Meribian State News Network

[Miroslavl]

Meribian State News Network
Truth for the People​

General Secretary Pledges Support to White Dragon: General Secretary of the Soviet Republic Jessica Del Alkirk released a statement earlier today promising to provide support and aid for White Dragon Island in the Western Sea, which was badly ravaged last week by a hurricane. Sources within Meribia Centre declined to comment on allegations that the hurricane was the work of fascist Zopharite warlocks or other foreign enemies. Citizens of White Dragon reportedly welcomed the good news, though there was a string of protests in New Saith, believed to be the work of international criminal organizations presently using the lightly-policed White Dragon as a safe haven.

Long part of Meribia, White Dragon Island briefly declared independence forty years ago following the rise of then-General Secretary Mel Del Alkirk the Fifth, father of present day General Secretary Jessica Del Alkirk and founder of the Soviet Republic. The brief insurrection was concluded by the Treaty of Quark, by which White Dragon returned to the Soviet Republic but was allowed a greater amount of local autonomy. The treaty has long been controversial for allowing capitalist policies to remain in effect over large portions of the island such as New Saith, and members of the Meribian Cidist-Melshevist Party have long demanded the treaty's nullification, which nearly occurred during the brief Jonathan Del Alkirk administration that arose after Founder Mel's death, but was quickly restored by General Secretary Jessica Del Alkirk after Jonathan was expelled from office.

The General Secretary is expected to continue to maintain the treaty, and shipments of food and medical supplies to Quark Naval Air Station on White Dragon are scheduled to begin within the next few days.

Ruby-Eye Attacks Town: In a move that has local zoologists baffled, a mature Ruby-Eye Dragon descended from the Nanza mountains and attacked and killed several people yesterday before being put down by enforcers from the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs Section 9.

The Ruby-Eyed Dragon, Meribia's national animal, is a species of large, subterranean lizards commonly found in the Nanzan mountains along the border with the Soviet Socialist States of Zefielia. They are carnivorous and fully capable of killing and eating an average sized adult human, but have rarely done so in the past several decades after former Soviet Republic officials began airlifting livestock into the mountains to give the reptiles - believed to be the result of radioactive mutation from the rich stores of uranium in the Nanza mountains - a more convenient source of food. It is now feared that this policy may have resulted in an explosive increase in the Ruby-Eye population, which was believed to number less than a hundred. Soviet Republic officials have promised to find a solution to the problem in short order.

Fortunately, as the Ruby-Eye appeared in the town of Meryod, no important or valued citizens were lost in the attack, though an NKVD officer reportedly suffered a twisted ankle after killing the dragon. We here at MSNN pray for their speedy recovery.

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[Josepania]

Secretary of Foreign Affairs

Our hearts go out to the peoples of White Dragon Island, for we fear they are not in good hands. Undoubtedly the Red Dictatorship of Meribia will extract from them further pledges of loyalty and loss of personal liberty in exchange for the supplies necessary for survival, a hateful trade to receive.

Sincerely,
Ernestito Morána
Secretary of Foreign Affairs

 

[Miroslavl]

Meribian State News Network

Criminal Elements Attempt Raid on Quark: Masked gunmen staged a raid on Quark Naval Air Station on White Dragon Island yesterday, apparently seeking to destroy a recently-arrived shipment of food and medical supplies intended for refugees displaced by a hurricane that ravaged the island two weeks ago. Two Soviet Meribian Army guards and a civilian worker were killed in the ensuing firefight, though reports claim at least seven of the attackers were killed. A manhunt for the remaining gunmen was called off after the shooters reportedly fled the base and made their way into the White Dragon autonomous district, where Meribian Soviet Armed Forces personnel are not permitted without the approval of local authorities.

The attack is believed to be the work of one of the criminal organizations presently operating out of White Dragon, especially the island's sole major city, New Saith. Several of the island's largest organizations, including the so-called "Meribia House" cartel, have already denied responsibility for the attack, though others yet remain silent.

A statement from Soviet Republic officials in Meribia Centre claims that the attack was relatively minor and aid shipments to White Dragon will continue.

No Lives Lost in Nanza Mine Collapse: Tragedy was narrowly avoided this week as workers successfully escaped alive from a mine collapse in Nanza.

