Imperator Azenquor

[b][u]VNN News: Gov’t pledges to improve internet speeds and accessibility [/b][/u] [i]“The Interior Minister of the S.R.V. addressed the Conference on Science and Technology, held in Zhukovgrad earlier today. In his speech, he praised a number of conference participants who have presented strategies to expand the use of new technologies for sustainable economic and social development. He identified a proposal, by a renewable energy firm, to consider mandating the addition of solar panels to all residential buildings as a condition of granting building permits as a ‘potentially beneficial and revolutionary’ idea. He pledged that the government would undertake a feasibility study to determine if the idea could be adopted for future construction projects in the S.R.V. After being heavily criticized by a number of conference participants, the Interior Minister acknowledged that the government had not yet managed to assure universal access to high speed broadband internet connections for all citizens across the country. Citing the need to upgrade internet infrastructure and to sort out agreements with various internet service providers, he stressed that it would not be an easy task to reach universal access. He reminded the conference participants that the access to a high speed broadband internet connection of no less than 100Mbps is ‘a fundamental right that is enshrined in Article 24 of the Russian Constitution’ and that the government was ‘absolutely committed to ensuring full compliance’. When urged to provide details, the Interior Minister pledged that he would meet with the Council on Internet Access (CIA) and incentivize the internet service providers to undertake network upgrades where needed. On the government side, he pledged to obtain a budgetary allocation for the upgrading of government held internet infrastructure across the S.R.V. and to expand the number of available WiFi hotspots by at least 95% over the next year. The minister also cited statistics showing that current efforts to expand access to high speed internet service had resulted in 99.2% of all schools in the S.R.V. now having access to the internet at speeds of 100Mbps and above. According to the same statistics, 99.8% of citizens in Sygh-Varthys have high speed internet access, 99.2% of citizens in Zhukovgrad, 82% of citizens in the Baikal Autonomous Community and 58.4% of citizens in the Vancouver Territory. In response to the Interior Minister’s speech, a number of companies and organizations at the conference signed a joint-pledge to hold the government responsible if ‘meaningful progress isn’t made within the next year’.”[/i]-R. Porter

Shammy, Justinian, MGL

OOC: If you wish, you can just skip directly to the arrival of the delegation.

[i]“I am certain that we can come to some form of arrangement. Has the government of Sierra Leone determined how many regiments of paratroopers it intends to train and how many military trainers it will require?”[/i]-Denisov

[b][u]VNN News: Gov’t proposes new renewable energy targets [/b][/u] [i] “In a statement to Parliament today, Prime Minister Rokossovsky revealed that the government would need to set new targets for renewable energy and nuclear energy production for the next few years. In his speech, the Prime Minister urged the government to be ‘more ambitious’ in it’s energy goals and to provide greater incentives for the adoption of renewable energies and nuclear power. The targets, he said, should be revised in order to demonstrate the additional urgency of moving away from fossil fuels and LNG based power generation to ‘affordable and efficient technologies’. The Prime Minister conceded however that it would not be feasible to have solar and wind power as the means of generating the majority of the energy used in the S.R.V., but still suggested that much more could be done in that sector. According to the Prime Minister, the government intends to set benchmark targets so that by the year 2022, at least 40% of energy will be produced via nuclear power, 35% by hydropower, 5% Geothermal, 5% by solar power and the remaining 15% from LNG. While, the government acknowledges, there are currently no coal fired power stations operating within the S.R.V., the Prime Minister has expressed a desire to officially ban the construction and operation of any power stations that use coal or peat as fuel. The new goals, the PM stressed, are ambitious but attainable. In concluding his statement, Prime Minister Rokossovsky stressed the need for the SRV to adopt a new comprehensive National Energy Policy (NEP) and to begin planning to replace power stations which are nearing the end of their service lifetimes. He repeatedly stressed that expansion of the power grid and the adoption of diverse energy sources would not only lower costs to consumers and result in more environmentally friendly energy production, but would also help boost industrial production. Not missing an opportunity to weigh in on the debate, VaulTech CEO Dr. Maximillian Reaver has called on the S.R.V. to examine all current power stations and to begin plans for constructing new stations to replace those what are within 5 years of the end of their service lifetimes. He also urged the government to undertake ‘serious repairs’ to the power transmission systems in the East Ingushetia region which remains significantly damaged after years of prolonged conflict. Dr. Reaver also urged the government to consider examining the power generation needs of the Marscurian Autonomous Region (M.A.R.) in their formulation of the NEP. There is, he suggested, an opportunity to either expand the powergrid in the EIAC to transfer some additional energy to the M.A.R., or to even partner with the Marscurian Authorities to construct a power station in the region. Dr. Reaver assured the government that VaulTech Industries was ‘ready and willing to undertake such a project’ and could provide the majority of the needed funding up front and without the government needing to foot the entire bill.”[/i]-R. Porter

Vote: 609-1-91 (Yes-No-Abstain) Status: Approved, Royal Assent pending.

