The Dispatch: News from the Commandry

[Polesia]

পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রক
Ministry of External Affairs

The People's Republic of Vangala can only watch in horror as tensions escalate between Kyiv and the League of Free States. We strongly urge both sides to cease further preparations for war and resort to talks to resolve the issues besetting them.

 

[Caelia]

THE DISPATCH
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Tensions Remain High, but no Sign of War

Tensions have been higher in the Commandry over the past few days than any time in recent memory, with some comparing the atmosphere to that in the aftermath of the Revolution. The military was fully mobilized for the first time since re-organization, disrupting businesses as reservists were called up. Fearful citizens have stayed home from work and kept children home from school. Daily life seemed to come to a standstill.

Recently however there have been signs the nation, and the world, are stopping to take a breath. Since the Miedzymorce mobilization there has no been no further public developments, the feared LFS attack has not materialized and the optimistic are beginning to think it never will. More people returned to work and school this Monday than any day since the alert began. The Armed Forces is expected to remain on mobilization readiness for some time but the general consensus in the civilian world is this is just a precaution.

The SHK issued a press release today stating: "Based on new observations Military Intelligence Directorate has significantly downgraded it's risk assessment of an LFS attack. The Supreme High Command no longer believes an invasion is imminent, but chooses remain vigilant of possible hostile acts by LFS forces which remain on high alert.".

Markets reacted positively to the declining tensions, with the NSX staging a slight rally yesterday. Markets are still trading significantly below pre-crisis levels, but analysts are confident there will be a full recovery once the crisis ends. One bright spot was the resource sector, which climbed above pre-crisis levels on news RusExport would be participating in the IMEX exhibition in Hajr which raised the possibility of lucrative supply contracts to arms manufacturers.

Headlines
RusExport to participate at IMEX exhibition.
Wazistan tests medium range missile, raising tensions with neighbours.

 

[Caelia]

THE DISPATCH
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Stratocracy in One Country? The Debate is on.

The emerging debate on the primacy Stratocratic thought in foreign affairs and how the Commandry will conduct itself in Europe has reached the highest levels of government, with the Supreme High Command convening a special meeting of Armed Forces leadership in the Capital to discuss the issue.

The traditional wisdom has been that the Commandry must limit it's contact with political regimes and aggressively promote stratocracy abroad. A growing movement commonly called “Stratocracy in One Country”, buoyed by rapidly increasing commercial ties with political regimes abroad, has asserted that the Commandry can pursue greater international ties without compromising the integrity of military rule in the Commandry. Some go even farther, saying current policies broach dangerously close to the extreme isolationism of the Communist political regime that brought economic ruin to the nation and kicked off the revolution.

Complicating the debate Petryshyn and Kravchenko, the fathers of the Stratocracy, were split on the issue. Petryshyn strongly emphasized the international character of the Stratocratic revolution, declaring it the duty of Slavians to spearhead the destruction of the international order. Kravchenko took a more moderate approach though becoming increasingly conservative with time. His early works emphasized the uniquely Slavian virtues that the Military Rule was built upon, calling Stratocracy “the natural endpoint of Slavian history”. His later works went even further and in his last work Reflection on a Revolution, which supporters of the One Country policy cite as the foundation and defining work of their position, he went as far as to question is true Stratocracy was even possible in other countrie, citing the failure of true military rule to emerge in the Blue Union and Wiese as evidence of the uniquely Slavian military virtues which underpinned it.

It was Petryshyns approach that dominated in the Armed Forces though, many of the Commandry's highest officers having been among his earliest friends and supporters. Though it is generally thought to be the last work of the cannon of Stratocratic thought Reflection on a Revolution has long had to struggle in the shadow of the fact Kravchenko suffered a stroke early in it's writing and was forced to dictate the remainder. This led some of the harshest critics of it's nationalistic approach to go as far as to question whether Kravchenko, who died not long after it's completion, was of sound mind when he authored it.

Reflection on a Revolution along with Kravchenko's theories as whole have been on an upswing though. The economic liberalization policies of Generalissimus Tarassenko have proved enormously successful in boosting the economy of the Commandry and finally pushed the Commandry out of the shadow of political mis-management that defined the Communist era, but have also led some to reevaluate the Commandrys position in Europe. One-Country supporters see it as proof the Commandry can benefit through cordial relations with foreign political regimes and that the Military Rule can even be strengthened through it.