The Nanza mountains of central Meribia, from which the regional capital of Nanza draws it's name, have long been exceedingly rich in mineral resources. However, much of the easier-to-reach veins and deposits have long been mined out, forcing workers to delve deep underground in search of ore. While official reports remain classified, it is estimated that over a million miners work up to ten miles underground every day, their efforts feeding Meribia's vital heavy industry with much-needed metal.

Government officials reported that a small mining shaft collapsed early in the morning, briefly trapping six miners who retreated to the safety of a nearby collapse bunker. The collapse bunker system - construction of which was ordered several years ago during the brief People's Republic of Jonathan Del Alkirk, one of the few orders not rescinded upon Jonathan Del Alkirk's expulsion from office and later execution - features a series of concrete-reinforced chambers scattered throughout the Nanza mines, electronically linked to a central command bunker on the surface. Well stocked with food and water and featuring an advanced oxygen filtration system, each collapse bunker can temporarily house up to several dozen workers for a period of several months. The six trapped miners were reportedly very comfortable "and slightly drunk" when tunnelers reached them three days later.

While the collapse bunker system has saved many lives in it's four years of operation, it is not entirely foolproof: a similar mine collapse two months ago killed sixteen miners unable to reach a nearby bunker, and a hundred and twenty-seven workers died last year after being forced to take shelter in a single bunker for over a month, exhausting their food supplies and ultimately sabotaging their bunker's filtration system to avoid death by starvation. The bunker, CB-K19, was later decommissioned and converted into a memorial after active mining in it's area of service ceased.

Newer collapse bunkers now feature a system to remotely release a fast-acting nerve agent into the filtration system in the event of similar emergencies.

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[Miroslavl]

Meribian State News Network

UFO Breaches Meribian Airspace: Meribian Soviet Armed Forces officials have reported that a small, high-altitude unidentified flying object pierced Meribian airspace late last night, causing an uproar within the air defense forces after the object failed to respond to attempted communication.

"The object was very small, possibly an unmanned aerial drone." says General Yaroslav Lukanov, commander of the Soviet Meribian Army's National Air Defense Force. "It flew in from over the ocean to the east, passed over the capital restricted airspace and reduced it's altitude to rooftop-level flight, below our detection range. Attempts to rediscover the object failed until it proceeded to climb to a high altitude once more and proceed west. After multiple attempts at communicating with the object, which remained unresponsive, we received permission to target the object and bring it down."

"Ultimately we were successful in this endeavor." General Lukanov reports, adding that the UFO was intercepted by Soviet Meribian Air Force aircraft over the Nanza mountains and reportedly shot down. MSAF personnel have already been assigned to search the area around where the object was intercepted to search for debris, hoping to discover the object's origin and specifications.

The General Secretary's office released a statement condemning the violation of sovereign Meribian airspace. Reports from some eye witnesses on the ground when the object descended to lower altitude over the capital and Vane that it resembled "a number of flying deer pulling a sleigh" have been dismissed by Soviet Republic officials as "unlikely at best".

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[Miroslavl]

Meribian State News Network

Army Crushes Navy 63-12: The Soviet Republic National Football League welcomed 2010 with the annual New Year's Day game today, an exciting match between the Soviet Meribian Army War Hogs and the Soviet Meribian Navy Sharks at Revolution Arena in downtown Meribia. In an expected but nonetheless stunning blowout, the War Hogs - considered the finest Meribian football team within the Meribian Soviet Armed Forces - smashed the Sharks - by contrast the second weakest team in the Soviet Republic behind only the lackluster Rezan Hornets, who have not won a single game since 1984 - for a final score of 63-12.

The game was also a last hurrah for many members of the team that has led the War Hogs to victory in thirty-one of fourty games over the past four years, as fully half of the War Hogs' present lineup will be entering their fifth and final year of conscription this week, during which they will be ineligible to play. Further, many of the War Hogs leaving this year are unlikely to return as they would need to choose to continue their military service beyond their five-year conscription, an action taken by only one in every ten Meribians. By contrast, the Sharks - largely made up of professional Navy personnel - will only be losing wide receiver Ivan Ponomarev and defensive tackle Vladik Kovalev, both of whom have pledged to continue their service in the SMN at the end of their conscriptions.

