Part 3 of my autumn surprise is now chugging along. Please note that all mods and AARs are now updated irregularly to keep up with my schedule(and my interest)
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Chapter III, Section II: Before the Last Snowflake Falls
The response to the Russian Declaration of War on the Philippines was very swift indeed. Many nations condemned this so-called "act of sheer Russian agression", the fiercest critics being Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, Thailand, South Korea, and above all, Japan and the United States. A day after, the United Nations convened to discuss the Russian Invasion. Not surprisingly, the Russian delegation refused to attend. In fact, President Putin was in a meeting between Defence Minister Serdyukov, Foreign Minister Lavrov, and two leading generals of the Russian Imperial Army, Yuri Baluyevsky and Vladimir Bakin. Together they came up with a plan to bring a swift and easy victory. It called for troops from the Russian Far East and Primorye regions to initiate an amphibious invasion on the main island of Luzon and then march into the capital city of Manila.
Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky confiding with President Putin about the invasion plan for Luzon
3 October, 2005
The first signs of the invasion of Luzon came from the skies above. During the afternoon hours after the "Midnight War" was declared, Russian paratroopers from the Primorye region began crossing the Pacific by plane towards their first targets in the War, the Bataan Peninsula. Just as the day was heading to a close in Moscow, 25,000 paratroopers landed in what was the largest airborne assault in history, dropping off in at least 25 places across Bataan and nearby Zambales provinces. Despite the fierce battle, they could never imagine thousands of Philippine troops storming across the fields, attacking them on sight. The Second Battle of Bataan[1] ended in a Philippine victory, with 9,000 Russian troops dead and the rest captured. Despite this victory, 30,000 out of the 75,000 Filipino soldiers that fought this battle perished. It was a setback for the Russians, and especially for Defence Minister Serdyukov, who began planning for the next attack.
The paratroopers trapped from the Bataan Peninsula were finally captured on Corregiedor Island the following day
11 October, 2005
The response came when 2 Russian divisions stormed the beaches of Eastern Luzon around 15 km east of the town of Lucena, in the province of Quezon. Many of them landed without resistance, though the isolated pockets in the Bicol peninsula, and around Batangas tried to disloged them. The Russian soldiers prevailed, for a while.
Though the Russians defeated the Filipinos, casualties were high.
13 October, 2005
While the Russo-Philippine War was raging on land, the Russian Navy was being deployed at around the Philippine(East and West[2]) Sea for naval patrol duty for signs of the Philippine Navy. Around 1500 hours(3:00 PM) Manila time, the RIS Osmotritelnyy (a Sovremenny-class destroyer) spotted and opened fire on a Philippine Navy Ship 15 nautical miles from the mouth of Manila Bay. When it was over, it became clear that the Osmotritelny had sunk the flagship of the Philippine Navy, the BRP Rajah Humabon. 46 people died on that ship, the rest were captured by a nearby ship, the RIS Boyevoy.
The Battle of Manila Bay was a huge setback for the Philippine Navy; a set back it would never recover.
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In spite of the war, the Russians began recieving intelligence reports that there was a small group of military officers from the Iranian Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution(especially in particular, the paramilitary Basij and the elite Quds Forces) that are having pro-Russian sentiments, emboldened by the recent wars in the Caucasus, as well as a well-pronounced movement of reform led by a politician named Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Those groups would readily accept anyone who would support their cause of liberty and democracy, and after some time pondering over the consequences, President Putin announced his support for the Iranian Reform Movement. Afterwards, the reformists in the armed forces began preparing for what would come next.
With this act of support, the Islamic Republic of Iran is now on its death throes.
The next morning, as Iranians were just starting the day, a call came out across Iranian TV stations to gather up arms in support of the reformists. A few hours later, dozens of Iranian troops stormed Azadi Square and proclaimed to a huge crowd the establishment of the Republic of Iran. From there, they stormed to Sa'dabad Palace, and had taken President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad[3] hostage. Fearing a mass revolt, the Ayatollah Ali Khamanei finally issued the October Decrees, fulfilling all of their demands, as well as putting Mohammed Khatami back as President, with Mousavi himself as the Prime Minister. Hours after the Revolution of 2005 subsided, President Khatami announced he had made an alliance with the Russian Empire, in return for some blueprints for atomic weapons. President Putin was surprised, but declared he would support the new democratic, pro-Russian government.
Azadi Square, the most prominent square in Tehran, became the birthplace of the Iranian Revolution.
With the signing of the October Decrees, the Islamic Republic of Iran ceases to exist, with the Republic of Iran taking its place.
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As national security advisers in the United States even began to contemplate a pro-Russian government in Iran, President Putin announced his plan for the Philippines should a Russian victory be achieved. First, he would sent units of the FSB across Mindanao to hunt down potential terrorists, real and imagined. But it was his next statements that surprised the entire world. He announced that he would make the Philippines a "Dominion" of the Russian Empire, a region with its own laws and local administration in all areas except foreign policy, defence, and monetary policy. As a Dominion, the Philippines would be considered part of the sovereign territory of the Russian Empire, and be subject to laws that affect the whole nation. President Putin considered this step as a better alternative for the Filipinos comapred to the corrupt and tumultous years as an independent country, and hoped that others in the Empire could adopt this system.
This Proclamation created the Dominion of the Philippines, which would include Sabah and Palau.
The response was very swift. Millions of Filipinos gathered at Russian embassies across the world to protest. In Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states, some of their citizens even joined them. In the United States, the proclamation resulted in a huge deterioration of Russian-American relations. President Bush in particular, called for the Russians to "stop its belligerent actions against all nations, and return to its borders before 9 May, 2005". In Belgrade, New Delhi, and Tehran however, the mood was positive. Prime Minister Singh and President Khatami called the move "a great step for a new era of peace". Millions of Russians were enthusiastic and began celebrating in the streets.
Whatever the mood the world was in, it could no longer deny the fact that Russia was becoming the Great Power it once was.
But only time will tell if they are to become the only global power.
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[1]Posterity would refer to the Battle of Bataan in the GPW as the "First Battle of Bataan"
[2]Used the Philippine terminology for the South China Sea
[3]At the time, the hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was President, so it made sense of those refomists to storm Sa'adabad and take Ahmadinjad
NOTE: This section's title was pretty accurate, since in the game, the war lasted 'til February 2006.
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And that concludes this update. Only one more part to go(which is a much-needed updated for PNW) before this autumn surprise is complete.
-Gian Rivero
Also this AAR
WILL continue.