs. Of the three armed police on hand, only one even fired a single shot after seeing that the smuggler happened to have popular local support (though none of the resisters actually knew him personally, his new profession was well liked, especially since most men in the trade didn't actually expect payment on the other side of the border and were in it for idealistic reasons). The other two really didn't care about Ulanger's orders, and only followed them at all because it was a job. They were faced with a cause, and hadn't a contradicting one of their own, so shrugged and stood back while their colleague was disarmed.

The RPGs were brought across the border, and buried in shallow tunnels at a location known to locals when mounted scouts indicated the presence not two miles away of foreign military aircraft, everyone assuming they would not be Lithuanian.

Meanwhile, the three armed police were listed as missing and FUG-type armoured cars were out making searches and on patrol against smuggling and desertion. Following Putin's expression of concern, it became common practice for the vehicles to rattle-off a few rounds from their 7.62mm machineguns whenever Russian colours were passing by, and for officers to shout, "We've got you surrounded!" and such, more often than not directing their abuse at fictional smugglers.

Defence Minister Vorobei had extra Republican military personnel posted around bases and depots being used by the Russians, the government making a big deal about how it was an expensive effort to make sure that the smugglers didn't turn into saboteurs. Perhaps it was actually to keep an eye on Russian movements, with some Lavragerian workers helping out actually trying their hand at spiriting away the odd bit of newly arrived Russian kit themselves as it piled up.

OOC: If you wanted the above to happen before the Polish reaction, my apologies - You have had a lot to chew on. We assume that the Polish mobilization is about underway now.

Warsaw

The Poles did not feel very certain about the alledged first strike from the Estonians and Latvians. Somehow, it did not make sense, and many Polish citizens - especially among the armed forces - still suspect that Russian agression is coming nearer, if not imminent.

KGB probes reveal, so far, the contingency plans are being made to place the government in exile and to relocate military command west and out of Poland in the event of invasion warfare. No one besides low-ranking officers and clerks seem willing to take the bribes, so far.

Slovakia

Empowered by their northern neighbours' militarization, Slovakia have placed their armed forces on medium readiness. KGB agents will also learn that the 5th Pluk Specialneho Urcenia are put to rigorous training and on alert to deploy over the eastern border via airdrop at short notice.

OOC:Wonder if I can pull the Chinese KGB equivalent out.

The Chinese are satisfied with the gurantee and will keep the aid program going. The people are still a bit angry over the unprovocated invasion. Hundreds still rally at city squares which prompted hundreds of riot police to control them.

In efforts, the Church of China had shunned such knighting of honor, and had filed a plea to the Vatican to excommunicate the Russian President. Many Russian Catholics lived in China, along the Hundreds of Catholic overseas students. Millions more Chinese Christian participated in the anti-war rallies.

China does not recognise the honour of 'Knighting', simply because its a western idea, and nobody really cares about foreign heroes. Don't expect Chinese officials to address anyone sir or lady.

-Hudecia-

The Hudecian Foreign Minister is secretly trying to support the Polish and Slovakian armies and governments with whatever they need.

The Foreign Ministry is espcially concerned about the Czech Republic (OOC: or whoever owns it) as the background for the deputy foreign minister.

Estonia

Estonia has all but collapsed as a conventional administrative or military force, save for units that escaped southward into Latvia and a a fortified pocket, still claiming to be the legitiate government, withdrawn to Saaremaa with now-retreating BALTRON support as it desperately seeks a refuge for a government-in-exile.

It is not, however, as if the Estonian military was destroyed in a climactic engagement. It has shattered into fragments, joined by fleeing national guard and nationalist partisans. This unconventional resistance begins scattered strikes in the northeast, against the supply lines of Russian units which have rushed in to blitzkrieg the nation. They have almost no vehicles, but a plethora of small-arms, explosives, and anti-tank rockets, and the zeal of a people who have now been three times occupied by Russia, and twice made free: theirs shall not be the generation to fail at the third liberation.

Northern Latvia

As Russian troops sweep into the city of Lubana, they are greeted by celebrating ethnic Russians who have assumed control after departure of the local government and national guard. The Russians are taken on a tour of the city, including Latvian homes and businesses which have been emptied of 'ethnic elements', and its central high school, to view the hanging corpse of the school principle.

"He came in 1991," it is explained, "and cancelled mandatory Russian schooling, replacing it ith forced attendance at a Latvian language class. We have re-instituted a superior Russian-only learning environment for all students."

The results were similar across northeastern Latvia, with ethnic Russian militias having filled the power vacuum of a departing civil-military aministration in Lubana, Gulbene, and numerous smaller villages. An exodus of ethnic Latvians southward had been helped along by mass expulsions.

The Krasava-Ludza-Zilupe line had offered more resistance, with home guard and partisan units, along with military formations unable to withdraw due to the Russian attack, retreating into the streets and buildings to engage in fierce urban fighting.

Aluksne and the surrounding settlements were a swirling morass of chaos, where Russian minority militias had attempted to sieze power after the troops retreated, and local partisans had risen to stop them. The fighting was urban, bloody, and brutal: in a battle where to be 'Russian' or 'Latvian' was to be the enemy, civilians were not spared from the line of fire, and many were scattering into the countryside.

In the interior, as the Russians advanced, matters were less violent: in general, the Latvians presented a face of stony silence as they attempted to go about their normal business. They were not resisting... but they were certainly not cooperative, and eventually it might be found easier to have the Chinese deliver humanitarian assistance than struggle to get the Latvians to interact with Russia's own agencies. Also noticeable amongst the populace is a distinct shortage of young men or private firearms, as inspired partisans vanish into the countryside in the face of Russian approach.

An exception is the city of Limbasi, where any Russian units pushing into the city are met by an ambush of RPG and machine gun fire from home guard and partisans in concealed positions. The local home guard commander has decided that rather than follow the official guerilla policy, he will draw the Russians into an urban melee, and buy time for the Polish-Lithuanian-Czech liberation offensive he is sure will come.

Home guard concentrations, with the support of late-retreating Estonians and Latvians who arrived after the Daugava crossings were cut, are also present in the cities and townships on the northern bank of the Daugava. As the massive Russo-Estenlands bombing campaign has rendered conventional combat a futile effort, urban guerrilla fighting becomes key for the short term while the rural units prepare for their own resistance operations and international support is sought.

Free Latvia

As Chinese-hired ships arrive to evacuate Chinese nationals, a request is issued, asking them to carry a newly appointed government-in-exile out of the Baltic to safety. The Latvian President has refused to join the evacuation attempt, standing by her word. "I will live as a free Latvian, and die as a free Latvian." Hindustani vessels on approach are asked, should they arrive in time (which seems unlikely), to join in covering the civilian vessels. The Baltic navies, now combined within BALTRON structures, makes preparations to escort the Chinese-hired ships out until they reach the North Sea, out of the combat zone. They take on substantially increased supplies and a few additional passengers, after meetings between their captains and Presidential representatives, who expressed official fears that key ports might not hold out until they are able to return (and, as with all official announcements, practically begged anyone and everyone for aid).

There is a great deal of confusion in Latvia, and Lithuania. With the skies darkened by the sheer numbers of Russian and Estenlands planes, overt movement of military equipment was suicide. Rather, with military vehicles hiding in barns, garages, and other areas of concealment, military transport was taking place by means of civilian vehicles. These combined with those civilian vehicles being used by the general populace as they attempted to move about, either to avoid the fighting or to seek out family members, and vehicles delivering humanitarian assistance to those who had been hurt by the widespread destruction of infrastructure.

Along the Daugava, the few remaining entrenched vehicles were easy prey for redoubled air attack, as were concentrations of troops. As reports identified the incoming strikes, the mobile units in reserve kept to their concealed positions in the townships. Still, at this point in the conflict, with static AA entirely eliminated, the Russian craft would encounter the bulk of Latvian vehicle-mounted and infantry-carried air defence. As with everything so far, this was not as significant as might have been hoped, with a few pairs of truck-mounted ZPU-42 guns scattered just back from the bank, and the rare MANPADS firing off at craft that came into range.

Eastern Europe

Across the nations once trapped within the ‘Soviet Bloc’, Lithuanian diplomats are arguing furiously for unity and military action to stop the invasion, both to the East European governments and directly to their peoples.

“You, all of you, remember scant few years ago living beneath the yoke of Moscow… you know the horrors visited upon us all in that time, and the bitterness of the Russians when we finally shook off our chains! Now, they have reoccupied the Kazakh, and are sweeping down upon the Baltics… You cannot help but see the expansionist nature of the Estenlands… not only have they invaded Lavrageria and, unprovoked, assaulted both Lithuania and Moldova, but they are members of the Holy League, which has in recent times been engaged in a massive re-colonization effort on the African continent, that has claimed Algeria and Morocco, and currently attempts to take Tunisia and West Sahara as well! Why would these two belligerent powers stop expansion at the Baltics, so far short of their previous conquests? And why, if all they sought were these gains, would the quantities of troops be so large… the number of planes sufficient to darken the sky… against small and unmilitarized nations with barely a dozen planes, and a mere three battle tanks???

No, they will not stop. They will continue their lies and assurances as they conquer us, and then they shall repeat them as they conquer each of you in turn, each one of us alone in the world until we are slain. But if we stand together now, if we bring our full force to bear, they shall have no renewed empire… they shall be halted, and then they shall be broken, for ours is a battle for freedom and the world shall rise to stand with us.

We cannot hold them in Estonia… it has been lost. We cannot hold them in Latvia… even at the Daugava, even with the armies of Lithuania pouring onto the line, we may not have enough time. In Lithuania… even there, even if we were to act now, we might not be there in time to hold it all. But, in the end, we would HOLD, and if we hold, then in the future we can advance, preserving our nations forevermore from destruction and slavery.”

[OOC: Do we have someone to play on behalf of Romania? The Moldova incident would certainly provoke some displeasure on that front].

As the Blake reaches the North Sea, Parliament steps up its criticism of Russian intentions.

"If you want to liberate a country, the best way to do it is to not kill the people living in it. Vladimir Putin does not seem to grasp this key principle," says one Parliamentarian.

"Shame on all the expansionist powers! The world cannot rightly stand by at their disgusting, revolting lack of maturity as nations. These leaders like Putin and Wingert throw away young people, for what? For their own personal gain and ego! These leaders, sheperds of the numb and apathetic, are set to destroy Europe and Africa, to start with."

Mumbai, while unable to do anything about it, is furious with the Russian government. After all, Hindustan spent a large number of years repelling Soviet incursions into Central Asia, and nobody wants to spend more people and money to fight a new Russian empire. Parliamentarians lambast the Russian government for their invasion, and point at the destruction of vital civillian infrastructure as an atrocity in itself.

"While many nations starve and die from preventable diseases, so-called powers like Russia, France, Spain, and Italy spend their resources on their militaries, conducting punitive wars of expansion as though they lived in the 10th century, not the 21st. It is a shameful state of affairs, and no matter the religious affiliation of the leaders of these countries, this Parliament doubts severely that their deities look upon such apathy kindly."

Parliament also replies to Latvian requests, promising that the Blake, Cadiz, and whatever ships arrive after that, will be used for such a purpose. Putin is warned that, should his forces so much as touch a civillian ship in the Baltic, it will be only a step away from a total Hindustani invasion of Kazakhstan and Russian central asia.

-Ottawa-

Paralyzed by the precarious state of politics in Hudecia, Parliament is more apt to do nothing but the foreign minister refuses to sit idly by.

Todd Widjaja sends for the Hindustani and Spyran ambassadors to discuss the invasion of the baltic states and what a proper response would be. He also summons the polish ambassador separately and asks him exactly what the poles need in order to help them stand fast.

The Russian Congress has passed a resolution warning the Hindustanis that if they are so angry about the possibility of civilian shipping being attacked, they should direct their bluster at their own allies, the Bedgellens, who have threatened Russian Merchant Ships.

OOC: More on war in a bit. But could you guys ask Putin some questions? It is a press conference, after all.

A Hudecian reporter from the predominantly right wing National Post stood up to ask a question.

"How will these military actions affect the Russian ability to supply the Quinntonians with an increased amount of oil?"

[Posting as: Spyr]

Ottawa

The Spyran ambassador in Hudecia (getting bit pleased with himself and all the high-level meetings he's been getting since Hudecia reopened itself) attempts to convey Spyr's somewhat uncertain position as best he can.

"The Russians weren't stupid... this has been in the works for a long time. They have secured close relations with the Holy League despots who control most of Europe and who have siezed control in North Africa. They have arranged a treaty with China for mutual defence. And, given NATO's hesitance, they have apparently found some influence there as well: even a firm, economic-based stance against this belligerence might be enough to break it, and that has yet to emerge from the West.

Which, in the end, is really all that can be done. If we were to act militarily, we could do little of consequence: Quinntonia's Japanese allies could liberate the Kurils, the armies of Lyong could push up across the Amur, and the British MIGHT be able to land and secure a foothold in the Baltics while the world mobilizes. This would cost lives on all sides, and might not even secure the freedom of Eastern Europe... at least not in the short term.

So, the battleground here ought to be economic, and it must be thorough to have an effect. If we could turn sufficient mass of the international community to favour a full trade embargo and economic penalties... perhaps even siezure of Russian assets abroad and restrictions on freedom of transit through Exclusive Economic Zones... then they might be brought to the table to negotiate the liberation of the now-occupied territories and an end to the conflict.

Simultaneously, we might refuse to recognize the occupation governments as legitimate, continuing to extend recognition to escaped governments-in-exile, so as not to grant tacit approval to imperialist action.