Opponents of the One-Country position however disagree. Coining themselves the Orthodox they argue that retreating into the Commandry's borders is playing into the hands of the politicians and will inevitably doom the revolution to stagnation and death. The emergence of the One-Country position as a political force is also thought to have galvanized those officers who have long had misgivings about the effects of rapid economic liberalization into bringing their opposition to the fore, adding strength to the conservative position throughout the armed forces.

This debate is already shaping up to be the lead ideological battleground, and potentially the first major definition of Stratocratic thought since the death of Kravchenko. There are believed to supporters of both the One-Country and Orthodox positions in the highest levels of the Armed Forces and even among common people opinions are still thought to be mixed. The Dispatch will cover this emerging debate as it develops and endeavour to serve as a neutral informant for the Commandry and the world.

Headlines
Harj responds in kind to Waz missile test, Anbat raises fears of Himyar arms race.

 

[Caelia]

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War in the West

All of Europe is on edge as Coronado launches a major invasion of neighboring Meribia, vowing to disarm the rogue communists nuclear arsenal. The Supreme High Command has come out in support of Coronado in the invasion offering the full support of the Commandry to Coronado.

"Though Coronado and Meribia are both under the thumb of the political class there is no doubt which is a greater threat to the Commandry." Generalissimus Tarassenko told reporters "We support Coronado because the alternative, the advancement and expansion of Meribia's nuclear program, is intolerable.".

The Generalissimus however denied that the Commandry would become involved directly in the conflict. "Though we will provide material and moral support for Coronado we must remember this is fundamentally a conflict between political regimes, albeit one where there is a clearly preferable victor.".

The SHK later clarified that the Commandry was preparing to make shipments of munitions and personnel weapons to Coronado though the final decision to commit them had yet to be made. Specific information on the types or amounts of weapons to be shipped were not disclosed.

The SHK was also confident that Coronado would win the war in short order, expressing skepticism that Meribia's armed forces were in a position to resist the attack. Director of Military Intelligence Rhostislav Galkin described the Meribian military as decrepit, with ill-maintained equipment being manned by poorly trained and under-motivated conscripts. The only major concern for the SHK and MID was that Meribia's political class might resort to nuclear weapons when faced with the collapse of their conventional forces.

How would the Commandry respond if Meribia released it's nuclear weapons? Marshal Galkin's only response was "We are prepared for that eventuality.".

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OOC: This took far to long to write

 

[Caelia]

THE DISPATCH
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Headlines
CAF strikes two tanker trucks in Khazar Autonomous Region, 50-100 insurgent fighters believed killed.
Militia investigating after historic Catholic church in Novhorod-Siverskyi catches fire.
Sibir Steel wins renewal of key contract with CNF for high grade steel used in submarine production.

 

[Papal States]

Secretary of the Holy Office

We are sure the militia's reseach will end in fiding the cause and punishing the responsables as well as making sure this church can be restorated.

 

[Caelia]

THE DISPATCH
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Arsonists Captured

The Novhorod-Siverskyi Militia has announced it has captured three men in connection with the recent arson attacks on a 2 century old catholic church in the city. According to the Militia the three men are members of the illegal far right group Black Legion which is also thought to be behind a recent string of vandalism against minority owned property in the city.

The Church itself can be saved according to the local CCF Fire Corps. The attackers reportedly used fire bombs made from household chemicals, but choose as a fuel a substance (the Fire Corps would not disclose which) which burns slowly at low temperature. The Fire Corps credits this error with saving the antique wooden building as the fire spread slowly and was able to be brought under control before the damage became irreparable.

Sadly though the church's elaborate centuries old iconography suffered smoke and water damage during the fire. Professional art restorers and iconographers will need to be brought in to restore the icons but is not clear if the Churchs insurance policy covers these costs. The Church has asked the public for donations and the CCF is reportedly considering covering all or part of the restoration costs.

The group behind the attacks, The Black Legion, has been active in the Commandry since the fall of Communism and is infamous for it's radical pan-slavic pro-orthodox ideology. The group calls for the establishment of a slavic superstate stretching from the Commandry to the Blue Union and the complete elimination of non-slavic, non-orthodox minority groups. Implicated in a string of violent attacks in the Commandry's early years the group was outlawed and broken up in 1991 by the SHC. Despite this small pockets of radical supporters periodically resurface with violent crimes and propaganda material.

