Russia (21st Century Crisis)

The United Russian Republics (Russian: Объединенные Pеспублики России Ob"yedinennyye Respubliki Rossii) also known as Russia, is a country in Eastern Europe, Central and North Asia that consists of the republics of Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Chechnya, Crimea, Tajikistan, Karelia, Georgia, Moldova, Akhbazia, South Ossetia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

Originally founded as a confederation of East Slavic nations, what is today Russia experienced a surge in history with the formation of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, both of which, form a basis for modern-day Russia. the Soviet Union today is a cap. In 1992, many of the Soviet republics, namely Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia broke away from the Soviet Union. However, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine stayed together, and in 1994, were re-joined by Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan. In 2008, Russia invaded and annexed Azerbaijan, and Georgia in 2018.

in 2006 with the rise of Dmitry Medvedev, the Soviet Union was officially re-named "Russia".

Russia borders Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to the northweatt, Armenia and Romania to the south as well as the Black Sea.

Russia is currently one of the competing military powers of the world, boasting the largest tank, artillery, anti-aircraft and nuclear force, with a strong navy and air force that projects power in Europe, Asia and Africa.

In addition, the Russia is also considered one of the oil and gas powers of the world, producing more oil than Saudi Arabia, and producing natural gas, which all of Europe and even Asia relies on.

The major religions are Christianity - which the majority follows (Russian Orthodox and Ukrainian Orthodox Church), followed by Islam, Buddhism and Shamanism. While Russian is designated as the national language, the Russia has many official languages, they are: Russian, Belarusian, Uzbek, Kazakh, Romanian, Finnish, Tajik, Armenian, Georgian, South Ossetian, Akhbaz, Buryat, Chechen and Tatar as the 1992 Soviet Constitution recognizes the language of each Soviet state, now Russian republics, to be granted with official government recognition. Though Russian is the required language, the other languages are designated as optional languages.

Communist Era 1917-1991
After the Red Army defeated the White forces, the Whites fled to Alaska. The Whites took with them books, artwork and other Russian cultural artifacts that would have otherwise perished under the new communist regime in Russia. Alaska became the abode of White Russian culture, and was backed by the British and American forces in case the communists ever tried to attack them. After the German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact, Stalin initiated the Winter War and the Scandinavian-Soviet War, both of which inflicted serious damages to the Soviets and exposed flaws within Soviet military leadership. This led to the bloody coup against Joseph Stalin, which Hitler used as a basis for his latter invasion of the Soviet Union, calling the Soviet system corrupt and a failure. However, the following leader, Sergey Sedov, re-established order and hope in the Soviet Union. His reforms included reparations to the Ukrainian SSR. Military leadership improved, creating a huge dilemma for Hitler. In 1992, Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev announced that the Soviet Union would transition into a free market economy, among other major reforms. The name "socialist" was dropped from the Soviet Union's official name, and simply became the Union of Soviet Republics. In addition, Gorbachev allowed for the formation of political parties in the Soviet Union. As a result of Gorbachev's policies, he was elected as the first president of the Soviet Union, representing the Liberal Democratic Party. He defeated a coup attempt led by pro-western Boris Yeltsin, and had Yeltsin imprisoned, and later decided to have him shot, fearing that Yeltsin would become a "Yankee puppet".

Modern Era 1991-present
Soviet forces removed as much of their militaries from the new republics, especially the Baltics and Central Asia. All of the ethnic Russian soldiers left, and members of the former Soviet air force flew all aircraft back into Russia. Gorbachev stated, "They can fend for themselves". For some time, the USSR was renamed as SFR Vostokslavia, an influence taken from Yugoslavia (lit. "Land of the South Slavs"), where Russia, Belarus and Ukraine were the "Land of the East Slavs". In this new descendant of the Soviet Union, Orthodoxy and the pre-1922 Russian culture was revived.