Played under heavy rain, the game featured an overly large number of turnovers with three fumbles and two interceptions in the first half alone. The Sharks started strong, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and making an interception only three plays later, but were soon stonewalled by the War Hogs' widely-acclaimed defense, which allowed the Sharks only a single field goal for the rest of the game. The Army offensive lineup rallied only minutes into the first quarter, scoring four touchdowns before the half and another five by game's end. Notably, War Hogs quarterback Yuri Mikhailov gave up a safety to the Sharks in the final seconds of the game, running backwards into his own endzone and allowing the Sharks to pick up two final points as the clock ran out. When questioned by MSNN reporters on his action later, Corporal Mikhailov - among the War Hogs players leaving this year - gave the following statement:

"Coach's orders, and I was happy to follow them. The Navy boys played a good game, and they'd have made a touchdown two plays earlier if not for the damn rain."

Asked if he felt any regret for ending what could possibly be the last game of his career with a sack, Cpl. Mikhailov replied, "Nope."

The War Hogs will return to the field with a new team in February, playing against the Meribian Civil Security Lawmen.

Nuclear 'Firecracker' Detonated in Fortress Nanza: Not to be outdone by the Army, the Soviet Republic Strategic Arms Command chose to celebrate the New Year with a truly impressive fireworks display, capping it off with the midnight detonation of a one-megaton nuclear warhead in a hardened underground testing facility deep beneath the Nanzan mountains. Authorized by the General Secretary's office, the nuclear 'firecracker' was salvaged from an older warhead slated for decommissioning.

Marshal of the Soviet Republic Nikolai Vorobev, Chief of the Strategic Forces, was asked by MSNN reporters why the Strategic Arms Command chose to detonate what some are already calling "the world's largest firecracker". His response: "Why not?"

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[Serbovia]

Nuclear 'Firecracker' Detonated in Fortress Nanza: Not to be outdone by the Army, the Soviet Republic Strategic Arms Command chose to celebrate the New Year with a truly impressive fireworks display, capping it off with the midnight detonation of a one-megaton nuclear warhead in a hardened underground testing facility deep beneath the Nanzan mountains. Authorized by the General Secretary's office, the nuclear 'firecracker' was salvaged from an older warhead slated for decommissioning.

Marshal of the Soviet Republic Nikolai Vorobev, Chief of the Strategic Forces, was asked by MSNN reporters why the Strategic Arms Command chose to detonate what some are already calling "the world's largest firecracker". His response: "Why not?"

"...and now to our last story. In rumored response to the publication of a 100 megaton nuclear detonation in Meribia, the Serbovian Federal Army today tested a new weapon called the ignore cannon. The High Command reported that the test achieved all objectives."
- SCNA

 

[Miroslavl]

OOC:

100 megaton nuclear detonation

lolwut?

detonation of a one-megaton nuclear warhead

 

[Serbovia]

OOC:Last night I drank a buttload of Russian vodka and came home through the ER, give me a break. :blush: Still, ignore cannons stay!

 

[Miroslavl]

OOC:Last night I drank a buttload of Russian vodka and came home through the ER, give me a break.

OOC: Ah. I know how that feels...

 

[Batavië]

Comisariaat Buitenlandse Zaken | CoBuZa (Commissariat for Foreign Affairs)

We wish congratulate our ally Meribia on its successful nuclear test. We are glad that it was conducted underground so as to prevent unnecessary irradiation of land and air. However, we urge our comrades to the west to be cautious with their nuclear aspirations. It would be a travesty for their nuclear power to be used solely for their deterrent. Nuclear fuelled energy is an important science that should be explored on international levels.

Robert Zandberg
CoBuZa Spokesman

 

[Serenierre]

Foreign Office

The nuclear explosion by Meribia has the potential of damaging ties between Belmont and the IRB. Meribia must, now, show restraint in all matters and not act impulsively.

 

[Miroslavl]

Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Republic

The Soviet Republic would like to assure our Batavian comrades that civilian nuclear energy is already in widespread usage throughout Meribia, most notably within the capital and Nanza. The detonation was merely a part of the New Year's festivities, and all efforts were made to ensure that the detonation was conducted safely and with minimal risk.

The Soviet Republic Strategic Arms Command would also like to further reassure Europa that it maintains firm control of the Soviet Republic's active nuclear arsenal, and that the only ones with anything to fear from Meribian arms are those who would seek to use similar arms on the Soviet Republic themselves.