The two men face a series of charges according to the Inquisition including participation in a banned political organization, disrupting social harmony, arson, destruction of historic property, illegal manufacturing of a destructive device and illegal possession of a destructive device. If convicted on all counts by a tribunal the men would likely face more than a lifetime of imprisonment and hard labor.

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[Aquitania]

Secretariate for Foreign Affairs

His Most Catholic and Royal Highness, Grand Duke Jean III, wishes to offer assistance in the restoration of the Novhorod-Siverskyi Catholic church. With their centuries old traditions and experience, the Grand Duke offers the expertise of Templar craftsmen and engineers to the restoration project.

 

[Caelia]

THE DISPATCH
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SHC Pledges to Maintain Military Lead

The Supreme High Command recently released it's bi-annual white paper, Grand Strategy Review, which lays out the plans for the next two years of all branches of the armed forces. Though the paper's contents are classified CGF General-Polkovnik Kondrati Obertas did discuss some aspects of the SHC's plans with reporters at a press conference in the capital.

Unsurprisingly to most defense analysts the SHC confirms the next two years will see the continuation of the long running modernization program that will prepare the armed forces for the high-tech, high-mobility warfare of the 21st century. Few if any brand new systems will be produced with the focus instead on producing more of the existing up-to-date weapons to complete the phase out of obsolete communist era designs.

Some tantalizing hints about future developments were revealed though. It was confirmed the Commandry was actively developing a new main battle tank, a stealthy 5th generation strike fighter, a series of advanced nuclear submarines, a new heavy ICBM, a new ground and sea launched strategic cruise missile, and at least two new SAM systems. Whats more all these things should be in the armed forces arsenal "before 2020" according to General Obertas.

General Obertas did however take time to praise the Commandry's modernization program, which he said put more sophisticated weaponry in the hands of a larger number of men than had ever occurred before. He also brushed off fears that the Commandry was in danger of falling behind foreign rivals, particularly Oikawa, by delaying the fielding of next generation weapons. "The notion that we are losing our edge in key areas like main battle tanks, nuclear submarines, tactical aircraft or nuclear weapons is entirely unfounded. We maintain a qualitative lead over Oikawa in all major areas, indeed our most modern systems rival the technology produced by the LFS. We also maintain a quantitative advantage in terms of modern systems over Oikawa in most areas. Our position relative to Oikawa and the LFS has improved over the past decade and will continue improve in the next one.".

He also spoke about what he called an under-appreciated aspect of the armed forces modernization program. "What is often missed in amateur analysis is the impact of precision guided munitions on combat power. Massed employment of such PGM's can in our estimation produce effects comparable to tactical nuclear weapons. The acquisition of PGM's has been a top priority for all branches over the past decade and we now boast the largest and most diverse stockpile in Europe. Not only have we built up our stockpiles but we have invested heavily in advanced reconnaissance-strike complexes that are needed to employ these weapons to their full capacity. In the area of PGM's we have a clear lead over the LFS that will continue to build for the foreseeable future.".

The overall outlook for the military was rosy with no signs Generalissimus Tarassenko or the SHC were willing to ceded military superiority even as the rapidly growing economy is increasingly looking to become the armed forces No. 1 issue. The good news translated to good performance for businesses associated with the armed forces, mainly natural resources and recreational services, which saw significant gains in their stock prices by the time the NSX closed this evening.

Headlines
Restoration of historic church damaged by arsonists to aided by generous aid from Aquitania. The CCF also announced it will cover any remaining costs, calling it a matter of historical preservation.

 

[Mergogne]

USSK Office of Foreign Affairs

The Commandry's insistence on maintaining military primacy as its fundamental instrument of foreign policy is both disheartening and destructive to the process of trust-building in Northeastern Europe.

 

[Papal States]

Secretary of the Holy Office

The Papal States are always prepared to pledge some funds for this restoration or further conservation and eventually historical research projects.

 

[Calidia]

Royal Office of External Affairs

It would be wise of the Commandry to cease its provocative actions and rhetoric's towards the League of Free States and the Oikawan Empire in particular.

 

[Caelia]

THE DISPATCH
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Na Treng Falls

Celebrating a victory for Communism is perhaps the last thing you would expect to see in the Commandry, but when news that the Ratomkiran city of Na Treng fell to Communist guerrillas broke this is exactly what happened. Though the Oikawan puppet Ratomkira is only a minor member to the LFS Axis many saw the LFS's apparent inability to prevent a communist insurgency from seizing one of their major cities as a positive sign.