However, the Soviet military's expenditure fell from $300 billion to $73 billion in USD. Gorbachev also kept communism as the economy, but adopted Deng Xiaoping's strategy, slowly moving towards free-market capitalism. Gorbachev appointed Grigorii Khanin as the Head of Economic Affairs of the Soviet Union to guide the country's gradual shift to a capitalist-like economy.

In order to enhance Soviet liberalization, the Gorbachev Administration funded many recreational movements, increasing the number of arcades as evidenced by increased trade with Japan. It also led to the creation of the Vremya video game console, co-created by Soviet computer scientist Alexey Pajitnov (creator of Tetris) and Andrey Dovshenko, the first major console released by the Soviet Union. The Vremya was very successful in western nations, in which the United Kingdom, France, two of the Soviet Union's traditional enemies. The Vremya competed with other major world consoles, including that of the NES, SNES and the Sega Genesis.

Gorbachev also mended broken relations with Israel, opening the Soviet economy to the Israeli market.

Gorbachev rejected Chechen independence, but he allowed Chechnya to exist as a Soviet republic rather than become part of SFR Russia.

In addition, Gorbachev kept the Soviet Union's world power status by keeping all of the nuclear forces active.

Seeing that the Soviet Union simply would not collapse, and seeing it in its weakened state, some NATO leaders called for a hot war against the Soviet Union, bringing into mind Operation Unthinkable. Others objected due to the continued Soviet possession of nukes.

In 1994, seeing that life was even more miserable in the post-Soviet era, Kazakhstan and Moldova re-joined the Soviet Union amid favorable views of it. At this point, the name "Soviet Union" once more became the common name for the country.

During the Yugoslav Wars, the Soviet government sent forces to help the People's Yugoslav Army get rid of ethnic nationalist paramilitary groups in 1992. NATO has even more alarmed when the Soviet military was seen by NATO spies helping construct a nuclear base in Belgrade. This is because Gorbachev and Slobodan Milošević had secretly signed a nuclear deal. NATO sent assassin squads after the Soviets, only to fail in their operations.

Thus, NATO and the Soviets conducted air strikes against their designated targets, avoiding direct confrontation.

This resulted in NATO preparing for a naval and aerial assault on the Soviet Union. Gorbachev ordered all forces in the homeland to make their preparations. However, NATO pulled back on their invasion plan, seeing as to how a hot war with the Soviet Union would result in massive devastation, and a possible nuclear retaliation. Instead, NATO funded the Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish forces and pro-western Ukrainians to invade the Soviet Union. However, they too, pulled back, preventing what potentially could have become, World War III.

The Soviet Strategic Missile Troops also delivered loads of SAM systems and missile weapons to the JNA, which allowed them to effectively wipe out all opposition.

A renewed Soviet-backed Yugoslav offensive took back Bosnia from pro-NATO forces.

The joint Yugoslav-Soviet effort against NATO succeeded, and ended with a Yugoslav victory in 1994, and the opposition fled to Greece. However, the battered Soviet forces took a serious blow against the aerial and naval might of NATO. Some Soviet leaders had suggested that Stavka remove some funding for the ground forces, and put some real efforts into building and improving the Navy and the Air Force.

The Belgrade Nuclear Base finally began to see rapid progress. The West had made desperate diplomatic attempts for Yugoslavia to withdraw from its nuclear deal with the Soviet Union, including paying war reparations for damages. Yet, the government in Belgrade refused.

Gorbachev eventually decided that Yugoslavia would be the Soviet Union's last voluntary overseas operation, as its involvement took its toll. Military expenditure further decreased to $52.7 billion.

Nikolai Ryzhkov succeeded Gorbachev as the President of the Soviet Union.

The Belgrade nuclear base was completed in 1997, and in 1998, the first ICBMs were placed into the base. In 2001, the JNA tested the first Yugoslav-made nuclear rocket, the Tito I, named after Josip Broz Tito, at the Novaya Zemlya testing site in the Soviet Union.