 

[Wazistan]

Statement from the Foreign Ministry

The Islamic Republic urges Meribia to exercise restraint in the wake of this nuclear test in the hopes of maintaining international peace and harmony.

 

[Shinryeo]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Republic of Shinryeo

We are very shocked at the news of nuclear test by Meribian military. We urge Meribia to show further straint in further actions.

 

[Confederate States]

The Department of State

We, as neighbors, are concerned over the recent test of a nuclear warhead in Meribia. We are especially concerned over the reported reasoning for detonating the warhead, and we hope in the future, the Meribian Government shows more restraint over usage of these weapons.

 

[Calidia]

Royal Office of External Affairs

The warmongering government of Meribia has once again provoked the world in one of the worst possible ways. Because we know that there is no reasoning with the Meribians we will not politely ask for restraint. We warn the Soviet Republic that in the future there will be no mercy for those who show none themselves.

 

[Miroslavl]

Meribian State News Network

SMSAC Plans Test of M-4 ICBM: The Soviet Meribian Strategic Arms Command, in cooperation with the Soviet Meribian Army as part of it's joint Crimson Shield initiative, announced today it's plans to conduct a final test of the new Meribia-4 'Devil Zophar' intercontinental ballistic missile later this month in advance of the M-4's full activation at the beginning of February. A single M-4 missile - the first of the production models - is to be launched from a mobile train within the Nanza mountains, with it's complement of seven independent re-entry vehicles loaded with dummy ordnance designed to emulate the weight and mass of actual nuclear warheads. The MIRV container will circumnavigate the globe once - a testament to the M-4's extremely long range - before releasing it's mock payload on a series of prepared target sites located throughout the Soviet Republic. Excess portions of the missile will disintegrate within the Earth's atmosphere and any debris is projected to fall safely within the Soviet Republic's territorial waters in the Great Sea.

The SMSAC came under heavy international criticism yesterday following the detonation of a one-megaton warhead deep within Fortress Nanza during the New Year's festivities. While the 'World's Largest Firecracker' received largely positive attention throughout the Soviet Republic, foreign governments strongly condemned the 'unscientific test' and some states tried unsuccessfully to call for international military action against the Soviet Republic. "Cooler heads prevailed, fortunately." states an MSNN liaison within the Ministry of International Relations, reassuring citizens of the Soviet Republic that, rather than authorize an 'armed intervention with the aim to disarm and dismantle the Soviet Republic', members of the Council of Nations instead opted to merely issue strong condemnations coupled with trade embargoes and the promise of CoN sanctions.

As sources within the Ministry of the Economy have noted, however, "Many of the states threatening trade embargoes don't really do much business with us anyway." Questioned on the further threats of CoN sanctions, MSNN's liaison within the Ministry of International Relations proclaimed: "It has long been the policy of the Soviet Republic not to recognize the 'authority' of any institution, such as the so-called 'Council of Nations', that would seek to interfere in the politics and internal affairs of sovereign states, especially at behest of hostile foreign powers."

The Ministry of Defense was far more chastised by calls for moderation made by the Soviet Republic's own allies within the International Revolutionary Bloc. Minister of Defense Konstantin Meretskov released a statement this morning reassuring Europa that no more nuclear tests are planned within the foreseeable future. Minister Meretskov further announced the retiring of the Soviet Republic's remaining arsenal of M-2 'Hell Mel' ICBMs, an estimated two dozen to fifty warheads believed to range within five to ten megatons each, though exact specifications on the warheads remain classified. The deactivated missiles will be scrapped or sold to IRB allies, and the warheads are to be disassembled and the nuclear materials used stored safely within Fortress Nanza, coincidentally within the same facility where the New Year's detonation was conducted, located some three miles beneath the Nanzan mountains in what was formerly a coal mine and has since been fortified into one of the many hardened bunkers that make up the sprawling complexes of Fortress Nanza.

Minister Meretskov denied claims that the decision to deactivate the M-2 missiles was made in response to international concerns about the Soviet Republic's nuclear arms program.