One CGF reservist interviewed outside a popular bar in Kyiv summed up the mood: "If those [expletive deleted - Oikawans] [expletive deleted] can't stop a bunch of commie [expletive deleted] from stealing their damn city right out from under them then how do they expect to stop us from [expletive deleted] their [expletive deleted] brains out?"

Professional analysts were much less optimistic, saying the fall of Na Treng reveals little about the Oikawan military. One analyst told the Dispatch: "The only thing we're learning from all this is that the Ratomkiran military is not an effective fighting force, a conclusion hardly surprising to anyone who's looked at the facts. Ratomirka has never been a major threat to the Commandry and even if their forces are worthless in a fight it doesn't do much to change the strategic balance between the Commandry and the LFS.".

For their part the SHC and the Armed Forces have been mostly silent on the issue. The only response to multiple press inquiries to the SHC was the short statement: "The fall of Ratomkira is a positive development for the Commandry. It demonstrates to the world that the Oikawan death grip on it's LFS puppets is slowly but surely weakening.".

Headlines
Papacy offers aid towards the restoration of damaged historic church. CCF says it is grateful for all assistance.

 

[Calidia]

Royal Office of Defence and War

We assure the oppressive regime in Kyiv that when a war would erupt between the League of Free States and the Commandry, Ratomkira will play a vital role in your demise.

 

[Caelia]

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Commandry Condemns Invasion of Batavie

The SHC spared no pleasantries for Oikawa or the LFS when it roasted it's self-proclaimed peacekeeping mission to Batavie. Director of Foreign Affairs General-Feldmarschall Vasili Malyar was especially scathing: "This is nothing less than an Oikawan led invasion of Batavie. That the Council of Nations would even consider supporting this move is yet more proof it is nothing but a rubber-stamp committee to legitimize Oikawan imperialism.".

MID Director Vice Marshal Galkin was more matter of fact in his condemnation: "Once Oikawan troops land on Batavie we do not believe they will ever lead, at least peacefully. Europe will soon have no choice but to accept the reality of Oikawan troops in Scania.".

The strongest response however came from the navy, with CNF commander Marshal Kalnya declaring the Commandry would be sending a submarine attack group to Batavie to monitor the Oikawan CBG. "We will not allow the Oikawans to run free throughout Europe, the SHC has authorized the immediate deployment of a nuclear submarine attack group to Batavie to monitor the Oikawan Carrier Battlegroup heading to the region. Our intent is not hostile but we will be ready for anything.".

Despite the fiery rhetoric Generalissimus Tarassenko ruled out the possibility that the Commandry would intervene militarily to prevent Oikawan troops from arriving in Batavie: "The Commandry condemns the Oikawan invasion fully and completely. We must recognize though that to provoke war between nuclear states over what is ultimately a state on the periphery of our interests is madness. In spite of this I pledge to maintain an unrelenting diplomatic opposition to the LFS occupation. We will not stand silent as the Oikawan Empire assimilates it's newest province.".

The war of words took it's toll on the NSX which closed the day down. Analysts also attribute the decline partly to anxiety over the safety of vital northern shipping routes now that the Oikawan navy is operating in the northern sea.

Headlines
Unconfirmed reports that Sibir Steel seeking entry to recently privatized Talemantine coal industry trigger small rise of company stock on NSX, bucking the days overall negative trend.

 

[Batavië]

Comissariaat Buitenlandse Zaken | CoBuZa (Commissariat for Foreign Affairs)

We would like to make it absolutely clear to the Kyivan Press that Oikawan forces will not be permitted within Batavian waters or soil. While we disapprove of their 'monitoring' they have not made signs to land troops. Should they do that outside CN mandates in the form of peacekeepers, we have made it known that full defensive measures would be used.

 

[Caelia]

General Staff of the Commandry Naval Forces

The Commandry's navy conducts it's operations in international waters in accordance with maritime law. We have no intention of violating Batavian territorial waters in the course of our operations.

Commander-in-Chief of the Commandry Naval Forces,
Marshal of the Commandry Jan Kalnya

 

[Caelia]

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Editorial: Abruzzi Civil War in a Fog of Confusion

With Europe's eyes fixed on the unfolding Oikawan-led CON occupation of Batavie you, and the rest of the world, might be forgiven for not paying much attention to the rapidly developing civil war in the far south of Europe. For the past eight days the reclusive nation of Abruzicstan has been locked in a bitter civil conflict. This is very nearly the extent of our knowledge on the situation.

