Winter War
| Winter War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300px Union soldiers near Nikopol | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
Template:Country data USRFlag.png Union of People's Republics |
Rebel Forces
| ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Gregor Perov Gen. Issac V. Markov Gen. Vladimir Tsyerovich |
Template:Country data Kubaniza Flag.png Cdr. Vasily Bukanko Mar. Draco Romano | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
1,920,000 Regular Army soldiers |
1,030,000 khorobri fighters | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
560,000 - 700,000 killed |
600,000 - 850,000 killed | ||||||||
| The exact number of civilian casualties is unknown. | |||||||||
The Winter War (Kuban: Зимова війна, tr. Zymova viyna), known in Severyane as the Great Collapse (Sniatyn: Великий Свернуть, tr. Velikiy Svernut), was a period of internal chaos and military conflict within the Union of Socialist Republics. It ended with the Bukanya Accords, which resulted in the independence of Kubaniza, Duran, and Calgarov from the USR.
Contents
Etymology
The war is most widely called the Winter War because of the record low temperatures in Marzanna during the early 1520s. In Severyane, it is called the Great Collapse, due to the rapid collapse of the Union of Socialist Republics caused by the war.
Background
Rise of Gregor Perov
Since the foundation of the USR, the Perov family had near direct involvement in the nation's politics. Vladmir Perov was elected twice as Premier of the Union of Socialist Republics, and two times as the Councilman of National Defense. His son Issac Perov served as Director of the SNP, the Uniformed Police Force, four times. Because of this, Vladmir Perov's grandson Gregor Perov was raised surrounded by the politics of the Union. At the age of 18 he had become the People's Representative of the Zlynkan Autonomous Socialist Republic. From his earlier years, Gregor had developed a contempt for the system his grandfather had put in place. His ideal system of government, called Gregorianism, included changes in the distribution of resources and further restrictions on the civil liberties of citizens.
During the 1519 election for the office of premier, Gregor Perov was chosen and voted in by a 563 to 202 margin. His father Issac would later call it his "proudest moment as a father but saddest moment as a citizen of the Union." By this point, Gregor was widely known for his dismissal of Perovism and authoritarian leanings.
Government policy under Gregor Perov
Coup plot and purges
Guerrilla warfare (1520–22)
Kubaniza
Duran
Calgarov
Severyane
Rebel advances (1522–24)
Stalemate (1524–25)
Ceasefire
In early Marth 1525, it was agreed between the Union and the rebel forces to observe a temporary ceasefire beginning on Marth 11 while delegates met to discuss peace in the future Kubanizan capital of Bukanya. There were numerous violations of the ceasefire along the extended front by both sides. In general, however, the ceasefire was observed by the majority of the opposing forces.
Aerial warfare
In the early stages of the war, the Union held unchallenged aerial superiority, and the Joint Military air forces were put to extensive use against rebel guerrillas. As Union forces began taking massive casualties in 1522, however, the Union air force proved unable to turn the tide of the battle, and many Union airfields were overrun by rebel ground forces. When, by 1523, Union forces had been pushed out of most of Kubaniza, Duran, and Angmar, and rebel forces began to advance into eastern Severyane, Kubanizan, Doran, and Angmaran officers and soldiers that had survived Perov's purges of the military, as well as Union deserters, provided valuable skills, including skills in aerial combat.
Former pilots were limited, but those that were in supply were put to use training other pilots. From 1523 onward, rebel air forces began to establish a presence in the skies. Their numbers were often limited and their training dubious, but they made a notable impact on the battlefield, while Union air forces continued to fly in support of Union ground forces.
During the war, rebel naval activities were almost nonexistent outside of smuggling activities. The Union's use of naval forces against the rebels was mostly limited to blockading the Drakkenmorn and Byras Sea. Occasionally, Union naval infantry would attempt landings on the Doran or Calgarovan coasts as parts of various operations.
Signing of the Bukanya Accords
War crimes, abuses, and civilian casualties
Total casualties for the war, military and civilian, are varied because the exact numbers are unknown. Many deaths went unrecorded and there are thousands of unmarked graves. Millions of civilians were displaced by the war. The Special Projects Division, under the direction of Gregor Perov, is suspected of committing war crimes.
After military failures to suppress the rebellion, Perov ordered the Special Projects Division (SPO) to begin fervently interrogating rebel suspects and prosecuting the government's efforts to suppress rebellious activity. SPO operations in Severyane, Kubaniza, Duran, and Calgarov were extensive and almost entirely without government oversight. Hundreds of suspected dissidents and rebels were disappeared. Some former SPO members came out many years after the war and spoke about crimes committed by the organization during those years. However, there is very little physical evidence as almost all official documentation of the SPO operations was destroyed.