Rezan Hornets Expelled from SRNFL For Riot: The Rezan Hornets, statistically the lowest-ranking team in the Soviet Republic National Football League, added another feather to their dubious cap today with a halftime riot ultimately broken up by Meribian Civil Security forces and the team's expulsion from the SRNFL.

The Rezan Hornets-Tamur Cowboys match, the second SRNFL game of the year following the blowout Army War Hogs-Navy Sharks New Year's Day match-up, was being played at Ranger Field in 'downtown' Tamur, the regional capital of the Soviet Republic's largest and most fertile farming region. The Hornets, who have not won a game since 1984, were receiving a stern beating from the Cowboys, with the score at 42-0 by the end of the first half, a feat largely aided by three interceptions in the first quarter alone. The two teams retired to the Ranger Field locker rooms during the halftime break, with the Cowboys returning to the field ahead of schedule to join in a performance of The Song of the Plains, a regional tune that gained widespread popularity throughout the Tamur valley following the formation of the Soviet Republic in 1953.

The Hornets, however, did not return to the game peacefully.

As halftime entertainers - including a local school band and chorus - left the field to return to their seats, fully two thirds of the Hornets' lineup charged from their locker room and, shockingly, attacked the Tamur Cowboys' players with fists and small clubs. This triggered a riot within the stadium that ended with numerous arrests and several major injuries, though no fatalities have been reported thus far.

In response to the attack, SRNFL officials have formally expelled the Rezan Hornets from the National Football League and condemned the team's unprovoked action. "This is a disgusting insult to fifty years of sportsmanship and tradition and the National Football League will not stand for it."

The arrested Hornets players were transferred back to Reza for their own safety and are being held by Meribian Civil Security until they face trial.

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[Socialist Commonwealth]

ooc: As much as I hate OOC comments on such things, I have to highly doubt your governments ability to develope and maintain a sizeable nuclear stockpile with warheads of that power while also developing missile systems capable of deploying them.

 

[Miroslavl]

Meribian State News Network

SMAF Reveals Results of Project Wraith: The Soviet Meribian Air Force revealed the results of it's top secret Project Wraith - the Soviet Republic's bid to develop next generation stealth aircraft for the Meribian Soviet Armed Forces - to MSAF and Ministry of Defense officials today, to largely negative response.

"Four years of complete halt on procurement for the Soviet Meribian Air Force in addition to large-scale cutbacks and the decommissioning of a large portion of our bomber forces, and Project Wraith has virtually nothing to show for it." comments Air General Petya Bagramin, a senior SMAF official. "If not for the Firefox, Werewolf and Hell Raven I'd call it a complete and colossal waste."

First commissioned five years ago by the Joint Marshals and General Secretary Jessica Del Alkirk, Project Wraith has struggled with a lack of funding and widespread lack of support from within it's own branch of service. The controversial decision by Air Marshal of the Soviet Republic Ivan Danilov, Chief of the Air Force, to order a total halt on new SMAF procurements and retire a large portion of the Soviet Republic's heavy bomber fleet (largely considered defunct in favor of harder-to-intercept ICBMs but nonetheless still an object of considerable pride to the Meribian Soviet Armed Forces) in order to free up funding for the project have not won it much support, but with the project's rumored origins within the General Secretary's own office it has nonetheless managed to push forward with a crash attempt to jump-start the Soviet Republic's developmental programs for stealth technology, which have largely lain dormant and forgotten since the short-lived and much-reviled People's Republic administration ten years ago.

But the fruits of these labors, according to many experts, do not justify the cost involved.

Only two of Project Wraith's prototypes - the MiG-43 Wildcat and MiG-45 Crimson Eagle - will be ready for mass production within the April deadline, and neither aircraft meets the Project's standards for RCS reduction. One design, the MiG-49 Reaper, is considered a complete failure and is being reworked from the ground up, another - the MiG-51 Ghost - has been scrapped entirely, and two of the Project's most anticipated designs, the MiG-47 Firefox and MiHA-251 Hell Raven, will not be ready until at least next year. Only the MiG-53 Werewolf, presently undergoing testing and expected to go into limited mass production this summer, comes close to fulfilling it's Project goals while remaining reasonably on schedule.

SMAF officials have agreed to continue development of the Firefox and Hell Raven, but expect working designs within the next two years.