The war begin with an enigmatic group termed quite literally The Resistance launched a series of attacks on government agencies in the Abruzzi province of Orion and it's capital Kollat. This was shortly followed by the issuance of a statement attributed to The Resistance (though no independent confirmation of this is known to exist in the public domain) declaring the independence of a Free State of Kultram supposedly in retaliation to vague grievances and a failure to meet unspecified demands by the Abruzzi government.

The vague declaration was the last heard publicly from the resistance and the only information to date on it's aims and motivations. The collective response among analysts has been much head scratching. Is the resistance ethnically motivated? Religious? Is it driven by a radical ideology?

Some have even gone as far as to question if the resistance is a popular movement at all. The possibility that the enigmatic Resistance is in reality a splinter faction of the Abruzzi government or military which has chosen to escalate a formerly internal power struggle is attractive for more than one reason.

Genuine populist movements do not hesitate to broadcast their ideology and goals loudly to the world, spreading the word as far and wide as possible is often essential to their success. Splinter factions of the existing power structure have much less incentive to do so. Rarely are they driven by a wide ideology or goal, they often exist only to advance the agendas of a small group of well connected elites. Extensive press coverage in their case rarely aides their cause and as they often try to masquerade as populist reformers risks exposing how shallow their facade really is. This certainly fits with what we have seen from Abruzicstan as of late.

One must admit though it is likely to early to make a definitive call. The lack of press exposure can be explained through other circumstances as well including the countries relative obscurity and removal from the major centers of power. We can only hope that the coming days will shed some light on the southern conflict, but until that day comes confusion reigns.

-General-Major (Ret.) Averki Zotkin is a senior fellow at the European Conflict Research Institute in Veliky Novogord and is an expert in low-intensity warfare.

Opinions expressed in editorials are the product of third parties and do not necessarily reflect those of The Dispatch, the Public Information Directorate or our sponsors.

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[Chryse]

Offical Statement from Chieti:

Resistance Militants are no more than a band of disgruntled citizens, rebels, powerhungry and eager to forge a nation seperate from Abruzicstan which they call "corrupt" and insufficiant of the task of Governing in their eyes. We reject the notion that these rebel militants are anything of a "splinter faction" within the Abruzzi Government or military.

 

[Caelia]

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Batavie Is Getting Crowded

The waters around Batavie are about to get crowded. With two Oikawan CBG's, and Austurlanden CBG and a Commandry wolf pack en route to the embattled nation and murmurs of Frankish intervention Batvie's civil war looks set to become the backdrop of the most intense naval showdown since the Great War. The question then is how does all this saber rattling help the Bataviens?

The cover story for the operations, that Batavie is in desperate need of peacekeepers from the LFS dominated CON, is becoming increasingly untenable. CGF Commander-in-Chief Marshal Murza blasted the cover story at a recent SHK press conference: "The idea that it requires three carrier battlegroups and the combined intervention of Oikawa, Franken and Austurland to keep the peace in Batavie is laughable. Call their intervention what you will, just don't waste our time pretending this is a peacekeeping operation. Right now the biggest threat to peace in Batavie is the membership of the Council of Nations.".

"Batavie is on the verge of becoming the Colonial Scramble of our time" FAD director Marshal Malyar told reporters. "The only reason we don't see the Rising Sun over Vlaanderan is that the CON is paralyzed by a LFS/EDF power struggle and neither wants to move without the councils rubber stamp to legitimize their conquests. Austurlands intervention had only complicated the issue and has ratcheted up tensions in the region even higher.".

Well the Commandry has foresworn armed intervention to protect Batavie the question of what the Commandry would do when CON troops began landing in the country. Unsurprisingly officials at the SHC press conference refused to comment, saying only the Commandry would explore it's available options.

One question that was fielded though was what would happen if tensions between the Oikawans and Austrulanders escalated into a shooting war well our submarines were in the area. Marshal Kalnya replied quite matter-of-factly: "We'd let them sink each other. It's hardly our concern when the politicians squabble with each other.".

Headlines
Talks of joint Blue Union-Cassiopeian Missile Shield cause concern for FID and CRF.