[b][u]VNN News: Palace reorganization, some agencies dissolved[/b][/u] [i]“In a surprise move, the Office of the Imperator has announced that a massive reorganization and overhaul of ‘all agencies, entities and organizations which are affiliated to the Vaulian Crown in both it’s secular and religious roles’ will take place over the next thirty days. It is unclear what sparked the decision to undertake the reforms, or what determined the scale of the proposed reorganizations, but the reforms may be the most wide ranging changes to the Crown Agencies in decades. As is the custom, the reforms to the Agencies were announced by Imperial Chief of Staff Ms. Yulia Simonova. The first set of reforms is as follows: -The Office of the Government Liaison shall be dissolved -The Office of Imperial Representative to the Cardinalate shall be dissolved -The Imperial Chief of Staff and her deputy shall resign with immediate effect -The External Affairs Council shall be dissolved -The roles and duties of the aforementioned offices shall be assumed by the newly created office of ‘President of the Privy Council’ -The Crown Land Bureau shall be dissolved -The Crown Revenue Bureau shall be dissolved -The Imperial Household Agency shall be dissolved -The roles and duties of the aforementioned agencies shall be assumed by the newly created agency the ‘Crown Assets Bureau’ -The Office of Holder of the Vaulian Seal shall be dissolved and it’s duties shall be assumed by the newly created office of ‘Deputy-President of the Privy Council’ -The Royal Heraldic Office (RHO) shall report directly to the Monarch -The College of Cardinals of the Vaulian Orthodox Church shall be expanded to 120 members According to the Chief of Staff, the reforms will lead to the consolidation of agencies whose roles overlapped and the overall reduction in the size and cost of the Crown Agencies. She was quick to reassure that the reforms would not lead to a deterioration in efficiency or a reduction in the service quality of any of the previously mentioned agencies. The reforms are also expected to save 10-15% of operating costs over the next few years.”[/i]-R. Porter

After carefully examining the document, the Foreign Minister would add his signature to the document and forward it to the monarchy and the relevant legislative body for final approval. Given the Foreign Minister's decision to keep the government informed of the developments as they occurred, the approval was all but guaranteed. "Are there any other matters that you wish to discuss?"-FM Denisov

[b][u]VNN News: Gov’t considers ban on religious parties[/b][/u] [i]“In a surprising statement this morning, the S.R.V. Justice Ministry announced plans to draft legislation which would prohibit the formation of parties on the basis of religion and would proceed to ban any such parties which currently exist. In it’s statement the Justice Minister revealed that the government is ‘carefully navigating the dual concerns of civil rights and the importance of upholding the political order’ and would only proceed with the draft legislation after ‘ensuring that it does exactly what it is intended to do’. The Justice Ministry pledged to give frequent updates to the press and to the Parliament while the process is underway. The announcement was greeted with support from a number of groups and parties, however those sentiments are by no means universal. In a strongly worded statement, the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) leader Radislava Terdic stressed her ‘clear and unwavering rejection’ of the proposed law. Mrs. Terdic also stated that her party considered the proposed law as nothing more than ‘a means to legislate the opposition out of existence’ and to ‘use the tools of the state to attack individuals who hold center-right and conservative political views’. In the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community (EIAC) news of the proposal risks raising tensions between the governing Vaule National Movement- Patriotic Front (VNM-PF) and the opposition Ingush Liberal Party (ILP). In a cautious statement, the ILP stressed that it ‘agreed with the notion of no political party being formed purely on the basis of religion’ but expressed concern that if the criteria for defining a religious party is too vague that it creates the ‘real and likely possibility that the law will be abused and used to stifle opposition, particularly in the EIAC’. The party further suggested that because of it’s ‘long history of advocacy for the Ingush Muslims of the province’ that it will ‘almost definitely be branded a Muslim political party and forced to disband’ if the proposed law comes into force. In a short statement from his office, Regional Governor Artim Bakiyev (nominal head of VNM-PF) welcomed the proposed law and expressed his hope that the Vaulian Parliament would widen the conditions for banning of political parties to include ‘refusing to swear allegiance to HMORH the Imperator’ and ‘failing to recognize the territorial integrity of the Serene Republic of Vaule within the Greater Russian Empire’. When asked if the VNM-PF would be in favor of a government order prohibiting the activities of the opposition ILP, the spokesperson simply replied: ‘if the Sharia fits.’ Adding to worries in the region, shortly after the Justice Ministry announcement, a handful of fliers mysteriously appeared across the city of Itzukograd. The fliers depicted a woman in a niqab with the slogan ‘Sharia today for a better tomorrow’. It is unknown who produced the fliers, however they are labelled ‘from the Society for the Prevention of Vice and the Promotion of Virtue (SPVPV)’. The Guardians of the Peace of the Serene Republic (G.P.S.R.) has removed a number of the fliers and has opened an investigation into the incident.”[/i]-R. Porter