In 1996, the independent government of Tajikistan collapsed, and made a bid for a re-entry into the Soviet Union, seeing how well the Soviet government held itself together after the Great Secession. The formation of the Soviet Republic of Tajikistan was finalized in 1997.

In the time period between 1997 up to now, the Soviet government worked mostly on restoring the country's culture and internal infrastructure, proclaiming all the national heroes of its republics, from the Russian tsar Peter the Great to the Kazakh khan Ablaï Khan, as Heroes of the Motherland. Orthodox and Muslim holidays once more received official recognition, and in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Crimea, Orthodox literature and studies was promoted.

In 2000, Dmitry Olchekov became president. An avid "hardliner Russian nationalist", and member of the Christian right, Olchekov introduced many Christian right laws. The Traditional Family Law introduced a minimum of four years in prison for homosexual activity, enacting mandatory conversion therapy for homosexuals. This triggered a large exodus of homosexuals out of the Soviet Union and into Canada, a gay-friendly country.

Olchekov would often avoid all references to the term "Soviet" (associating that term with communists) in favor of "Russian". He often referred to the Soviet Union exclusively as "Russia" and even had "Russia" added to its list of legal names.

Olchekov also used the flag of the Russian SFSR in most photo shoots, and tried to avoid the flag of the USSR as much as possible.

Olchekov also attempted to install Christians as the heads of the governments of all the Soviet Republics, even the ones inhabited predominantly by Muslims, and encouraged impoverished Russians to settle in predominantly Muslim lands to outnumber the Muslims. He promoted Orthodox clergy to be the heads and leaders of these communities. An avid anti-Islam politician, Olchekov also attempted to have Ablaï Khan's national hero status removed.

In 2002, Chinese troops were amassing near the Chinese-Manchurian border. The Manchurian government, fearing a Chinese military takeover, looked to the Soviet Union for military aid. By this time, the Soviet military had begun to slightly recover, increasing its expenditure to $72.4 billion.

Dmitry Olchekov, despite being friendly to George W. Bush, opposed the invasion of Iraq.

In 2005, fearing that Olchekov's policies would cause the Muslim-dominated republics to secede, the Council of the Supreme Soviet voted to impeach Olchekov, who was replaced by the more moderate Dmitry Medvedev.

Medvedev also signed the Russia-Mongolia Gas Deal, and the Russia-Mongolia Economic Deal, in which, in an effort to settle its sparsely populated areas, the Mongolian government practically opened Mongolia to massive Russian investments. The Russia-Mongolia Economic Deal was part of the national Mongolian Urbanization Programme. This decision was ridiculed, as the United Nations claimed that it was an infingement on the rights of the Mongol nomads to roam their traditional lands.

Despite this, Olchekov remained largely popular in all of the Soviet Union's Slavic and predominantly Christian republics. He is considered one of the Soviet Union's most well-liked politicians, along with Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev also finally changed the Soviet Union's official name to Russia.

As life further deteriorated in many of the other ex-Soviet republics, they all made their bids to re-join Russia, something that was met with extreme hostility from NATO.

In 2004, the Moldovan band O-Zone solidified the Soviet Union's cultural ties with the west, with the boy band singing songs in both their native Romanian tongue, as well as Russian, becoming popular in both the Soviet Union and the west.

Second Cold War 2008-present
Russia strengthened its economic trade with China, opening Siberia to the Chinese economy. Russia also signed an electricity deal with Mongolia and China, which will allow Russia to deliver electricity into Mongolia and northern China. As a result, Russia increased tobacco imports from Mongolia, and advised Mongolia to capitalize on its tobacco industry. In 2008, Vladimir Putin was able to increase military expenditure by at least $20 billion. In addition, the Russians emerged decisively victorious in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, annexing Abkhazia and South Ossetia as Russian republics. In addition, Putin also increased funding for the navy and air force. Beginning with this war, Russia would once-more, begin to enter global politics and rise to prominence as a challenge for the western powers, once more - beginning what some historians and analysts refer as the Second Cold War. Russia also sided with Armenia in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, invading and annexing Azerbaijan. In of May of 2010, Russia was put under hot water for the Sana'a Embassy Incident.