It is also vital to force a moment of hesitation: to assist the remaining East European governments both economically and military in some capacity, so that the blitzkrieg can be stopped where it now stands and the economic pressure can be given time to do its work.

Hudecia and Spyr hasve many differences, but we have stood together in the great struggle against Bonstockian aggression, while greater powers stood still. Together, within our own spheres of relations, we may be able to bring the world once again into the fight against imperialism."

Beijing

The Spyran ambassador to China seeks to consultwith his Chinese counterparts on the developing European situation.

---Estonia, Saaremaa and Northeast---

The final unified pocket of Estonian resistance lay before them. Scattered resistance lay across the entire nation, of course, but here lay the final crumbling pieces of the Estonian government. And so, a force of about ten thousand Russian elite units detached from the main invasion force, in order to fully bring Estonia’s 1,332,893 citizens into their grip. They continue to use similar tactics of overwhelming firepower and airpower to smash the enemy apart.

The northeast resistance is partially successful, at first. With the Russians speeding ahead to conquer the nation, supply lines became vulnerable to small arms and RPG ambushes. However, when the Russian commanders became more aware of this burgeoning problem, a solution was quickly found. The Estonians were cursed in a way, by the miniscule size of their nation. The close vicinity of the Russian border simply allowed supplies to flow quickly onto the scene, and extra infantry and air support (which could be called in quickly from border bases) swarmed in to pounce on any ambushes. This, combined with the fact that with such a small distance to cover, supply lines are not stretched thin, has caused most Estonian efforts to sabotage supply lines to fall flat.

The Estonians were deemed worthy adversaries as they fought to the bitter end, but it would soon be evident that they stood little to gain by continued resistance. After all, the Russian military presence in the country roughly equaled 11% of the population! This, coupled with a severe technological disparity, seemed to draw the picture of the Estonian future as a bleak one.

A surrender treaty is soon delivered to whatever Estonian governmental institutions remain in place. It was a simple and abrupt demand. Several Russian diplomats had spent hours crafting an eloquent, drawn out, and beautifully written piece of prose, but the seemingly endless process had frustrated Putin so much that in his rage he punched out his chief diplomat and wrote his own message.

The Divine Russian Empire requests that the government of Estonia fully and unconditionally surrenders.

---Lubana---

While some of the younger infantry grin at the sight of the hanging schoolteacher, Commander Boris Vlakor only barked at them for it. After taking a swig of vodka, he approached the gang of over eager Russians who had done the hanging. His face was a mask of unease, as he smiled nervously.

“Look, guys…I appreciate the effort and all…and make no mistake, the bastard deserved what he got…But…look…it just doesn’t look good for us to be stringin’ up civilians in the middle of the street, alright? If you got a problem, just fire the guy and get some more respectable in charge. If he’s a real hard ass, just report the bastard to us and we’ll take care of things quietly.”
Boris Vlakor’s comments would be similar to the advice given to most of the Russian nationalists now in power within conquered territory. Moscow had long kept tabs local ethnic Russian leaders within the Baltics, mainly to promote Russian sentiments abroad. Now the research paid off, as local charismatic Russians were appointed to government positions. Provisional councils are given a large degree of control, albeit anything done must be under the consent of the local military commander detached in the city.

Of the leaders chosen, it is overwhelmingly amongst ethnic Russians, as to further inspire their loyalty to Moscow. However, Moscow’s research had lead it to specifically choose moderates, who would promote Russian interests and laws but not discriminate too harshly against the other ethnicities.

As it is in Russia, local cities were given a significant degree of self control. Local ordinances, taxes, zoning, water and gas policies, etc. would be left to the locals. However, Russian federal legal codes were gradually becoming implemented. Russian Language and History would become mandatory courses. Estonian and Latvian languages were kept, but Russian was given the same amount of teaching time. Massive tax cuts were implemented, business restrictions were implemented, and government loans were made available to any entrepreneurs. All humanitarian aid efforts were only allowed to be distributed through Russian agencies, and that, combined with intensive propaganda efforts, was intended to begin the long process of winning over the locals.

However, while there is a carrot, a stick also exists. A brutal one.

The death penalty is used for any and all attacks against the military. Unpopular and corrupt local figures are publicly shot. Public protests are allowed, but distinctly discouraged by police officers and exceedingly strict registration forms. Anyone openly calling for violence against the Russians tends to “mysteriously disappear.” Curfews are implemented in more dangerous towns, as are temporary bans on fire arms. (This is only for the more rebellious towns and cities.) Using government records seized from city centers, KGB units begin investigating all military officials and placing those deemed more dangerous within POW camps (where most are treated under full Geneva conventions, but officers with valuable information are subject to “aggressive interrogation techniques” <but not torture.). Intense searches for military vehicles and weapons caches are conducted.

The full plan for all conquered territories would be as follows. After the nations are fully conquered, they will become “Protectorates.” During this period, heavy anti-insurgency efforts will be conducted in order to stabilize the situation, while infrastructure and democratic institutions would be geared. It would be under the direct control of a Russian Governor General at this time. After the situation was deemed “stable”, the conquered nations would be split up into several “provinces”, during which democratic elections would establish a certain degree of autonomy, albeit with Russian consent. Long after this, if the conquered states became stable and assimilated into the Russian culture, the possibility of full Russian statehood would be held out.

---Limbasi, Krasava-Ludza-Zilupe Line, Aluksne---

The first serious casualties of the war began emerging within the urban battle zones. Vicious ambushes lead to a temporary retreat. All units would withdraw from the cities, cutting of any contact with the outside world. (In the areas with local Russian militias, they are asked to pull out and join the regular forces.) After a full encirclement is established, a campaign of brutal house-to-house warfare is established. Rules of engagement are loosened significantly, and copious air strikes leave much of the city in ruin. Blood flows in the streets as elite Russian Paratrooper divisions (Vaguely equivalent to the marines in that they are elite infantry, except they specialize in aerial drops as opposed to amphibious landings) sweep for insurgents, house by house, in the brutal battle styles of urban combat.

Little is known what exactly is occurring in these cities, as all media are strictly prohibited from entering.

---Daugav River---

It was a miracle. Despite the fact that they had barely any AA vehicles operating, despite the fact that Russian airforce’s countermeasures severely outclassed the old Soviet technology being utilized, it still happened. One lucky MANPAD operator struck a distracted MiG-35 pilot with a direct hit, shattering the plane apart and killing the poor man instantly.

However, despite this, the air-artillery strike was deemed successful. Given the go-ahead, Russian ground units moved into the Daugav line. If the attack was successful, they would continue into the nearby cities.

OOC: Alright…just to do a check…how’s my RPing so far? Have I managed to craft a good story? Are the details right? Any godmodding? Please, be brutally honest. I go to Poland tomorrow, by the way. Luckily, I’ve managed to get myself a stable internet connection, so my posts, while less speedy, will keep on coming. On a side note, it’ll be interesting RPing an invasion of the nation I’m staying in…Could be some pretty detailed urban warfare…

China has agreed to hold talks with the Spyran government and has invited them to The Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing Palace.

*Assume the officials are greeting each other and let's just get right to the meeting. Let's do something about the war.

The Soviet People's Navy was by now advancing with its intention to turn-off the Indian Ocean as a route for Russian and Estenlandic commerce, tracking ships registered to those nations and dispatching Dwrgi WIG vehicles to intercept most of them while frigates and corvettes bearing Super-Helix helicopters met those which happened to be close by. Of course the shipping couldn't hope to out-run vehicles that cruised thousands of kilometres at over two hundred knots, and any merchants flying Russo-Estenlandic colours, registered to either of those nations, or believed to belong to them and their economies even if flying under foreign flags of convenience (which the Soviets have long wanted permission to crack-down on, anyway) are soon intercepted. Soviet Marine Auxiliaries typically inform the vessel in question that it has X minutes to signal complicity, accept armed Soviet advisors aboard, and make for port in the Commonwealth, or alternatively to prepare to repel boarding during which deadly force may be applied (under a cloud of smoke and knock-out gas)...

The Commonwealth is still limited in its direct support for the assaulted nations, thinking little of their structures and being less than excited about preserving them. At home, though, it does not take in-depth investigation to realise that the Commonwealth Guard's manoeuvres are rather more wide-spread and intensive than is ordinarilly true of the infrequent and localised milita exercises, with ex-Army MT-3 battle tanks taking part. Likewise, large-scale military training events taking place -while not uncommon- are happening weeks before the next publicly announced operations were planned, and involve airborne elements that drop several thousand Paras and insert significant armour assets, especially concentrating on rapid formation of battle lines in desert terrain. A large number of old MT-1 and MT-2 (outwardly similar to T-72 and T-80/90 series machines) and CICV-1 (akin to BMPs) have been destroyed already in live-fire exercises.

There is something of a contrast between the fairly common negotiation backed by economic action line and the assembly of Soviet forces quite capable of both outgunning the Russian-Estenlandic formations and of outnumbering them two-to-one. Perhaps the Soviet Commune is building-up to make an oh so subtle point about the wisdom of listening to the less radical international community in the short term.

[Posting as: Eastern Europe]

Estonia

The Estonians were in obvious dissaray... without central command, the military and volunteers were simply uncoordinated cells of partisans, scattered aross the country, attacking whenever opportunity struck. Though rare, there were even a few cases of younger Estonians in Eagle Guard uniform attempting to assault tank or vehicle columns with small arms and satchel charges. An observer might comment that it seemed 'resistance for the sake of resistance'.

A political patchwork developed acoss the country, as municipal governments attempted to take over in the power vacuum. Several assented to the surrender demand, others refused openly, while still more offered no response as they either waited for international reaction or were too confused by absence of central control. In the end, Ida-virumaa, Laane-virumaa, Jogevamaa, and Polvamaa could be considered to have assented to the surrender. In Tartumaa, after an assent was dispatched, the county administrator was beaten to death by one of his aides. Valgamaa and Viljandimaa issued a joint statement requesting the opening of surrender negotiations with the Russian government, while Jarvamaa and Raplamaa refused to respod, citing that local authorities do not have the right to surrender to foreign powers. An off hand comment by a bureaucrat in Rapla, "No one in Estonia has the authority to surrender unconditionaly to an invader. Come back when we've elected a new legislative to replace the one you incinerated..."
Parnumaa, Laanemaa, and Harjumaa issue an official refusal to surrender, declaring Estonia "forever free", before resigning their posts en masse.

Of course, these official declarations are moot, as practical control of the territory has fallen into Russian hands. Members of the Russian minority and Estonian nouveau-riche slowly begin to cooperate in establishing new administrative structures.

The refusals of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa to surrender are, perhaps, more meaningful: the two islands to which Estonian remnants have retreated are, by the nature of their separation with the mainland, still free of direct Russian occupation. The overall commander Vice-Admiral Tarmo Kouts, himself a native of Saaremaa, declares his confidence that reinforcements will soon arrive to relieve his beleaguered forces. With Estonia's civilian fleet having been used by the troops, and numerous civilians, in evacuating the mainland (and many remaining vessels destroyed by partisans as the Russians approached), they may have bought a little time, especially with the invaders also needing to cross the Daugava barrier in the south... the ships now on the islands are drained of fuel, then scuttled to block up harbours and landing sites along the landward side. A few, before they go, are tasked with the redeployment of old naval mines (which still litter the Baltic as a consequence of the two Wars, and which have been sought out and dealt witrh by the Baltic states for some years now). The mines will likely serve little purpose, unless the Russians attempt an amphibious assault with the same numerical superiority as they achieved on the mainland. The island coasts themselves are not directly fortified, with small groups of infantry manning rocket-propelled grenades or HMGs deployed in the cover of the trees a bit back from the cliffs and beaches. Unlike the degenerated partisan action elsewhere, the islands have had time to mobilize the Home Defence League, including Women's Home Defence and Young Eagles, into existing military formations.

Latvia

Despite scoring a kill, the final air defence forces in Latvia go up in flames. Artillery and vehicle units likewise explode into pieces beneath the intense Russian assault, as exposed frontline infantry forces scatter. Most units, depoyed in tree cover for some protection against sighting by air, remain in place, but those who lack such concealment take many casualties as they rush back towards the relative protection of urbanized areas to regroup.

The Daugava was often called the 'river of fate', intertwined with the past and future of the Latvian people. Soon, it would show them their fate once again.

[OOC: AC, where/how are the Russians making their crossing?]

[Posing as: Spyr]

Beijing

"There exists in China, it seems, a certainty, despite all evidence to the contrary, that India seeks to dominate and destroy you... while, at he same time, those powers which have in the past sought to bend China to their imperial will and have now begun to reclaim their colonial empires are treated with friendship. Perhaps we, in our small peninsula, fail to grasp the complexities of international politics, but we are unable to understand China's motivations, but we recall the last time the Russian state bore the name of 'empire'. They siezed the East, dominated Manchuria and western Lyong by brutal force, and still today hold some territories so stolen.

Today, protected by a treaty signed with China, the Russians seek to expand. They are weak now, compared with the power of a united China, but they will not always be so: if they sieze the territories they once held, if they complete their unholy alliance with the despots of Europe, then they will be a potent foe indeed. How long shall it be then, before they begin to eye northern China anew, begin to think that Lushun-Dalian ought once again to bear the name 'Port Arthur'?

You are bound by treaty to the Russians, but treaties are not chains: signed in good faith with a Russian Republic, it is up to China to determine if it is still applicable to the new entity of Russian Empire, and to decide wether certain territories... such as the lands around the Amur or Kazakhstan, are part of 'Russia', or merely occupied lands to which they have no right and you have no treaty obligation.