SMSAC Cancels Plans to Deactivate M-2: Only days after the announcement that the Soviet Republic's arsenal of M-2 'Hell Mel' ICBMs would be dismantled later this month came news that the planned disarmament had been postponed indefinitely.

Meribian Soviet Armed Forces officials report that recent threats made by hostile foreign powers in the wake of the New Year's Day 'Firecracker' detonation have forced the Soviet Meribian Strategic Arms Command to ready as many warheads as possible to defend against capitalist attack, and many of the M-2s preparing for dismantlement within Fortress Nanza have been returned to their mobile launchers and fueling equipment.

The General Secretary's office lashed out strongly against news from sources within the Council of Nations that several foreign powers had rejected calls for diplomacy and negotiation and instead demanded 'military sanctions' against the Soviet Republic. General Secretary Jessica Del Alkirk herself released a short written statement: "Any attempt to attack the Soviet Republic will be met with immediate and overwhelming force. Meribia will defend it's borders."

The national defense readiness level has since been raised to Alert Level 3.

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[Miroslavl]

Meribian State News Network

Red October Sets Sail: The Soviet Republic's sole ballistic missile submarine, the S.R.S. Red October, set sail last evening with two of the Soviet Meribian Navy's three Tigershark-class attack submarines in escort. The Red October and it's escorts will patrol the Great Sea, particularly the area southeast of Windhoek. Soviet Meribian Navy officials report that the deployment of Meribia's Hurricane-class submarine is intended as a deterrent to recent tensions between the Soviet Republic's ally Batavie and neighboring Scania.

The Hurricane-class ballistic missile submarine is one of the largest submarine designs in the world. Six hundred and fifty feet long and powered by two pressurized water reactors, the Hurricane-class carries an arsenal of twenty-six long-range M-3 'Del Alkirk' intercontinental ballistic missiles, each armed with five MIRV warheads believed to range between 400 and 500 kilotons in blast yield. The Hurricane-class is also equipped with a pump-jet silent drive, which is slower but far harder to detect than standard propeller drives. Named for the October 7th uprising by Mel Del Alkirk the Fifth that first formed the Soviet Republic, the Red October is presently the only ship of the class, though a second has been planned to begin construction some time this year.

Vice Admiral Marko Ramius, commander of the Soviet Meribian Navy's modest submarine fleet and former captain of the Red October, was reportedly present at the ship's departure. It and it's escorts are scheduled to return in eight months.

Meryod Polygamist Cult Barricades Compound: A Meryod polygamist cult, multiple members of which have been charged with several counts of attempted kidnapping and sexual assault, has barricaded itself within it's private compound deep in the Meryod swamps near the Zefielian border. Meribian Civil Security officials have reportedly encircled the compound and called for support from the Soviet Meribian Army in maintaining what is expected to be a lengthy siege.

The cult, known as the Fundamentalist Disciples of Xen, has long been notorious in Meribia ever since it spread to the Soviet Republic forty years ago. It's leader, a man of undetermined foreign origins known only as "Elron", illegally immigrated to the Soviet Republic in 1969 and was executed six years later following his attempted sexual assault of an eleven year old girl. Within his short time in the Soviet Republic, however, he was successful in spreading a religion of his own making throughout Meryod, where it caught on in the Soviet Republic's smallest population center and has refused to be dislodged to this day.

The FDX teaches that all men are "larval gods in chrysalis, spawn of the tentacled lord Xen" who will become divine upon their deaths. Women, as "pale shadows of man", are expected to "submit themselves unto the man-gods" if they wish to reach an afterlife. The cult has been widely reviled throughout the Soviet Republic for it's discriminatory and sometimes abusive teachings, and members of the cult have repeatedly been arrested for attempted kidnappings and sexual assaults, generally of girls aged eight to thirteen. The Soviet Republic government has repeatedly tried to limit the cult's power base, but is unable to outright ban it under Meribian freedom of religion laws.

The present standoff began after members of the cult came under investigation for an attempted kidnapping in December. The suspects fled MCS officers after a shootout in southern Meryod, and are believed to be hiding within the FDX compound north of the town. Cult leaders have refused the MCS and NKVD entrance despite court warrants and has threatened armed resistance.

The Soviet Meribian Army has reportedly dispatched elements of the 82nd Mechanized Infantry Division to surround the compound and prevent the suspects from attempting to escape.

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