In 2011, Russia intervened in the Arab Spring, backing the established governments of Egypt, Libya and Syria against the Muslim Brotherhood. The Russians received permission to carry out airstrikes, something heavily condemned by the West for what was deemed an attack on civilians. The Libyan theater involved Chinese military as well, and via a $1.3 billion deal, Russia allowed Libya to essentially become a Chinese satellite state, in which China was to construct five military bases in Libya, while Russia established two bases.

During the Syrian Civil War, and its successor, the Levantine War, the Russia supported the Bashar al-Assad regime. The Russian Air Force conducted massive airstrikes in Damascus to help route anti-Assad and North Syrian forces. After both Operation Salma and the Ten-Day War, the Russian government warned North Syria that it would begin attacking them if they didn't withdraw their forces from South Syria. The Assyrian government soon joined the conflict, sending contingent forces into South Syria. As North Syrian forces entered South Syria, they were decimated by joint Russian and South Syrian forces, and retreated.

In 2012, the Great Protests preceded what would be, the Iraq War for Independence, toppling the pro-American regime in Iraq. Sayid Fulani, the leader of the resistance called for Russian aid. The Russians supplied the Iraqi nationalists with vehicles, weapons and even advanced missiles. Russia also supplied the nationalists with T-72b tanks and anti-aircraft artillery to fight off the American aerial might. When the nationalists seized Baghdad, the Russian Air Force airlifted troops into Iraq. Russian General Gennady Bulganov warned American troops in Iraq that the Russians and their Iraqi allies would continue the advance west. Yugoslavia soon entered the scene, having shared special relations with Iraq, as Iraq is one of Yugoslavia's military expporters. Russia and Yugoslavia sent aerial strikes in Iraq, and guided Iraqi forces. Yugoslavia established its first overseas base in Iraq. American forces retreated into North Syria. Russian troops provided armed protection for American diplomats stranded in Baghdad, and had them safely escorted to American forces stationed in eastern North Syria.

In addition, Moscow made a public decision that Russian forces were going to stay in Yemen and oversee the country's security. As a result, President McCain ordered massive sanctions against Russia.

President McCain began rigorous anti-Russian propaganda all over the United States.

Putin's economic reform had begun to resemble that of China and Nazi Germany, which fell halfway between a free-market economy and a command economy.

In 2014, amid political unrest in the Baltics, Putin sent troops into Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In return, Scandinavia also sent troops into the Baltics. Scandinavia enacted more sanctions against Russia. Obama approved for stationing increased, but small numbers of contigents into Scandinavia and the Baltics.

In 2015, Russia supported a coup attempt against President Erdogen, which failed. Moscow offered the rebels political asylum in Moscow.

After Donald Trump, of the Independence Party, was inaugurated as president, he ordered the United States to become uninvolved in the Ukrainian Uprising, and stated that he would allow Putin and Russia to carry forth with their wishes, and let them handle Eastern Europe's conflicts. Trump also lifted all Obama-era sanctions against Russia.

in 2016, Marine Le Pen, who emerged victorious in France, followed suit. Favoring isolationist policies like Trump, Le Pen pulled back all support for forces fighting against Russia. John Mannerheim, who has won the Scandinavian Elections a year earlier, also pulled back all forces from the Middle East, however the Baltics issue continued, with Mannerheim continuing to use the military to monitor Russian activity. Trump and Le Pen kept troops stationed in Scandinavia, to whilst maintain peaceful relations with Russia, stated that they were still committed to helping their co-NATO allies. However, both Trump and Le Pen strongly urged Scandinavia and Russia to solve their disputes, with both leaders stating that a war with Russia was the last of their goals.