But, more importantly, I would suggest that the Russians be discouraged through a war of economics: a full Chinese embargo on Russian trade, on air or sea travel in Chinese territory and Exclusive Economic Zones, and similar measures would remind the Russians that the world does not look kindly upon those who delight in making war."

-Hudecia-

Todd Widjaja, after meeting with the Spyran, calls his counterpart in Quinntonia and asks for an immediate meeting considering the baltic situation. In the brief conversation, he indicates that he might be able to enable Parliament to expand oil trade with Quinntonia should they cease trading oil with Russia.

In Parliament, which resumed sitting for the first time this day, the tone was much more civil.

Parliament debated several motions but only passed one; condemning the Russian invasion of the Baltic states and threatening immediate economic action against Russia should they not cease their aggresion.

China had imediately called on for a full trade embargo on Russian trade. The National Congress will allow Minister Liu's Military Cabinet to decided whther to pull Chinese troops out of the Russian leased bases in Central Asia.

Chinese soldiers, in occupied bases in Siberia were ordered to stay at the precincts. The Chinese government in a renewed interest in the war has raised doubts again on whether this expansion fire would spread.


OOC:Bloody earthquakes, another one just shook up. God Bless California, Land O' Quakes.

[Posting as:Spyr].

Sithin, PRS

Following the Chinese announcement, the Strainist Party officially declares full economic sanctions against Russia. An embargo is instituted, including a ban on Russian traffic through the 200nm EEZs of Lyong and Sujava. Russian assets there are also frozen.

-Ottawa-

Foreign Minister Widjaja announces following the Xiannese and Spyran statements that Hudecia is placing an embargo on all Russian goods for the time being. Although Russian assets in Hudecia would not be frozen, the Russian ambassador was summoned and promptly told that Hudecia would not be signing a free trade agreement with them as long as the baltic states remained under Russian control.

In other news, three Hudecian attack helicopters went missing in the Baltic Sea during a routine training mission in the Baltic sea. Armed with specially designed Harpoon missiles they were considered Hudecians best helicopters. Military command does not know where they might have gone but search teams have been dispatched.

-Warsaw-

Three new helicopters were added to the Polish air force.

After several days of collecting, a fairly large HDF battlegroup collects in the Baltic Sea, lead by the old, yet still capable, Blake. A Type 42 destroyer and three Type 12 frigates are also present, along with the Cadiz and an oiler.

Under the protection of the powerful radars on the Diu (the Type 42 in question) and the Blake, the battlegroup, however small it is relative to the Russian fleet, moves towards the Estonian coast. In a characteristically Hindustani statement, Vladimir Putin and the Russian government is told off, using very provocative vocabulary, and Parliament pledges its full support to the nations of Eastern Europe resisting this invasion (although 'full support' means, well, given the state of Hindustani worldwide commitments...er...mabye a few assault rifles?).

But a naval commitment in the Baltic looks like it might stand a chance of doing something, if not very much. After all, as Parliament understands the situation, Russia doesn't have any major naval assets on the Baltic, presumably having their fleet based on the White Sea. This gives Hindustani interests an advantage, unless the French get involved, in which case the HDF can bid its surface fleet farewell.

Um, the French are involved, and have just been late in posting their missile attacks and so on. They are ONLY invoved with naval assets, provding bombardment in that capacity.
I have Tged my ally Elkazor and explained the situation, and though he is unavailable, you can assume that French assets are moving into position.

Please hold off with the naval component until he dicides what to do.

As for the Imperial Armed Forces, they are continuing their assaults, throwing their massive amounts of tanks and attack planes into the fray with abandon.

In a historic invitation, Tsar Wingert is asking to come to Moscow, so that Putin can be knighted. When this is done, it is well known that Tsar Wingert hopes to meld Imperial Supreme Command with the Russian High Command so that even more coordination can take place.
This will put Putin and Wingert in complete control as joint Commander in Chief of both the Estenlandian and Russian military machine. This will give the Tsar the ability to command Russian troops and Putin teh ability to command Imperial troops, which mean that they can move with a smooth "big-picture" planning and tactics.


OOC-Does anyone have a map of the embattled area, I would like to know what kind of physical barrier this river is, and what effect it will have on my secondary invasion force.

Tsar Wingert I.

Li Li Shan, Minister of Foreign Affairs:

"Several of these European countries are strengthening their bond with Russia. Europe must unite diplomatically to fight with such aggression. In the war, not so long ago, several countries developed a trend of imperialism, and aggresive activities against their neighbors. Europe cannot allow wars like this to happen, and China is asking Europe to resolve this issue peacefully, if not, aggresively.

The Daugava river, at its mouth, pours into the Baltic and stands at width/depth 1.5km/15m. It narrows as it passes through the Riga area, leaving at a width/depth of 700m/8m. It continues in roughly this vein up to Aizkraukle, where it pinches suddenly in to a narrow point of 250m/3.5m before widening and deepening again as it passes upward. Approaching the Plavinas area, the river itself does not widen much past 300m, but the swampy flood plain of its low banks extends five to six kilometres from the river proper. On approach to Daugavpils, this flood plain narrows, and the banks rise, with human assistance, to five-ten metres above the waterline, until past Daugavpils when it narrows to 250m and the banks descend once again as it passes Kraslava. From this point, the flood plain extends out again to an area of 0.5 km, extremely waterlogged and swampy terrain, while the river narrows then settles at a width of 200m as it crosses the border into Estenlands-occupied Lavrageria.

The border with Lavrageria does, however, extend below the river. This is the site of the heaviest concentration of defenders, and part of the anti-nomad defence line. While the initial Russo-Estenlands assault almost certainly put more units into entering and taking the larger expanse of territory above the Daugava, I've assumed that a not-insubstantial portion of the Tsar's troops are pushing their way in below the river (fear the MBT trio!), and its always possible that after a few days redeployment the bulk of the invasion forces could attack there and along the connected Lithuanian border rather than attempting a river crossing where terrain is rarely cooperative.

((OOC, FYI, an old friend is coming onto the same island as me this weekend and the week to come, so I will probably not be posting here the next 20 hours; and could be slowed down after that, what with school and everything - I will still try to play Poland to the best of my ability, but please wait for me with the major combat ops))

Ok, The Tsarist force that is moving against the defenses, which are moving slightlyu slower than expected, but making definate and constant progress, are now being slowed by the defenders at the Duagura, as the two forces line up on both sides of the river, and the tsarist engineers begin their river-corssing measures, all the while building up the main roads in the area amd placements on the naks so that the thousands of tanks that are attached to this war machine can move forward with impunity and move into position along the bank, acting as low-range high-yeield artillary against the defenders, keeping the majority of them back from the shoreline, all the while, deploying into amphibious units across a 2 kilometer attack vector, up near Kraslava, backing them with portable small artillary being towed up on jeeps.

The Army Group grinds to a halt, as the combat the mud and boggy conditions along their side of the banks, Princess Adrienna sees why this is where the last stand should take place. It will be hell crossing that river, but it is just a matter of time. The defenders knew it, hell, the whole world knew it, but they held on, hoping for some miracle, for someone to come to their aid. But, it wouldn't matter. Her father would be victorious, and perhaps she would end up being Queen of the Baltics, if she finally proved herself enough to him. And, by all that was holy, she would. Her sister, Jillesepone, would soon be the Queen of France, and that British Mercenary, Sir Reginald of Hillfort was granted Regency of Lavrageria, while the Romonav pretender was King of Tsarist Russia and her niece was Queen of Lavrageria and nephew the future Tsar. And here was she, second daughter of a great man, and she was up to her ankles in mud in a cold country that her father was taking in order to extend his empire from the Crimea to the North Atlantic. Well, over his lifetime, he had gone from a guerrilla fighter hiding in alleys and shacks to a Tsar. She would follow his wisdom.

The second Army Group was being joined by one Division of Marines (20,000), who were already working hard to cross the Daugava into a position where they would invade Lithuania. They woul move along the Lavragerian border in order to mount their invasion behind the defenders into Lithuania proper, between Visiginas and Zaraisai in the Utenos area. It was hoped that the first Army Group would draw enough of the defense force that the second would be able to move with little resistance into the attack area.

Tsar Wingert I.

OOC: No time to post now (tomorrow there will be), but assume Russian troops are crossing the Daugava at major transit points (it will be tough, but if civilian traffic can pass, so can military), and ten thousand of them have moved from Lavrageria to join in with the Tsarists. All Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian cities are issued demands for unconditional surrender. If they do not respond, all that are within Russain control are simply overthrown and moderate Russian ethnic leaders/cooperative native leaders are instituted, along with full Russian legal codes.

IC:

Wingert's request is accepted. President Putin will be honored to be knighted by Wingert in Moscow.

BUMP!
WWJD
Amen.

[Posting as: Eastern Europe]

OOC: A few notes on the Daugava:

The retreating Latvian forces blew the bridges and burned the boats, so to speak, across the river once they had made their retreat. The obvious hope was that the delay as the eemy brought up bridging engineers or transport boats would buy time for help to arrive.

Not all Latvian units made it across, and these have not scattered like the northern home guard, but have stationed themselves in the urban centres along the northern bank of the Daugava (most of which are situated at the easiest crossing points), aware that only the protection of the cities can defend against mass enemy air superiority while accomplishing the goal of delay.

Russian air strikes against the Daugava line were resoundingly effective: the last mobile AA guns of the Latvians were destroyed, and the infantry near the bank were scattered... while many units had cover in urban areas along the soutrhern bank, or wooded sites, the same terrain that causes crossing difficulty is also rather open, and left the units there extremel vulnerable.
The survivors fled to the urban centres further back from the river to join the reserve units and Lithuanian reinforcements. This leaves manpower 'holes' in the defensive line, but wire, pits, mines and buried explosives planted with the aid of Lavragerian sappers remain in place (though again, terrain makes such measures more sparse along certain points).

Operation: Death From The Skies

Above the tiny island of Saaremas, the storm clouds of war gathered. The night sky was pitch black, with no moon in sight, and massive storm clouds obscuring any stars. Darkness enveloped the island, both literally and figuratively, as a Russian army closed in. Spurred on by the winds of nationalism and the sheer, iron will of President Putin, the Russians were bent on annihilating every last pocket of resistance, and bringing the Baltic states to their knees. Thus, the largest scale aerial invasion Eastern Europe had ever seen was initiated.

Inside a Russian transport plane nearing range of the island’s defenses, a team of Russian paratroopers sat quietly, intent on their mission. One of them was clad entirely in black, including his face, which was obscured by a thin black mask and green goggle like devices that served as thermal and night vision goggles. An AK-101 was strapped to his back, and several grenades were slung across his belt. In his hand, a small, black PDA with a luminescent green screen was held. A short message flashed across the screen.

“Operation: Death From The Skies initiated. Air phase begun.”

A few miles away, the battle had begun.

__________________________________________________________________

In the skies above Saarema, approximately thirty MiG-35s rained death upon the land. They repeated a tactic that had emerged to become a favorite of the Russians in the war: massive, overwhelming, and precise air strikes. They targeted all anti-air capabilities they could find, relying on a constant flow of information from satellite and reconnaissance planes. The heavy cloud cover forced many to come dangerously close to their targets. One MiG hesitated for a second too long in his decision to veer right, and was splashed by a talented mobile AA vehicle.

After an intense barrage against anti-air vehicles and batteries, the MiGs then refocused their deadly attention upon all known radar stations. Missile after missile of precision guided munitions slammed into the buildings, condemning many to a fiery death.

_________________________________________________________________

As the air strikes continued, a fleet of Russian transports soared in above the Saaremasian sky.
The man in black shut his PDA, stuffed it into a pocket, snatched off his Ak-101, and checked his parachute. He strode forward, his trench coat whistling behind him, and pulled open the hatch. Without a word, the team of Russian paratroopers rose behind him and approached the hatch.

“Go! Go! Go!” he yelled.

They leapt off into the cloudy night sky, their black parachutes unfurling behind them. As each one approached the jumping off point, the man in black slapped them on the back and gave them a thumbs up. Finally, after the entire team departed, he approached the edge.

Into the breach once more...

He dove into the shadows of Saaremas.

__________________________________________________________________

When the man in black finally landed onto the ground, he entered into sheer hell. The flaming wreckage of AA vehicles was strewn about in haphazard fashion, Estonian soldiers engaged Russian paratroopers in ferocious close quarter combat, sirens blared, MiGs streaked across the night sky, and the fires of war quickly engulfed the grassy hill they stood on.

He quickly stood up, only to see two Estonians aiming at him with their Aks. He rolled to the side, feeling the bullets whiz past him. The fire flared up in front of him, blocking his view. He stood up and leapt to the right, barely missing the hail of bullets that passed through the frame. As he leapt, he blasted away and shot one of the Estonians in the chest, sending him plunging to the ground in agony. The second one ran up the grassy hill to get in range. The Russian sped away from him, zig zagging left and right. The Estonian was quickly joined by two of his compatriots, wielding pistols. They ran after the man, spraying gunfire which sent dirt and grass rocketing into the air. The man unclipped a grenade from his belt, glanced quickly behind him, and hurled it. The Estonians attempted to scatter as soon as they noticed the incoming projectile, but it was too late. Where once stood a team of three Estonian soldiers now emerged a cloud of fire, blood, and limbs.