Trump publicly announced that Putin and Mannerheim should resolve their disputes, with little involvement from foreign nations.

By the end 2017, most of anti-Assad forces fled to North Syria or Turkey, or a NATO or NATO-friendly state. Muhsin el-Hussein further pursued them, causing most to flee to Turkey. This caused the Turkish North Syrian Riots, calling for El-Hussein's impeachment.

This had gained Russia as the most effective anti-terrorist force in the world, further causing embarrassment to the United States.

Despite the friendly modern relations, Russia and China have been involved in the race for Central Asia. Soviet (today Russian) leaders have questioned Chinese presence in Central Asia. Prior to re-joining the Soviet Union, China had urged Kazakhstan to become part of China.

Karimov, had actually contemplated on either becoming a Russian republic or Chinese autonomous province. Karimov decided to move with the former. In 2011, the Uzbek government under Islam Karimov passed a referendum to re-join Russia. This coincided with a bill that re-introduced Russian as a co-official to Uzbek. This was met with fierce opposition, and a NATO and Western-backed failed attempt to depose Karimov ensued. In 2016, the referendum passed. Under Shavkat Miryoyev, Karimov's successor, the referendum was signed. In addition, Karimov's daughter, Gulnara, was removed from house arrest.

Russia also became involved in the Arab Spring, helping the established governments of Egypt, Libya and Syria (today South Syria) survive the wave of protestor attacks.

In 2018, Vladimir Putin approved the Anti-Traitor Law, requiring all oligarchs with a net worth of $5 billion or more to contribute 10% of their earnings towards the Russian military. An angered Putin explained that this was meant to combat the political pick-pocketing. In addition, Putin also claimed it an act of responsibility to pay back the troops that protect the Motherland. Many had begun to suspect that this was beginning of a resurgence of communism in Russia, something that Putin vehemently rejected.

In Azerbaijan, the Russian military and paramilitary quashed an attempted rebellion. Fearing Russian aggression into their nations, Scandinavia sent forces into Finland near the Russian borders.

In 2018, under the heat of protests, the Armenian government requested to be re-annexed by Moscow. After NATO-backed Georgian troops conducted harassing attacks against Russian forces, both Armenia and Russia attacked Georgia, In which, the entirety of Georgia became a Russian republic.

Russia is an active player in the Indo-Chinese Peace Process, a military peace between China and India. Once completed, this would play a major and crucial step in the complete formation of the Eurasian Alliance, which in many respects - is expected to succeed the Warsaw Pact as being the chief rival to NATO.

Economy
Russia currently runs on an economic system similar to China and Nazi Germany. While it leans towards a capital economy where citizens enjoy a wage, the government retains control over certain sectors of the economy. The Russian economy is currently the world's third largest, at $8.3 trillion, below China's $11.4 trillion and the United States' $18.6 trillion. Oil, precious metals, nuclear energy, natural gasgas, leather products and electricity are some of Russia's exports, leading it to become one of the powerhouses of the world. The Russian oil economy currently competes with that of the Persian Gulf states. Due to Russia's strong fashion industry, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Astana and Baku are considered fashion capitals of the world. Russia in 2011, exported more makeup and fashion products. Russia also provides most of Europe, well as Mongolia and northern China with electricity.

Religion
Russia is a multi-religious nation. Eastern Orthodoxy forms the majority of religion in Russia, particularly the Russian Orthodox Church, followed by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Moldovan Orthodox Church. There are also some Finnish Orthodox and Lutherans in Karelia. Orthodoxy predominates Russian culture, and Orthodox holidays are considered national holidays in Russia, a stark contrast to its communist days. Even non-Christian republics, such as those predominated by Muslims, although in exchange, they are allowed to enact their own holidays within their republics. Over the decades after the Great Secessions and the fall of the Communist Party, the Soviet/Russian government has consistently worked to promote, protect and revive the pre-1922 Orthodox culture of the country's Slavic republics. Moscow has promoted the historical culture of its Imperial Russia days. There was one point, when being Orthodox was required to be a Soviet general, as per a law introduced by avid pan-Orthodox Dmitry Olchekov. However, Dmitry Medvedev overturned the law.