He turned around, only to see that the outside patrol of the Estonian city center was eliminated. He then waved at his fellow Russians, gesturing for them to follow him in. In squad formation, a team of Russian paratroopers marched into the station, only to be greeted by an ambush. The lobby consisted of an oval room with cheap leather couches, a smattering of tables, and one shabby receptionist desk. Behind every table, couch, and desk lay a fully loaded and armed AK-47. Behind each AK-47 lay an Estonian soldier. Behind each Estonian soldier lay a frightened civilian administrator.

The man in black grimly surveyed the scene.

“Put your hands into the air! You are surrounded! Surrender!”, yelled what was apparently the Estonian commander.
“....”

The man in black nodded to his men, and slowly they raised their hands into the air. In a slight gesture, so quick that even the sharpest eye would have to struggle to register it, all of the men tapped a tiny button on the side of their goggles. It was the button that would switch the goggles into sunglasses mode. His hands were fully raised, and the Estonians nervously aimed at them.

“Good. Now drop your weapon!”, the Estonian yelled. In case the Russians were not trained in these Estonian phrases, the man gestured with his hands.

The Russian leader slowly moved his hand towards his head. The Estonians nervously traced his movements with their weapons. In an odd gesture, the Russian stroked his mask’s cheek.

“What are you doing?”

Stroke one.

“Answer me!”

Stroke two.

“I’m itchy.”, said the Russian, using what little Estonian he knew.
“I don’t care! It’s disturbing!”

Stroke three.

“I said st-“

FLASH!

The ring of flash bang grenades strung up on the Russian’s belt shattered instantly. Seconds before, the Russians had place their hands over their ears. This blocked out the deafening noise which soon burst through the air, screeching as it shred ear drums asunder. The “flash” part of the equation blinded all but the Russians, who had used their dark lenses and the simple, ancient art of closing one’s eyes to withstand the dazzling array of light.

“AAAAGGGHHH!” screamed the bewildered Estonians, who appeared to be in a mad frenzy as they couldn’t decide whether to clutch their ears or their eyes in their agony.

Russian troops immediately formed a line in front of the man in black, blazing away with their machine gun bursts. Soon the machine gun fire began to be returned by the Estonians, although the wildness and complete lack of accuracy displayed by these shots indicated that the men were firing blindly. Still, the sheer volume of ammunition zipping around in the air made it impossible for the Russians to remain inside for long. Bullets stabbed through a paratrooper’s chest, and he fell to the ground, wheezing with the desperate and useless breaths that only a man with lungs like Swiss cheese could take. Blood, brains, organs, blood, and sweat flowed through the air, as if in some cannibal’s vision of Paradise. In the back of the man in black’s head he was slightly comforted with the thought that most of the spewing material was Estonian.

Which really, in the end, wasn’t all that comforting.

After all, brains were brains, blood was blood, organs were organs, and men were men. What did artificial titles like “Estonian” or “Russian” matter? Some cultural differences, sure, but did these differences make one side’s death justifiable and the others’ not? Weren’t they all really the same, just young men and women? Made from the same flesh and bone, living on the same earth, created by the same God? What did it matter if the dead called themselves “Estonian” or “Russian”? Weren’t they, in the end, just...dead?

Goddamit, I’m thinking like a Bedgellen! Snap out of it, Vladimir! You’ve got a job to do! They’ll be time to philosophize later!

As if to emphasize his point, a bullet whizzed overhead, missing his bald spot (which he would never admit existed, and covered up with an elaborate comb over) by a few millimeters. He continued sprinting forward, as he retreated into the hallway he had com from. Most of the Russian soldiers were either dead or had evacuated, but two blocked the way behind the man in the black and covered him from the recovering Estonians. Soon these valiant men were cut down not by bullets, but oddly enough, an enraged civilian secretary who had angrily emerged from the gun powder induced smoky haze and smashed the men over the head with a Molotov cocktail. Apparently, the woman had been a closet anarchist for a while, and had been keeping the ingredients for the Molotov close by. Of course, she was, as many anarchists tended to be, a being of too much passion and too little attention to details. For she failed to remember the number one rule about Molotov cocktails: they freakin’ explooode meeen! <----(Insert Cheesy Mexican Accent Here)

BLAM!

And thus, she became a martyr for the Estonian cause, setting herself and the two brave soldiers aflame. The flaming barrier of flesh they formed gave the man in black the window of time he needed to get outside of the blast range he intended to create. He pivoted around, as he witnessed the horrible sight of an Estonian soldier attempting to clamber over a still shrieking and flaming woman. Without hesitation, he snatched two grenades off his belt and tossed them into the lobby. The flames shred the room to pieces, and were joined by a constant stream of blossoming blasts that were only halted when his hands, greedily searching for more grenades, grasped nothing but air. The blasts had incinerated and destroyed absolutely everything in the room, but miraculously a few sprinklers managed to activate. The drizzle of water instantly produced smoke when it smashed into the columns of flame.

What I’m about to do is either incredibly stupid or stupendously brave...

The man extended his arm in a tackling position, and charged into the flaming lobby. He attempted to weave his way between the flames that still raged, but the endless stream of smoke, water, fire, and rubble spun him off in a myriad of ways, many of which happened to lead directly into howling claws of flame. He managed to sprint into the next hallway, but a patchwork of flames, soot, rips, blood, and wounds marked his body. While batting off the devilish bits of fire, he began to stride forward.

He was amazed at his own body’s endurance. He hadn’t felt like this since he was twenty! Having gone through a demonic gauntlet, his body, while bruised, hungered for more. Despite the cancer that ate away at his body, he’d managed to utilize a combination of a brutal exercise program and a whole series of experimental, expensive, dangerous, and highly illegal drug regimens to forge his body into ultimate combat shape. With only months to live, he’d ignored any long term consequences, and was rewarded with an incredible warrior’s physique. (Well, at least for his age.)

The thick boots he wore clunked heavily upon the cheap, concrete slabs that passed for stairs in this city center. Step after step, clunk after clunk, he strode up the long path. While the battle raged outside in its loud glory, here, inside, it was eerily quiet. The only sound that could be made out was the seemingly endless clunking of his boots against the cold, hard cement steps. Finally, he stood face to face with a door labeled, according to his rudimentary knowledge of Estonian language, “Mayor.”

With a sharp kick, the door crashed down. In the same motion, he swooped down with his arm and grabbed the revolver he’d strapped to his leg.

“Nobody move!”

A crowd of huddled Estonians shivered behind a desk. One wore the fanciest clothes of all, bearing a black suit, top hat, and monocle. The man in black guessed this was the Mayor, and gestured for him to stand up.

“You! Are you the Mayor of this fine city?”
“....”
“Answer me or I’ll shoot your f*ckin’ head off!”
“Yes...”
“Alright then. As a Russian commander, I demand the surrender of this city to Russian forces.”

All over Saaremas and its twin island, over five thousand Russian paratroopers stormed enemy positions and attempted to gain total control of the island.

(OOC: Sorry if I godmodded here. The action described here is just a snippet of the full campaign against Saaremas, so I thought it wouldn’t be crossing the line to RP the capture of one small city.)
_____________________________________________________________________
-Daugava-

Eerily enough, no Russian units attempted to amphibiously cross the Daugava. Instead, a small guard of tank crews and infantry remained with bridging units to repair the bridges destroyed by the retreating Baltic forces. In case of a renewed Baltic assault, several MiG-35s soared overhead, ready to strike any foes that dared sabotage the bridging engineers’ work.

The main Russian force, now heavily bled off by casualties, detachments to Saaremas, and detachments for occupational work, turned its effort to the belt of cities on the northern bank of the river where the Baltic commanders had wisely chosen as cover.

Commander Boris Vlakor swore under his breath.

“Damn Latvians...Clever...They get excellent cover, and they can blame any civilian casualties on us...”

Russian forces encircled each city, and issued a demand for the surrender of rebel forces. If a surrender was not offered, they rushed into the streets. Attack helicopters and an occasional MiG-35 strike were the most air support they could allow without inflicting massive civilian casualties. T-95 “Katrina” Tanks and APCs maneuvered to secure any known military centers (barracks, etc.) and then civilian government centers.
____________________________________________________________________
-The Baltics-
The Russian Senate has issued a demand for full surrender of all Lithuanian, Estonian, and Latvian military forces and civilian governments.

“Let us end this horrible bloodshed and usher in a new era of peace...”
________________________________________________________________
-Russian Economy-
With the Chinese and Hudecian trade embargoes slapping the Russian economy in the face, it began to wither and collapse. Massive Chinese investment, along with China's ravenous appetite for Russian oil and resources, had been one of the key factors in Russia's economic boom. Now the Chinese proved to be the economy's downfall. Stacks of lumber went unsold, piles of minerals lay in ports without a buyer, and the Sino-Russo oil pipeline was dry. The stock market plummeted on the news.

However, with Quinntonia becoming more reliant on Russia for its natural resources due to Hudecian belligerence, the Chinese gap wasn't as bad as it could have been. It is estimated that the Russian economy will suffer in the short term, but if the embargo is lifted soon enough, will not have any long term consequences, besides the ruining of Russo-Chinese relations.

[Posting As: Eastern Europe]

Saaremaas

The Russian assault hit the defenders hard. The destruction of the AA vehicles, and what few radar posts existed on the island, could be considered a resounding success... as with everything else in the war, the invaders had more planes than the defenders had guns to shoot at them.

However, the explosions began to rouse the resting day shifts of defenders from their slumber, and these grabbed their rifles and rushed out of cottages and school-barracks as the Russian troops began their advances on the ground.

Militia forces against fully-trained paratroopers are not the most effective combatants, and Estonia's own supply of military professionals was running thin. Taken by surprise, the initial casualties on the Estonian side were extensive: thousands were slain, and if the Russians bothered to check corpses, it would be found that numerous bodies appeared to be in their teens o even pre-teens, uniforms bearing the crests of the Estonian Eagle Guard or Home Daughters.

As the attack continued into the night, Estonian units began to scatter out, taking advantage of their local knowledge of terrain and the over-half-forested geography of the island to set up ambush positions where they could attack the Russians with small arms or improvised explosives.

Unlike elsewhere in the Baltics, urban defence was not the primary tactic, likely owing to the rural nature of the island. In Kuressaare, several regular units retreated to begin a street-by-street defense of the town, but elsewhere the Russians would find villages that were eerily empty, with far fewer inhabitants than might be expected. Most of those who were not actively resisting put on a show of pretending the Russians did not exist, save for the miniscule Russian minority and a handful of middling, pasty bureaucrats, who welcomed their arrival.

Daugava North Bank

The soldiers in the cities fought a bitter campaign from the buildings, using blast tunnels to avoid the streets whenever possible. Carl Gustaf recoiless rifles spat anti-tank rounds towards the backs of the advancing Russian APCs, while at key junctures, foundations were detonated to topple multi-storey buildings onto roadways containing Russian tanks and vehicles.

Baltics

The Latvian president, on behalf of the Baltic coalition, declares that there shasll be no surrender to Russia. "If their goal had been peace... we began at peace, and they made war. Their claims to pacifist designs are betrayed by their agression and by the tides of history."

She continues to call for foreign assistance against the invasion, as well as issuing thanks and gratitude on behalf of the Baltic peoples to nations who have initiated embargoes, as "the first step towards preserving the freedom of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia."

China issues a last warning to Russia.

"Stop this war of aggression now!"

OOC: Proper battle post soon.

"This is not a war of aggression on our part; a dastardly Baltic land grab was what triggered this. Russia will not bow down to its neighbors' aggression. And we cannot end the war now; a sudden pull out would leave a power vacuum. The war will be over soon."

-Northern Bank Of Daugava-

The fighting was fierce and brutal. The Russians had been surprised by the Latvian tactic of bringing down their own buildings upon Russian tank and APC columns, and lost valuable men and vehicles to the destructive and desperate tactics of the Latvians.

Commander Boris Vlakor cursed under his breath, and muttered, “Damn Latvians! Are they defending their country or destroying it!?!” right before his APC sped forward, barely missing the two story bakery the Latvians had decided to drop onto them.

In order to avoid death by two ton cement building, Vlakor immediately radioed out a new strategy. All armored vehicles were ordered to stay out of the range of tall building and structures. While this would leave infantry and light vehicles without much needed heavy armor support, it would safeguard the valuable heavy armored vehicles and probably reduce the collateral damage to the city. (since the Latvians would be far less likely to topple entire buildings to crush a squad of infantry than a column of tanks.)

While the mysterious ability of Latvian troops to seemingly appear anywhere at any time was initially vexing, a few rigorous chases soon revealed their reliance on underground blast tunnels. Boris screamed for a map of the blast tunnels; his screams were so loud as to reach Moscow. While Moscovian bureaucrats would normally balk at immediately complying to the demands of such a low ranking general, Vlakor had the ear of General Armand, second-in-command of Russian forces. As he waited for the Moscovites to gather up all blast tunnel maps for the cities of the northern Daugavan bank, he ordered all known blast tunnels to be assaulted. Platoons of Russian troops would move into the tunnel entrances already discovered, destroy any tunnel guards, and lay explosives. Several hours later, when the fax came in, every blast tunnel entrance in the northern Daugavan bank was assaulted.

-Daugava Crossing-

Due to seeming Baltic surrender of any hopes for striking back at the bridges, it only took a dew days for the Russian Engineering Corps to construct several sturdy, efficient bridges. Obviously, they were neither long term affairs nor works of art; but they would do the job. While the majority of the Russian Force remained behind in order to finish pacifying conquered territory, a contingent of forces (about 1/5 of the initial 300,000) pressed on across the Daugava.

-Saaremaas-

The man in black smiled, despite himself. Perhaps it wasn’t right to revel in the suffering of others. But the memory of the cowering fat mayor, his blubbery cheeks quivering in fear as he surrendered his pathetic excuse for a city to him...Priceless.

Too bad I had to shoot him afterwards. The bastard tried to turn heroic on me. Ha! As if that ancient pile of rusted iron he called a revolver would even fire, much less actually hit anything. Especially when wielded by a man who had soiled his pants in fear and who had obviously never fired a gun in his life.

God! What am I thinking! The man was a hero! So what if he was incompetent?!? He died for his country...Gah! Enough internal monologues! Focus!

The man shook his head, whirled around, and snapped a few orders. The camera crew gestured to indicate a countdown.

“Two...One...Go!”

“Ladies and Gentlemen. I am the Russian Commander of the Freedom Paratrooper Division. Perhaps you may better know me as...”

His gloved hands tugged on the black fabric of his mask, and dramatically swept it off his head, revealing a face well known to the world.

“...Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Empire and Joint Commander-in-Chief Of The Russian-Estenlands Military Forces. I have personally lead the assault force on Saaremaas, and am broadcasting this message to declare our full and total control of the island.”

This was a slight lie, as full on combat still raged in one city and was bound to come in the form of ambushes from the countryside.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to issue one last demand for surrender. I have seen with my own eyes the bloodshed and misery of this war, I have felt in my own heart the agony of seeing young men go off to their grisly deaths, I have felt with my own hands the gruesome touch of dead corpses. The war was an act of Estonian and Latvian aggression, but we are willing to forgive the past and look to the future. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania can join Russia willingly and freely, and together we can build a future of peace, prosperity, and power. Together we can forge a new empire that will command the respect of the world’s multitudes.”

“I realize the apostate regimes of the Baltics have repeatedly refused our generous offers before, and tricked their peoples into following their corrupt ways. And I realize they may do so again. So that is why I call this the last demand. For after this, if a significant laying down of arms does not occur, all ounces of Russian mercy will be exhausted. We will be relentless and brutal, we will crush our foes without hesitation. Martial law, air strikes on urban areas, and on rare occasions, carpet bombing, will be authorized, and no mercy will be spared upon our foes, who have already demonstrated that they have no mercy upon even their own people by using their own apartments and buildings, chock full of innocent men, women, and children, as weapons of mass destruction and terror.”

“So take this final offer, or prepare to plunge your nations into a battle they cannot possibly afford to fight.”

As for Saaremaas proper, the paratroopers regrouped in the cities. Street-by-street fighting continued in one city, but all seemed eerily quiet otherwise. Russian troops hoped to establish fully functioning bases of operation in the cities while they prepared for a country side offensive.

(OOC: Spyr, I must say, my compliments on your extensive knowledge of Baltic geography. It’s like a chess match, except horribly slanted towards my side. <I have a lot more pieces ;)> Despite the overwhelming military advantage I have, you’re still giving me a good run for my money, and I’m quite enjoying it.)

Army Group Alpha, the agroup that now had attached to it the elite Estenlandian Marines, was continuing its major abttering of its full strength of its now 160,000 troops aginst the defenses along the attack zone of two kilometres. While they are battering, the hundreds of planes that make up the Imperial Air Force mercilessly hammer the defenders on the opposong side, all the while the Russian attack allows the massive Estenlandian force to concentrate upon the crossing of the river at this one major spot, with all the defenders that are being pulled in for this now major battle (I think). During the ebb and flow of the arial and artillary barrage, thousands of small infalatable boats with fast ebgines are bveing assembled on the shoreline.

First, the thousands of tanks open up with a najor puonding on the opposite shore, forcing the shore defenders back to get out of the under 1.5 km range of the tanks, and once they begin moving back, the artillary that has been brought up opens up at the next viable range, dropping their considerable ordinance on the zone from the 1.5 kms to the 3 kms range. At this piont, a full grid carpte bomb begins on the heads of the defenders. The Long range bombers beat the air with a sound that brought the eyes of every defender skyward, breaking over even the sound of the artillary barrage. the areas that the defenders are fleeing into has been previously gridded off and is now finding itself peppered with tonnnes upon tonnes of massive high-yeild bombs, including major amounts of bunker-buster style bombs and conflageration incedary devices. They do not discrimanate between solder and civilian.

Then, the Marines, 20,000 strong take to the river on their boats, they take some small arms and machinegun fire, but most of everthing that has a will to fight has been either beaten back or killed at this piont, leaving the shoreline painfully undefended, and the perfect playground for the Tsar's Elite troops.

Just as the defenders are deciding whether it can get any worse, dozens of more planes fill the sky, and drop a new kind of cargo, another group of Elite Units, the Tsar's Elite Airborne has arrived. There are 2,000 men in this drop, landing in behind the defnders lines, and though they take heavy fire coming down, these are veterans of the Lavrageriaj conflict, survivors of the massive drop of the Daughin Divisions, they lost 10,000 men that day. This will be a walk in the park by comparison. Another 1,000 men will be dropped every two hours until a full Division is on the ground, adding another 20,000 troops to this over-kill of a Imperial War Machine.

By the end of two days, 180,000 troops will be battering this zone in an unstoppable juggernaught of power. And 20,000 Elite Marines will be chasing the defenders and securing the beachhead, while 20,000 Elite Airborne are forming pockets of guerrilla resistance, attacking and moving, often on small dune buggy's and quad ATVs that are dropped with the men, giving them some of the lightning mobility that they were lacking when they dropped in Lavrageria. This should make the area such a hotzone that the defenders would have to regroup elsewhere, at least those that survived the hell that came before. The defenders that stand and fight will ntoce that teh Estenlandians are not shall we say, subscribers of the Geneva Convention, they fight with a ferocity and brutality that one does not often see outside of Dra-pol.

The Engineers, move in shortly after the beachhead is secured and begin arranging for the bridging of the crossing of the massive tanks and troops on the other side. But all the time, the bombs drop.


Tsar Wingert boards a pkane headed for Moscow, carrying with him a writ of enoblement bearing his personal seal.

Tsar Wingert I.

OOC: At what part of the Daugava are the Ukrainians making their crossing?

OOC: I can't believe I missed this! *slaps self*

Can anyone TG me an "Edited Highlights" post so I can work out what the Roycelandians in the area are doing, besides turning the Roycelandian bases into refugee camps and trying not to shoot the wrong people?

South Bank, Daugava

The small groups of defenders remaining in the open are no match for the combined advance of the invading forces, and are quickly overwhelmed. The scattering of mines and rigged & buried explosives are less easily dealt with, though the concentration of attacks along narrow points means many are simply bypassed. Still, the air is perforated on occasion by plumes of smoke and dust as the subsurface stockpiles are disturbed.

[OOC: Estenlands, how extensive is the artillery action? Are possible concealment areas (forests and wooded zones) being pulverized, and are the nearby south bank cities, where most of the defenders are massed or will retreat to, being targeted?]

North Bank townships

The Russians broke through into the tunnel network rather easily, identifying the larger storm drains and sewer sytem access tunnels as the likely core of the defenders' mobility. A few Latvians exchanged small arms fire with the Russians, using their better positions and the narrow nature of the tunnels to bottleneck the attackers. Unfortunately, whatever advantage was available here was squandered by the nature of the fighting, as the Latvians were too scattered to mass an effective counter.

Holding many of the tunnels, the Russians became aware of the true nature of the blast tunnel network, and why it bore that appelation: the underground sections had been connected to the surface by rough holes blown in the bottom of buildings, allowing easy acess above. As Russian forces began to advance and secure buildings elsewhere, smaller holes were found through shared walls with other buildings, creating a maze of easy-access entrances and exits. The Russians would quickly find that, more often than not, retreating Latvians had ether booby-trapped these holes with tripwires and explosives, or they were the centre of the fire arc of a Latvian soldier who had been too wounded to join his comrades in withdrawal.

Mainland Estonia, and Northern Latvia

During the increasing number of hours the invasion found itself delayed at the Daugava, activity began to pick up as home guard started to take action to further distract the occupiers. While uncoordinated Estonian partisans were often simply mowed down as they attempted to assault armoured vehicles or garrisons, activity took a generally less direct form. After a day or two brought forth several incidents, the Russian troops would have reason to be wary of rubble or discarded packages by roadsides, or engaging in street patrols in the cities and towns.

Russian soldiers would find it easy to pick up female companionship... some Baltic girls seeking security in an occupation which might never be ended, but many with more nationalistic goals in mind. The companions of Russian officers conveyed what they could gleam back to partisan units, while a more unusual form of biological warfare emerged from those Russian soldiers who took advantage of the many loose and eager women remaining in the communities... these would experience a marked increase in the number of men diagnosed with such afflictions as herpes, syphilis, and even HIV.

Saaremaa

The Russians soon found that, while holding settlements was relatively easy, moving between them meant being bombarded with a torrent of small ambushes, improvised explosives, and trees cut down to form impromptu roadblocks. The Estonian attackers never remained long after they'd inflicted some damage, melting away into their native forests before pursuit or bombardment could be brought fully to bear.

Northern Bank Townships-

"Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT!" screamed Boris. His thick mustache could not conceal his pure fury and frustration. Everytime he thought he had the Latvians cornered, they slipped away with yet another one of their blasted tricks. The Moscow Map had only revealed the locations of the main, large blast tunnel entrances, not the various holes improvised by the defenders/

He paced around the room, scratching what remained of his hair and plotting how to strike back.

"There's no way we can scour every inch of the city tunnels without wasting time and men! What, what, what...YES! That's it! let the Latvian bastards suffer for their insolence! Ha! Maybe I should let them gather two of each animal, eh? Ha!"

All over every city, Russian engineering corps operated advanced digging equipment to burrow deep underground until they accessed the city's waterlines. Holes were blown on the sides of these water pipes, and immediately sealed with long, thick hoses. These hoses were extended to reach all the tunnel entrances that the Russians had managed to secure. Within minutes, millions of gallons of city water rushed into the tunnel system. After it was deemed that enough water had been delivered to flood the tunnels, the blast tunnel entrances were sealed in order to avoid getting slammed by their own watery devices. (OOC: To be clear, I'm only flooding through the official large tunnel entrances built by the city, not the various small holes scattered about.)

-Southern Bank-

The detachment of ten thousand Russians that had been sent off earlier finally arrived, and assisted the Estenlanders in their attack.

-Mainland Estonia, and Northern Latvia-

After a bout of IED related deaths, Russian troops have been ordered to patrol only in heavily armored vehicles and T-95 tanks.

Russian Commanders were initially flustered with the rising STD rates. Not only does it hamper the army's effectiveness, it was a moral embarrasment as well. Already letters from angry mothers and wives had begun to flood in, calling the army a "corrupting moral sinkhole", and the situation seemed poised to worsen. However, Commanders realized that men are, after all, men, and unless Putin wanted an entirely homosexual army (which wouldn't improve the PR situation, to say the least), the commanders had to let them release their sexual instincts somehow.

Aid came from an unexpected place.

A VERY unexpected place.

Namely, the Russian Mafiya. Through Holy League channels (as the Mafiya was closely allied to France), the Mafiya proposed to the Russian government...a deal. To face a new foe, former enemies were willing to fight under one banner. Of course, the Mafiya wasn't going to send soldiers or anything like that, but it was willing to provide a certain...commodity. In secrecy, thousands upon thousands of clean, trained, and un-infected foreign prostitutes were flown in to "support the war effort." They were all written off as various logistical units, but it was fairly obvious to anyone witnessing these "acts" that these women weren't here to cook and clean...

-Saaremaas-

Massive search formations swept the country side and the forests. Although the ambushers attempted to slip back into the forests, the sheer Russian numerical advantage allowed them to beat back the ambushed, quickly give pursuit, and call in nearby reinforcements.

If there is one thing that can be said about Hindustan's involvement in the Russian conquest of Eastern Europe, it is that Mumbai has more or less fallen flat on its face.

As the most powerful surface vessels in the HDF sit mere tens of kilometers away from the Saareema islands, the HDF chain of command hesitates. Incomplete target information, faulty intelligence on both the strategic and tactical level, and the general unreliability of Hindustani long-range communications equipment dooms the Baltic Expeditionary Force's mission to insignificance. So, in a characteristically Hindustani move, the Baltic Squadron accepts that it was outdone and slinks away. If some unofficial sources are to be believed, however, they might be headed to raid Sevastopol...

But in the meantime, Mumbai chooses to concentrate its efforts on countries that it views as still capable of being saved. Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria are all contacted and offered large sums of money to fund the purchase of new military technology. However, Hindustani involvement and fuss increases drastically overall. This is mostly due to various other international threats, not the least of which is another Spanish buildup, this time seemingly aimed at Portugal, but that is another story...

Needless to say, when word of the prostitute-army gets out, which it surely will given its scale, the Russians and their allies will suffer a significant degeneration in the already limited respect forthcoming from the Beddgelen population at large. It will not be long before Indians lament the fact that their comedians talk about nothing else these days...

North Bank Townships (and other cities where urban combat continues)

The flooding causes serious problems for the mobility of the defenders... they could no longer move with impunity under the open streets of the city. When moving between city blocks, the defenders attempted to take advantage of rubble scattered by air strikes and the earlier fighting, but this was not as easy a crossing.

As Russian troops attempted to secure buildings, they began to encounter even more desperate and unusual tactics, with defenders clambering through ducts, crawling over the rafters, and burrowing or moving through crawlspaces under floor boards, in order to find ever-more unusual ambush positions from which to toss grenades or open up with their assault rifles.

Still, yard by yard, some headway was being made by the attackers.