Islam forms the second lagest denomination, and is the majority practiced in Chechnya, Dagestan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Ingushetia. Like the Orthodox holidays, the Russian government currently gives the Muslim-majority republics to declare Islamic holidays as state holidays. The Russian government also recognizes the important heroes of its non-Slavic republics to be National Heroes and Figures of National and Historical Significance.

Judaism is Russia's third-most practiced, and also bears historical significance to the Russian nation. Like elsewhere, many of Russia's elite and major historical figures are Jews, such as billionaire Roman Abramovich. After the Soviet Union opened and warmed relations with Israel, this caused a large number of people getting dual citizenship for both Israel and the Soviet Union/Russia. The loose majority of Russian Jews live in either Belarus, Ukraine or the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, however the rest are dispersed throughout Russia.

In the Russian Far East there are practitioners of Buddhism, Shamanism and Animism.

Military
Main article Russian Armed Forces

Despite the fall of communism, which put the Soviet Armed Forces through a period of dormancy and mediocracy, Russia still remains the "power in the East", although the rise of China contests this.

Russia contains its own fully-functioning indigenous arms industry, with the Soviet Union having produced the most respected and memorable military technology. Modern-day Russia continues this legacy. The T-72, T-90 and T-14 Armata main battle tanks, the Sukhoi Su-35, Su-57 fighter jets, Kuzsnetsov and Ulyanovsk-class  aircraft carriers are all indigenous Russian military technology. Russia also possesses the largest nuclear stockpile and also largest number of nuclear weapons in standby.

Russia also has a multi-media air defense system, making it nearly-impossible to penetrate Russian air space.

Being one of the competing military powers of the world, the RAF boasts having the second largest overall military (second from China). It currently contains the second-largest navy and second-largest air force. Russia currently has the world's third-largest military expenditure, at approximately $153.7 billion as of 2018, the world's third-largest military expenditure. Although having the image of a superpower, to which it is, military spending has been an issue for the Russian Armed Forces. The January 2018 report had the Russia's expenditure at $92.7 billion, due to pocketing.

In order to combat Russia's expenditure and pocketing problem, as of 2018, as per the Russia's new "billionaire law", oligarchs in Russia with a net worth of $5 billion or more were required to contribute 10% of their earnings to the military. Along with the gains made by Russia after Trump and Le Pen lifted sanctions against Russia, this led to a huge recovery for Russian military spending.

In addition, much of the funding and strength is vested in the Russian Army. In 2018, Putin also approved for the diminishing of the Russian Army to make way for naval and aerial expansion.

Despite the expenditure issues, the Russian military has been able to once-more, project itself globally, being able maintain Middle Eastern allies in South Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Assyria and Southeast Asian allies in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia and as of 2018 and major African allies in Angola, Ghana, Botswana and Ethiopia. This would project the Russian military as being ranked second in terms of global power projection. With Russia's new and improved relations with China, it now has a major global power as an ally. Together, the loose alliance between the Russian and Chinese militaries is often seen as NATO's biggest challenge.

The armed forces also contains the Civil Defence, the paramilitary component of the Russian Armed Forces.

Politics
The politics of Russia is a democratic one. The President is the Head of State, and the Prime Minister is the Head of Government. The President and Prime Minister currently have no term limit. Both the President and Vice President are elected separately.

Currently, the United Russia Party is the ruling party in the Russia. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union, while still existing and running, has lost its power and influence ever since the collapse of communism in 1989 and the Great Secession of 1992.

Sports
Football (soccer), basketball, wrestling, sport-shooting and hockey are currently the main sports in Russia.