Saaremaa

In the forests, the partisan units began to layer their response... as one group fled, its pursuers would often encounter much larger forces, who would engage them while the first regrouped. The thick, forested terrain was a location where the Estonians could employ their own small advantages, and they attempted to use the opportunity as best they could... several pitched battles developed, though across such wide fronts that they might better be described as a series of individual firefights.

Baltic Sea

Hoisting their BALTRON pennants and large flags of the Red Cross, the ships of the Baltic navies and several commandeered civil vessels entered close formation with the Chinese-hired transports as they set out from Riga for Britain. The navy ships were heavily laden with civilians and wounded seeking to escape the fighting.

-Hudecia-

Hudecian President Christine Lau, in one of her first acts, asked the Hudecian Mounted Police to investigate President Putin and his actions against Hudecian citizenry in the Baltic states to see if there was any possibility of legal action being taken against Putin.

In other news:

6 F-22 Hudecian fighters disappeared during a routine flight from Halifax to Vancouver. Air traffic controllers swear that the fighters took off with extra fuel tanks headed east, not west.

The Polish air force is strengthened by 6 new fighters.

The Hudecian helicopters and F-22s are stashed away at an undisclosed airfield, as the Polish airforce formulate a plan to use them for a "first strike" offensive if Russian assets come too close to the Polish border.

Also, Hindustani aid is very welcome, particularly for the purchase of advanced anti-tank/personnel mine systems - AMW Poland never was too much for conventions weakening their defensive capability, and it would seem like the "Perfect Soldier"* was due for a reimplementation.





((*a grim slang term for mine, for those not in the know.))

The Chinese Government has doubled the medical supplies shipments to Eastern Europe. The Chinese government will launch an investigation in whether the Russian army has committed inhumane acts toward citizens of the Baltics. The war has killed thousands of civilians. The war is costly, and many people do not understand how the number of citizens killed can be so high.

The Estenlandian artillary is attacking the two kms zone directly back from the shoreline, though they are probably widening it to 5-7kms, as well as engaging targets of opprotunity. The majority of the artillary is of the portable towed variety, limiting their range inland to around 15-20kms. at the max. But these ones would be concentrating on the first 10 kms anyway, so not a problem. So, we are mainly peppering anything within the zone I just outlined, a strip of land that it 5-7 kms wide and 10kms deep. So, as you can imagine, I would be concentrating our firing solutions on population centers and pionts of resistance. This would be in addition to any callled in solutions from geurrilla units on the ground.

Can you let me n=know how my attacks, especially my pother Army Group that is trying to bypass the main battle, is doing?

And, is the Tsar's plane being recieved, etc.?

Tsar Wingert I.

taggith

North Bank Townships (and other cities where urban combat continues)
With the flooding tactics severely harming the mobility of defenders, the Russians move in for the kill. House by house, street by street, building by building, they sweep the city. They redouble their efforts, with infantry adopting very loose rules of engagement, squads clear houses with flash bangs and small arms, and the liberal employment of attack helicopters. The floorboard tactics are countered with grenades and explosives. Buildings from which defenders are too heavily entrenched were simply bombed to smithereens, indicating that the Russians are hell bent on finishing this battle once and for all.

Saaremaa

The thick terrain indeed granted the Estonians a significant advantage as defenders, but the Russians employed their own ace cards. While the looming trump card of full out firebombing was held in reserve, the aces of sheer numerical superiority and lightning fast mobility were utilized. The Russians were intent on goading the Estonians into full out fire fights, in order to get them in one place long enough for full infantry, light vehicle, and aerial support to arrive. The Russians constantly harassed the Estonians, pouring into the forests in order to get them into a fights, and then bringing in the iron hammer of reinforcements.

Surprisingly, the Estenlandian vassal state of Tsarist Russia, ruled by Igorij Romanov, (who has turned it into a technocratic Singapore-like state) has entered the fray, dispatching ten thousand of its men to Saaremaa, who should arrive as soon as naval mine clearing operations are concluded.

Baltic Sea

The ships are given full free passage, and Russian naval units have offered to provide an escort.

Moscow

Tsar Wingert's plane arrives simultaneously with Vladimir Putin's, and both are greeted first with the Estenlandian National Anthem, and then the Russian one ("Elektronik Supersonik"). Secretary of Defense, The Boss, and Supreme Commander Of The Divine Russian Imperial Army, Armand Domalewski, both greet the two Commanders-in-Chief with a salute. Putin says nothiing to Wingert as of yet, realizing that only once he is knighted can they be speak as equals, so both ride in seperate limousines towards St. Peter's Basilica, where the ceremony will occur. All around them, a military parade consisting of what scanty troops remain is held.

Little do they know what the Red Leader and Armand have planned....

South Bank

Forces advancing across the Daugava were becoming used to the explosion of mines and buried explosives, and occasional small arms fire from concealed positions as they encountered tiny pockets left unable to flee through exposed areas to the urban centres further back. The combination of massed air strikes and artillery had ended the possibility of a solid defensive line.

The towns and villages within the fire zone of Estenlands artillery saw massive casualties as they were pounded flat, civil populations and withdrawing military forces falling amidst the fires and rubble. A smattering of civilian vehicles, carrying all manner of passengers, scrambled off Southward in search of safety.

North Bank and other towns

As the Russians continue their advances through the cities, the number of defenders increases... a higher and higher percentage of bodies tossed from shattered buildings are those of women and children, and not all are combatants. It becomes difficult to distinguish between a building housing civilians and one with a partisan lying in wait clutching a Carl-Gustaf. Worse, civil volunteers from all ages and walks of life have no uniforms to wear, rendering even visual threat analysis difficult.

An occasional light mortar joins the fighting, firing at weakened buildings vacated by partisans as the Russians advance, hoping to bring th structure down on top of the invaders. Still, even such small artllery is uncommon, with most units equipped with such having been deployed south of the Daugava.

Lithuanian Border

The defenses arrayed against the second attack force were, perhaps oddly, stiffer than along the Daugava. Behind the standard anti-raider deterrent line of mines and wire were a number of home guard units bolstered by elements of Motorised Infantry Brigade Zemaitija. These attempted to resist, taking advantage of what terrain cover they could or utilizing urban areas as central defensive points while the invaders pushed onwards.

Saaremaa

The defenders continued fighting amidst the thick forests as best they were able, inflicting as many casualties as they could but taking many of their own. Due to inexperience and confusion of foolhadiness for bravery, the numbers of the Eagles were thinning particularly quickly.

Baltics

The Latvian President delivers another radio address to the world and the Baltic peoples, a break from the daily broadcasts aplauding defence efforts and detailing the few successes of the defenders.

"To the Russian and Estenlandian invaders, we say that we shall never surrender the freedom for which we have long fought, and continue to fight... I promise you a thousand Stalingrads, a hundred thousand forest brothers, an unending struggle against the oppession and suffering you seek to impose, and already deliver daily onto our children with your shells and bombs.

The Baltic peoples are united against you, the peoples of Europe stand ready to resist you, and the peoples of he world are rising to the call of justice and freedom from your evil."

North Bank and other towns

The situation simply continues to descend into choas and bloodshed, with the hardened professional Russian forces taking no heed of the mounting civilian casualties. Anyone vaguely looking like they migh have a weapon and who is not immediately surrendering is shot on sight, and blood flows liberally in the streets, both Russian and Latvian. As the defenders seem to give no care to the Geneva convention, it has been decided that neither shall the Russians. The tenacity and desperate tactics of the Latvians have inflicted heavy casualties on the Russians, although due to their professional training, it is likely a small toll compared to that suffered by the resistors, who are largely composed of civilian resistors. Of course, these are all just rough impressions of battle stricken soldiers---they could be completely wrong. After all, it is increasingly difficult to determine who is a soldier and who is not.

The battle continues...

Saaremaa

As most of the force consists on elite paratroopers, they clearly had a training advantage over some of the younger Estonians. However, the more experienced Estonians, utilizing their knowledge of the landscape, proved a formidable obstacle. Increasingly, casualties pile on, although they are quickly replaced with reinforcements. Fourthousand elite paratroopers now wage a vicious war in the forests.

Baltics

The President's statements are laughed off by Putin as "the rantings of a corrupt, insane bureacrat unwilling to let go off his depraved grip on power." and warns that he "better start thinking of some realistic solutionsfor peace" lest he "finds a cruise missile knocking at his door."

[b]-Past the Daugava River-[b]

About 1/5 of the original Russian force, after crossing the Daugava without much trouble, now moves to conquer the rest of Latvia, including its capital at Riga.
(OOC: Can you draw up a map of the current territorial set up?)

http://img301.echo.cx/img301/7505/balt5du.jpg

Red: Baltic defensive lines (these are rather more fluid than is mappable... borders with Occupied Lavrageria, Russia, & along the Daugava are first priority, coasts and borders with Republican Lavrageria secondary, and the Polish border unfortified.

Orange: The original anti-raider network of wire, landmines, and trapworks designed to repel and deter Belorussian tribal assaults.

Green: Areas where heavy urban combat is occurring.

Pink: Naval mine concentrations.

Blue: Current assaults by invasion forces (I think): the top being a crossing of the Daugava near Kraslava, the lower being a thrust in towards the Utenos area.

Several CHinese ships stumbled into mines and were severely damaged. Refugee transportation opperations by the Chinese halted in the Gulf of Riga and have ended operation there because of the discovery of mines.

Although major operations there have haltered, smaller ships were used to navigate through the mines to take the Estonians and Latvians out of the area to Lithuania.

Mumbai continues to harshly criticize Russian conduct in the Baltic states, calling it unbridled aggression against nations incapable of properly defending itself. Parliamentarians can't imagine how, with the volume of forces and firepower being brought into play by Russian and Ukranian forces, there aren't hundreds (even thousands) of civillian deaths. At least the French used some measure of diplomacy before they just stormed into Algeria, say Parliamentarians regarding the Russian invasion, and they criticize Vladimir Putin as 'woefully inept and incapable of developing a proper long-term strategy for the Baltic states,' 'failing to take into account historical antimosity between Russians and citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.'

In fact, air raids on Kazakhstan begin to look like a real possibility.

But one must keep in mind that the HDF has only ever been the victim of foreign aggression, and has never undertaken an all-out invasion of anywhere, so commanders tend to see themselves in a somewhat elevated moral position relative to many European military figures...

OOC: Hmm...I must have seen an innacurate map in regards to the location of the Daugava...Alright, will get something in soo

-Ottawa-

With Hudecia moving closer and closer to aiding the Baltic States (or what remains of them) the Hudecian military announces that much of its Atlantic fleet will be conducting military exercises off the coast of Newfoundland.

The exercise will involve a major landing with naval support.

Hudecian diplomats are contacted and notified that their presence in the Baltics is highly unwelcome, and that the war looks to soon be over. (remember, on the time scale it has only lasted a few days) If they wish to aid the Baltics, the Hudecians would do well to send humanitarian aid.

OOC: just for clarifiation, the Hudecian warships are off the coast of Newfoundland, well away from the Baltic states. The Hudecian 'presence' I assume you mean is more the possibility that Hudecia will become involved right?

IC:

-Ottawa-

Despite the strong-willed nature of some leaders in Hudecia, the bureaucracy moves slower than molasses in the winter. Likely, despite the sometimes harsh rhetoric of Hudecian leaders, nothing may end up being done until too late.

The fact that Hudecia may not, in fact, be coming to the aid of the Baltics does not seem to deter the mention of the excercises in propaganda broadcasts. If one were to listen to 'Radio Free Riga', one would get the impression that Western military aid was preparing to arrive, relieving the brave defenders of Saaremaa before the Russians completed their "near-genocidal attempt to obliterate the free peoples of Estonia, and their Latvian-Lithuanian brothers."

In her daily address, the Latvian President is heard to state:

"The Free World will not watch as we are once again boun in chains. We shall not be abandoned to the wolves."

How is my Lithuanian invasion coming?

The Army Group crossing the river is now deep into the movement of the trrops over the river, etablishing themselves there. The Engineers are seeting up a network of bridging equipemtn, so that supply lines can come through this territory, as the Army Group sets up a defensive perimeter around this town and reforms in order to push into the country. All aroudmn the landing troops, in the hills and forexts around the twon, the Marines are pushing out into the country in order to secure the safety og the landing force, all the while, the last of the Elite Airborne are landing all around, and forming into lightning guerrilla units, harrying the defenders, who though they are giving stiff resistance, are proving to be no match to theb highly equippe and trained attackers, this, while the Elite Marines come in from behind, continually puts pressure on the defenders, and even those brave enough to stay and fight, know that there are 160,000 more troops, with fully armoured divisions, that are forming up behind them in order to continue the push.

The battering of the area from the air is proving to be devestating to the defenders, and is also becoming an effective troop multiplier, as the air superiority that the invaders enjoy continues to prove the downfall of the invaded states.

Tsar Wingert I.

Lithuanian Front

As with the forces along the Daugava line, the Lithuanian defenders were not seeking to compare battle lines on an open field. Rather, concentrations of troops waited in the relative shelter of urban areas or the thick Baltic forests, settling in to fight house-by-house and tree-by-tree.

Inland Lithuania

Their parents and elder siblings mostly called up to serve in the home guard or war production roles, teams of young children were dispatched with small quantities of food, supplies, and ammunition. These were distributed through the woodlands surrounding their towns and villages, sometimes to those old buried bunkers which had not collapsed in the years following Russian occupation. Once again, the forest brothers would be called upon to preserve their nation... hopefully this time their glances Westward would not be met with emptiness.

Lithuanian Border

Sixty thousand Russian soldiers waited anxiously to attack the Lithuanian border. They'd crossed the Daugava, and now were primed and ready to assault the final Baltic nation. But they waited, for the favorite tactic of the Russians, one that had been used again and again to resounding success, one whose repetition mught cause one to call the Russians unoriginal, if not for the results ir produced, the tactic known as the "blowing up everything but the kitchen sink, and then whipping out a bunker buster for that".

In other words, overwhelming air and artillery power. The Mig-35s, Tu-22Ms, and Tu-160Ms that had so recently turned the Daugavan river fortifications into dust now unleashed their vicious barrages upon the Lithuanian border in the Russian attack zone. With such close vicinity to Russia and Lavrageria, the planes came in almost a constant flow. As soon as a Mig-35 left the battlefield, it was replaced by another. The main targets were any AA and radar installations still in existance, then followed by troop/vehicle concencrations, artillery, and all fortifications. Those retreating into cities are not spared. In order to avoid another quagmire such as the Northern Bank townships, heavy airstrikes are authorized on any city harboring resistance soldiers.

Artilery also joins in the chorus of destruction, altough it is not used against cities.

Moscow

Eric sweated nervously. All his life he'd waited for this moment, his chance to prove himself. He remembered the tales of his elders, the stories of Russian oppression of his peoples. Once the Russians had claimed to be bringing peace and socialist brotherhood, and now they claimed to bring democracy and freedom. To him it seemed to be more of the same lie, and so after losing his job, his family, and everything he owned in a government-Mafiya clash, this son of an Estonian immigrant had decided to end his life.

But he couldn't do it meaninglessly. If he was to die, he couldn't do it with nothing left, with no mark on the earth. And so a mysterious figure, cloaked in black gave him an offer he couldn't refuse...

And so he now stood in a battered room, lugging a Russian made RPG launcher. Whoever had made the offer to him had guaranteed that no guards occupied the entrance to the building, and had supplied him with the weapon. Now Eric could only wait, wait for the moment that would define his life. Two limousines rolled into view, and he jabbed the weapon a bit out the window. Within seconds, he took aim, and fired. The two limousines were exactly close enough for both of them to be ruptured by the missile, but just in case he loaded another round and launched it.

"FREE ESTONIA!" he roared, seconds before a hail of rockets, bullets, and bombs ripped him and the entire building to shreds, and sent it crumbling to the ground.

Screams erupted along with mass panic, as sketchy news reports repeated only one thing: Tsar Wingert and President Putin were dead.

Capua AFB, Italy

Legate Quintus Aulus Cicero watched as his legion boarded the transports bound for the Baltic Theatre. He commanded Legio VI, an armored unit. He had 5,500 men at his command and a few hundred tanks. He'd been ordered by the High Command to report to the Baltic Theatre to bolster allied efforts, mainly to satisfy the Russians who weren't all that pleased with the Roman invasion of Tunisia.

He walked up the boarding ramp of his VIP transport. His command staff were already aboard and waiting for him.

"Gaius, anything new happen lately?" he asked one of his aids who sat typing away at a laptop.

Gaius seemed incapable of smiling to most people, but the particular look he gave Quintus worried him immediatly.

"Sir, Putin and Wingert have been slain by an assasain." he replied bluntly.

Quintus seemed taken aback, at first, but quickly recovered his composure.

"How unfortunate..." he muttered in reply as the aircraft began to taxi. He plopped down in his seat and looked out the window.

His Ariete II MBTs, the letters 'SPQR' printed in bold black letters on the turret side, rolled up the ramps of the transports, preparing to encounter an enemy they knew little or nothing about. He always hated having to send men to die fighting in countries they'd never heard of.

News of a possible deaths of Tsar Wingert and President Putin were shown on sveral national news services including the State ran, CCTV. Footages aquired by some unknown people at the scnee had showed the two limosines shorthly before the first rocket hit. However, it was unclear whether if it was an accidental bombing, an assasination, or if Puting and Wingert were even in the limosines at the time.

Several hundred people in Tiananmen Square rejoiced when news of Putin's death was shouted through the public announcement speakers. Many thought this would end the war in the Baltics. How can a dragon lead glory, when there is no head?

The Japanese government is shocked at the apparent assassinations; monitoring of Russian territories near Japan is stepped up in case of instability resulting from this.

Eastern Europe

The continued Russian-Estenlands air and artillery bombardment was running out of targets... there simply remained few more exposed bases or defensive infrastructure. What was left was reduced to little but rubble in short order.

The remaining defenders, scattered elements of the three Baltic militaries along with large quantities of their home guards, were now positioned almost exclusively in the cities or dispersed through the thick forests of the Baltics. As in Estonia and northern Latvia, this form of defence left the attackers able to sweep deep within the territory.

The interior was in disarray... some major roads had either been mined or booby-trapped, but most had simply been torn up by the extensive aerial bombardment of the invading forces as they sought out potential military vehicles. Villages and smaller towns had been abandoned, their inhabitants stripping them of useful materials to fill forest caches or urban depots. Enemy soldiers who approached the larger communities, or who attempted to move off-road through the forests, would be treated to small arms fire supported by grenades and Carl Gustaf launchers.

News of United Elias' stand in Tunisia had been given substantial coverage, as 'the great Arabian superpower gears up for confrontation with the Holy League and their Russian lackeys'. As the news of the attack on Putin and Wingert begins to filter into the Baltics (through the sattellite internet and telephone linkups being used to send images of the war and pleas for help to foreign media), it is announced that 'even in the heart of their oppressive empire, those who ordered this illegal and immoral invasion are not safe'.

Spyr

Sithin

Spyran diplomats begin to seek meetings with their counterparts across the world (Progressive bloc, NATO, China, Japan, and United Elias, to perhaps name the most prominent). With the brutal execution in France, and simultaeous imperial invasions in Tunisia and Eastern Europe (plus forces gearing up for a probable future assault on Portugal), the Holy League and the Divie Russian Empire have revealed their true faces, and a united front must be formed to prevent them from committing any further horrors upon the world.

Saie-roden, northern Spyr

The chamber in the 'spring breeze palace' was barren and empty, its August-era ornaments stripped by decades of warlord excess and further years of Strainist efforts to transform feudal remnants to more useful endeavours than display in a 'private' residence.

A rather large chair and a suprisingly small television were the only furnishings remaining, both modern anachronisms in a structure centuries old. From the television could be heard news announcements in Chinese, reporting the probable deaths of President Putin and Tsar Wingert in Moscow. Spyr's own news networks had been more cautious than CCTV in their reporting, awaiting further confirmation before broadcasting the death announcements... as such, foreign media were updating the situation much more rapidly.

In the chair sat an old man, wearing the black uniform and three gold braids which marked him as the father of the Strainist revolution... Sutreiin Shiwen.

The man coughed, a dry hack that sent his thin frame shuddering. The young woman standing behind him straightened and held out a mug of warm tea.

"Are you alright, Shiwen-ti?"

"Do you see it, Sumi-shobo? First, that pompous despot falls... now two more bleed their lives into the ground. Even that Obed, across the sea, will soon pass. They call upon their 'God', they invoke him at every turn, but they have no conception of the divine. Theirs is a path to disruption, a path which threatens the balance of Heaven and Nature..."

Shiwen smiled and sipped the tea.

"... and, at last, Heaven strikes them down.

wa sun Lyong-ti... wa sun lao-ti."

Most Commonwealth media sources were making mention of the reported assassinations, but were paying little attention to the identities and more to the posts of the victims. A couple of generic tyrants had -possibly- been blown-up. The in thing for them to do, these days, it seemed.

The news was relayed in passing conversation, by and large, as hundreds of thousands of Beddgelens investigated their powers and responsibilities as newly-enroled members of the Commonwealth Guard: quite possibly the largest fighting organisation in human history.

The fleets and fliers of the Soviets were refitting themselves for new tours as the masses gathered around posters explaining the finer points in mass production and deployment of the Phalansteric-Workshop Standard Petrol Bomb. Or they chattered about how long it would be before the economy had filtered through initial developmental investment in the new states that 2nd-line assault rifle production might re-start. Until then they practiced and voted upon whom from each dorm ought to be 1st Section Gunner with an L4 Bren or RPK broken-out of storage, and whom was the handiest choice for Grenadier or Anti-Tank Rocketeer.

Home defence was clearly moving more seriously into the hands of the amature, the farmer and the worker. But there was no sign of the regular military being completely dismantled.

As the chillling reports of the assassination attempt come in, coupled with the announcement of Louis's death. Princess Adrienna, assumed temporary command, seeing as how she is in command of the invasion anyway, and broadcasts those facts to the troops. This infuriates the troops oin the field, their warrior culture seeing this as an extreme act of cowardice.
Then the reports from the front, echoing the acts that happened in Lavrageria around the swampland. Ther Imperial army moves up and sorrounds a town. They broadcast a demand for surrender, and offer any civilain non-combatants amnesty, allowing them to leave the city. Then, after 24 hours, they set fire to the town. They burn it to the ground. Gone. Ashes.

The same happens when stiff resistance is found in forested areas. Sorround. Warn. Burn.

Tsar Wingert I.

Versailles

His Most Christian Majesty Louis-Auguste authorized a series of high level top-secret communiqués between French High Command and the Tsarist Headquarters. The codes are thoroughly encrypted.

The Holy League will fight as one, the transmissions promise. Preparations are underway in France for two major events.

First of all, French and Roman forces will begin major engagements in North Africa, brushing Tunisia aside and engaging United Elias as a whole. They will no doubt be aided by a massive push north from Al-Ahzad: United Elias will be attacked on three fronts at once. Spain will secure the flank, and soon the French and Romans plan to turn the Med. into a Holy League pond. The Tsar and Putin are re-assured that a conflict with an increasingly belligerent United Elias was impossible, and must be won to secure the lines of communication, and prevent the Progressive powers from interfering vis-à-vis the Suez Canal. Already two massive forces, one Franco/Algerian and the other Roman, have swept into Tunisia. Huge re-enforcements, from both France and Rome, would soon arrive in North Africa. The Royal Navy has dispatched a fleet of war to link up with the Roman flotillas, which will advance together to secure the land campaign. Defeat will be compromise, victory will open the vast oil fields of the Mideast to Holy League usage.

But the Estenlandians are assured that the Holy League will fight as one. Massive naval buildups in France will soon come to fruition. His Most Christian majesty swears to the Tsar and President Putin that a French Fleet will be putting to sea ere long, and secure the Baltic for the Holy League. Of course, the fleet will not be as large as the massive formations being formed in the Med, but the French promise immediate and tangible support nonetheless: the Royal Arsenal is quick to switch to war-time production. As one of the highest tech members of the Holy League, France will keep her promise to avail her allies of the gadgetry they need to press their campaigns forward.

His Most Christian Majesty Louis-Auguste will travel to Rome immediately following his assassinated father’s funeral, to discuss the North African theatre. Shortly after he would secretly meet, although the Rome meeting was top secret too, with President Putin and the Tsar, to co-ordinate a master plan for the offensives in Europe. The offensives which, after all, were the product of years of Holy League ambitions, small campaigns, and overt buildups. Soon fair and legitimate government would control Europe, for so long the play thing of demagogues and communist cabals. The banners of Christ flew high and proud (alongside the Crescent banners of valiant allies such as Al-Ahzad), inaugurating another if more benevolent era of Crusade.

The communiqué ended with the new rally cry of the Holy League:

"Deus Vult!"

"God wills it!"

Moscow

Smoke wafted into the air, and the only thing that spread faster than it was the panic that enveloped the crowd. The explosions, the blood, the violence, the choas, it was all too much. They ran like rats, scurrying about without any aim or goal, lost in a mix of fear and sorrow. Despite what the Bedgellens or other leftists believed, despite the recent alliances with the Holy League, the fact remained that Putin was no tyrant, no despot. A nationalist, with a heavy authoritarian bent towards crime, and with an aggressive foreign policy, yes, but a tyrant? No. Ever since that fateful day since he had parachuted into the Red Square, a desperate one man army on a mission of salvation, he had firmly embedded his place in the hearts of the Russian people. How could they not love the man who had so passionately preached a new future on the streets of Moscow? The man who had spilled the blood of their hated enemy, the Mafiya? The man who had restored their economy by wiping out corruption, creating a booming international trade, and bringing capitalism to the masses? The man who had saved Russian, Lavragerian, and Kazakhstani democracy? The man who had swept forth an unprecedented (in Russia) degree of direct democracy, with an incredible amount of power held by numerous local areas, and massive amounts of referendums? The man who had whittled his own health away in service of his nation? The man whose quirky personality, odd humor, and fiery populist fervor delighted them?

Even his political opposition, which continued to shrink away so rapidly as to become almost insignificant, had buckled under the pressure of popularity and accepted that unless Putin died or went insane they would have no chance of electoral victory.

The panic began to subside a bit, with the canyons carved by fear now filled with sorrow. Tears flowed into the streets as troops approached the smoking limousines.

Suddenly, a vauge figure began to emerge out of the haze...

"They cannot take away our freedom..." muttered a dizzied voice.

From the smoke and wreckage emerged President Vladimir Putin, closely followed by the hulking man known as Tsar Wingert.

Russia thundered in joy, uncaring of what the rest of the world thought. Vladimir was their hero---who gave a damn as to what the Spyrians thought? Wingert too was greeted with thunderous applause. Once, for his conquest of Lavrageria, he had been hated, but that had been overlooked as a mistake, and his struggles against the Left had earned him enough popularity to spawn a Tsarist branch in Putin's party. Now his dramatic survival would only further boost his approval ratings.

Oddly enough, Eric the Estonian assasin had somehow survived the vicous barrage on the building, and his battered, bleeding body was dragged in front of Putin himself. Vladimir snarled, pulling out his side arm and aiming it at the young man's face.

"I should kill you..."

Vladimir tossed the gun to the ground.

"But no. We are not barbarians; you will be given a fair trial, and justice shall be dispensed. Take him away."

He turned to face the Tsar.

"Sir, the streets are dangerous and could be full of treacherous agents. Let us perform the cermony now."

Later, after Putin was knighted, martial law would be declared, effectively placing temporary control of Russia and Estenlands in the hands of Wingert and Putin. The Italians were thanked for their contribution, but since war with UE seems inevitable, it is suggested they use all resources for that theater of war. The Baltic was proposed as an alternative to Middle Eastern wars, but if they cannot be avoided, they might as well be won. The French are thanked as well, and cruise missile bombings of military centers and civilian government centers are urged.

Lithuania

The Russians work in sync with their Estenlandian allies, utilizing heavy firebombing on cities and forests that refuse to surrender.

Baltic Sea

Heavy mine clearing operations were undertaken in order to clear a path for Chinese relief vessels.

Baltics

Acoss the three Baltic states, low level partisan activity continued, while unit concentrations attempted to draw their enemies into the vital delay of urban warfare.

Throughout Lithuania, houses and forests burned.

Tsar Wingert had a far more tough time walking pastthis peasant than did Putin. And was at once convinced of the weakness of this democrat. As they went down to the Kremlin, and then on to St. Basil's the cahpel that stood next to the Kremlin. Both built by his ancestor, Ivan Drozny IV. Knowing that the Russian word Drozny was translated as Awesome, but more commonly known to the West as Terrible. Yes, Ivan the Terrible, his blood. The true and first Tsar, before the Romonav usurpers took power. The man that built Russia, the Kremlin and St. Basil's.
He didn't bother to clean himself up, but ordered his limo driver to drive him to the church, and emerged from his new converyance, hois eyes still flashing with age, his nearly seven foot frame dwarfing the gaurds around him, and his now soot blackened armour, the reason that he was still standing, clanging against the ground.
Putin came in, as Wingert walked to the altar then turned and said the first word that Putin heard him speak to him directly, as is fitting for a Tsar when with a peasant. "Kneel."
Putin kneeled in front of the few soldiers who had followed the two leaders in, covered with soot as well. He glared up at Wingert, fire in his eyes, still a warrior, two old warriors standing together in front of God.
Wingert pulled his sword that was slung across his back, and ably holding the massive, six foot long heavy piece of tempered steel, brought it down in Putin, stopping short of Putins ear. Putin just stared up, without flinching, as this giant stood in front of an altar byulkt 8 centuries before and spoke the Russian words that declared him a nobleman, a knight. By Divine Right, somehow more worthy than before. The Orthodox priests and monks present break into a haunting liturgy and soon the bells toll for this new union, as the Quinntonian trained Russian President rose, in the presence of a Tsar, now a nobleman. Wingert finished the words and just stared down at the man, his black scraggly beard framing his massive face, his piercing dark eyes looking at this small man who ruled the Russia that Wingert flet rightfully belonged to him.

Tsar Wingert I.

Hundreds gave a deep sigh before turning their rejoicement into a demonstration urging China to lead the nations into fighting the Holy League and the dangerous Russia.

CCTV made an announcement of Putin and Wingert's survival. China does not recognise the knighting of Wingert or Putin, as part of the, Loyalty, in Name of the Emperor which forbids Chinese nationals from addressing or kowtowing foreign Monarchs and Imperial officials.

After news of the latest mining accidents finished up on CCTV, Chancellor Yeh gave his annual National Address.


"Good evening China, and may our Glorius Emperor Live a Thousand years. Today, I as Chancellor, reach out to the Chinese people and the people of the world. Russia's aggression has turned the tables around for the worse. Because of the backing of the Parliament, the Mutual Defense Aggreements with France and Russia have both been scrapped. The National Assembly and the Imperial Parliament have both voted today to scrap these agreements, and to place a trade embargo on France.

In a quick overnight decision, China will host its first ever Asia-Pacific Rim Alliance in Beijing. Because China cannot stand alone, we must unite and protect those who are in need. The Holy League is nothing but an aggresor alliance hiding behind the flanks of Christianity. Humanity will survive under this bitter reign of terror!

Rise up, it is time to rebuild our great nations. Man fears evil, therefore we must confront it!"

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=9223939#post9223939
The Asia-Pacific Rim Alliance

Japan, Spyr, Quintonnia, and Hudecia havebeen invited to join the security council along with China.

OOC: I am going the futre like you guys. About when you guys are talking, U.S will have rail tanks and OICWs.

IC: "What are we going to do about thius situation?" asked Gen. Myers asked the other Joint Cheifs.
" We should ready the armed forces and pull out the rail tanks".
" Let's support the russians."
" No. Their attack is pure conquest. We should help the Baltins, or whatever.".
"We'll support the russians for now but one move twoards us or our greater allies, and they're toast. And by support I mean not kicking their ass."
______________________________________________________________

I have to make half of this stuff up. I can't find anything on U.S army people, Tanks, et cetera.

The U.S has 10 infentry divisions, equiped with OICWs, AT4 Viper rocket launchers, M82A1 SAS (Special Application Scoped) rifles, and M9 pistols.

This is a closed RP group, and I play the US in it.
WWJD
Amen.

OOC-Can I get some progress on my ionvasion forces?
Tsar Wingert I.

This is a closed RP group, and I play the US in it.
WWJD
Amen.

Well, sorry about that then.

Question: is Spyr a real nation? Because if it isn't then I'd like to play as my country.

This is a closed RP, for the AMW RPing group. It is for members only. There are planty of other good Rping groups around. Good luck.
WWJD
Amen.

Tsar Wingert is quite happy with the result that comes from unifying the command structures of the Imperial and Russian militraies, now, they were able to coordinate their movements in a far more powerful and effiecient fashion. This has meant that the intelligence shared is now translating into results, with deadly effect.
At this piont, Tsar Wingert closes all Trade and High Schools, asking his people to sacrifice in order to call up the totallity of his reserves, and begins forming them up. In the same breath, he imposes war rationing on his nation, while beginning to nationalise industrial production.
This includes a geat many of the planes that were tripping all over themselves in the north, bring moved to Sevestapol, and flying pattenrs and patrols over the Black Sea, while backed by the Imperial Navy in its entirety, in case UE tries to take out its frustration against France and Rome on Estenlands.

Tsar Wingert I.

Baltics

The Russo-Estenlands invasion had little to restrain it should it seek to advance... light firefights occasionally broke out in the countryside, but unless the invasion attempted to sweep the deep forests, these were neither potent nor effective.

The urban defence tactics of the Baltic defenders were also losing effectiveness, in that rather than delays of months they were causing delays of mere days, long enough to be flattened by air and artillery bombardment. The terror of the urban inferno, and of the brutal ferocity of the Tsarist troops, tore many of the civilians still in the urban areas... a small few fled their hiding places for the lines of the invaders, a small few who had not already joined the home guard, began defensive efforts with a suicidal near-religious zeal, but most cowered in basements and hospitals, recorded as little more than collateral damage.

[OOC: Extrapolating from the most recent modern advances of the US in Iraq, it loks like it would take five days for invaders to reach the coast from the border/Daugava line, provided they ignored pockets of resistance. With delays for urban fighting/destruction, it might be increased to a week before (disregarding partisan activity) the invaders can declare territorial control of Lithuania-Latvia].

Great Britain

As the Chinese transport(s) and the ships of the Baltic navies head into British ports with their refugee cargoes, a message is sent from civil head of the fleet, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus requests asylum for his government-in-exile from the British, Hudecian, and Quinntonian governments.

Moldova

The evening stillness of Kolovsk was broken by the echoes of an explosion, as a bomb went off in the town centre, collapsing the facade of a govrnment building housing collaborators with the Tsarist regime. Responsibility is claimed by Front for United Romania.

OOC- I am just extrapolating on the last post. Tell me if I'm out of line.

The Tsarist troops begin to drive faster and faster into thev Lithuanian countryside, and though they continue to push forward, leaving some partisn resistance behind them, the massive amounts of troops allows them to properly defend their behind while advancing at top speed. Their is no more orgnaised resistnace, and the odd town that puts up a fight gets burned to the ground. Soon, the message is out, resistnace means death. Militias are surrendering themselves to Russian troops all over the Baltics, to elude time under the "care" of teh Tsarist troops. All over the three small nations, the skt turns sooty and grey with smoke. Forests that have provided cover for resisters, burn. Towns that fight back, burn. Everywhere, things burn.

Now the fight for pacification begins. Another 100,000 troops are brought up from the siege of the Free City, and they begin to roam the countryside, taking weapons, and engaging what resistance there is left.

In Moldova, the Tsarist secret police, the Kargat, are moving thousands of their number, while combining with the occupation forces and local police to orchastrate hundreds of arrsest on the forst day alone. meanwhile, the borders of the tiny nation are completely closed except through Ukraine. Military patrols are increased over all the frontier areas. Martial Law was imposed and the militray runs tanks through the streets.

Tsar Wingert I.

As the first transports carrying the men of Legio VI touched down in Russian and Tsarist-held Lithuania, Legate Cicero stepped off of his personal transport. The skies above were filled with military aircraft of all sorts and nationalities (well, allied nationalities). The Romans had brought minimal air support: a squadron of Eurofighter Typhoons, another squadron of AMX multirole fighters, mostly supplied with French-made missiles.

Tanks began to roll out of the aircraft as the strategic reinforcement effort began in full. This was an armored legion, comprised mostly of tanks and mechanized infantry. As of now, the men, even the commanders, were uncertain of the role they were to play in this theatre, and so, they awaited orders from the allied commanders.

Approaching the Baltic

A Squadren of three Brest Class Frigates HMCMS's Lightning, Azure, and Cobra led by the Marseilles Class Cruiser Mk. II St. Bonaventure (capable of launching both Trident ASM's and Fury IV cruise missiles) and shadowed by the freshly completed Nantes Class Attack Submarine RN-12 departed the French Port of Brest. As the hit the North Sea, they made a sharp right ergo proceeding to the Baltic.

Their mission, long overdue due to the Mediterranean Theatre's priority by the Admiralty, will be to support the Russian/Estenlandian push into the Baltic's by securing ocean support in the form of missile raids and intradiciton missions. Air cover would of course be provided by President Putin and Tsar Wingert. The French High Command's view of the situation is that as soon as the Baltic Theatre is secured, the sooner the Holy League could shift the bulk of its efforts to the North African Front.

-The Baltics-

While the Ukrainians charge ahead, the Russians now stay behind, in order to begin pacification efforts. As Russia is under martial law, and the Baltics are now considered joint Russo-Estenlandian territory, the nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are placed under it as well. Russian minorities and cooperative local leaders are placed in control of towns, and a mix of Russian and Estenlandian legal codes is established. Ukrainian and Russian language classes are now mandatory, with the punishment of avoidance being death by firing squad---for all citizens. Corrupt local leaders and criminals are publicly executed alongside insurgent leaders, with swift shots to the head. Bounties are offered for every enemy insurgent given to authorities. The Baltics are declared "Russo-Estenlandic Protectorates", and General Armand D. Domalewski is named Russian Governor General. (The Estenlanders will most likely appoint Adrianna, yes?) It seems more and more likely that the allied coalition will be able to declare an "end to major combat operations" soon.

Roman allies are informed that their assistance in pacifying Lithuanian urban resistance would be most welcome. (OOC: Spyr, can you give Doomingsland a city to wage war against?)

-Moscow-

Putin smiled as he rose to his feet. His smile was one of sheer mirth, at the hilarity of the situation. He took great pleasure in watching Wingert knight him, for he saw the reluctance emanating from his eyes. Wingert was infuriated at having to respect this "pretender", he could tell, and the enormous irritation it caused the hulking man provided Putin with a bitter sense of satisfaction.

Yes, he thought, we may be allies, but we shall never be friends. The very way we see the world is far too different.

"Your Majesty, I thank you deeply for this honor. Now, I suggest that to bolster our nations' morale, which could take a dip with the cruelty of the war, the harshness of martial law, and of course, the unrest..."

The "unrest" Putin referred to was the wave of violence that had struck Russia after the assassination attempt. Apparently a blend of Baltic terrorists (one group being the Front For United Romania) and Russian Mafiosi had decided to unleash all hell on Russia, and thus a wave of car bombings, mob riots, assasinations, and suicide bombings had forced Putin to declare long term Martial Law in the nation, playing directly into Armand and the Red Leader's plans...Now, all of Russia, Kazakhstan, Tarfaya, the Baltics, and the Estenlands would be in the hands of two men, and if the plan prevailed...

Just one.

Thus a note detailing the entire plan was sent to Wingert, and it encouraged him to take up Putin's offer of a private conference in occupied enemy territory. Only in private would Putin be away from his entourage of Black Scarves, and only in enemy territory could his death be attributed to combat.

The infamous Red Scarves were rumoured to have arrived in Russia.

OOC:AC, do you happen to have any underground groups in Russia or the baltics? Please TG

Wingert eagerly accepted the invitation to go to the meeting, and pointed to a military outpost in the occupied territory in order to meet. The outpost was mostly filled with Ukrainian nationals, but the bodyguard of Putin would be allowed in. Putin was also personally sent a gift of a chest of solid gold jewellery and gems. It was highly publicized.
Tsar Wingert I.