[b][u]VNN News: Gov’t mulls Police Reforms, PM to visit Vancouver Territory[/b][/u] [i]“The government announced today that it would be undertaking a series of reforms to better equip the police force (i.e. the Guardians of the Peace of the Serene Republic (G.P.S.R.)) to maintain public order, to fight crime and to carry out it’s other duties and roles. According to the Interior Minister, the G.P.S.R. needs to be significantly expanded and restructured to maximize it’s efficiency while minimizing operational costs. The Interior Ministry has unveiled a series of proposals discussed with the senior G.P.S.R. leadership and with a number of local and regional government officials. The first of these proposals is to expand the G.P.S.R. to include an additional 16,700 personnel and 87 new police stations. This expansion is to take place over a three to five year period with the police adding an estimated 3,000 personnel each year. The G.P.S.R. Academy is expected to play a vital role in the recruitment and training of new officers over this period of expansion. The second major proposal involves the creation of three special purpose units within the G.P.S.R. who will be assigned tasks outside of the realm of ordinary day-to-day policing. This proposal would see the creation of a G.P.S.R. Counterterrorism Unit and a G.P.S.R. Organized Crime & Narcotics Unit. The proposal has stirred some controversy as it also suggests that the G.P.S.R. should be expanded to include a dedicated Gendarmerie-like unit whose primary purposes will be riot control and crime deterrence. The units for this proposed organization would be required to undertake special training, and individuals who have undertaken three years or more of active military service would be given special consideration. The third proposed reform would create a more centralized command structure for the G.P.S.R. units stationed in the Autonomous Communities and in the Vancouver Territory. Additionally, the Justice Ministry in Sygh-Varthys would be given a greater oversight role of police forces operating in the Autonomous Communities. The Interior Ministry has pledged to bring the proposals to Parliament as quickly as possible so that a detailed discussion and debate of the merits of each proposal can take place. In other news, Prime Minister Rokossovsky’s office has announced that the PM will visit the Vancouver Territory sometime next week to discuss local elections, new infrastructure projects and electoral reforms in the territory.”[/i]-R. Porter

Upon his arrival in Moscow, the Sierra Leonean foreign minister would be greeted by Russian Foreign Minister Matvei A. Denisov. After exchanging initial greetings, the visiting delegation would be escorted to a prepared conference room at the Kremlin for the meeting. Once the translators indicated their readiness, the Russian Foreign Minister spoke: [i]“On behalf of the Russian monarchy and on behalf of Prime Minister Antonin Boskovic, permit me to officially welcome you to Moscow and to express the hope that the ties between Russia and Sierra Leone may continue to be marked by warm and sincere friendship. We understand that you wished to meet with us as soon as possible to discus a matter of some importance?”[/i] –Denisov

[b][u]VNN News: EIAC talks resume, Victory day celebrations[/b][/u] [i]“Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin tonight’s newscast, we would like to make a short editorial correction. Yesterday in our broadcast coverage of the EIAC negotiations and VaulTech CEO Maximillian Reaver’s statement regarding the aforementioned negotiations, I accidentally referred to a ‘Mr. Reaver’. It has been brought to our attention by the law firm ‘Reaver, Reaver, Reaver & Browne’ that the aforementioned individual’s should be referred to as ‘Dr. Maximillian Reaver’. We at VNN would like to officially apologize for our error and we would like to reassure Dr. Reaver that we meant no offense and will endeavor to ensure that such editorial errors do not happen in the future. On to the news. After yesterday’s breakdown in the talks between both parties in East Ingushetia, we have some good news. According to an official statement from the Imperator’s Representative, confirmed by both parties, the negotiations have resumed and the ILP has dropped their prior condition that Governor Artim Bakiyev resign in any resulting power sharing agreement. The negotiations have now resumed and we will continue to follow the story for any developments. In other news, students at the Sygh-Varthys University broke a record today when they unfurled a 35m by 60m Russian flag which they carried from the University Administration building to Revolution Square. The students, with the flag held aloft, marched through the parade route to cheering crowds as they opened the official commemoration of Victory Day in the Serene Republic. Further celebrations, including a military parade will be held later today. We will be covering the event in Sygh-Varthys live and we will also cover the celebrations in Moscow.”[/i]-R. Porter

[b][u]VNN News: Gov’t confirms EIAC talks, ILP walks out[/b][/u] [i]“The Office of the Imperator confirmed this morning that an ‘inter-community dialogue’ was underway in the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community (EIAC). The statement offered no information about the nature of the talks but said that they were aimed at ‘bridging divides between communities’ and ‘strengthening political involvement by all residents’. However, within 10 hours of the government announcement, the talks broke down and the Ingush Liberal Party (ILP) withdrew from the process. In a short statement to it’s supporters, ILP party leader M. A. Rashid stated that the party withdrew from the consultations due to ‘the intransigence of the VNM-PF and it’s refusal to recognize the rights of the Muslim people’ of the province. The statement also said that the ILP insists that any power sharing arrangement must include ‘the resignation of Governor Artim Bakiyev’ and the direct election of all future Regional Governors of the EIAC. We understand that both terms were rejected outright by the VNM-PF who accused the ILP of ‘failing to negotiate in good faith’ and ‘seeking to undermine the system of governance in the province’. According to the Imperator’s representative to the negotiations, the talks ‘are not yet over’ and that ‘further attempts to bridge the divide will occur’. It is unclear if the ILP will return to the negotiations or if the VNM-PF is willing to offer the major concession of agreeing to Governor Bakiyev’s resignation. In an unusually bold move, billionaire and VaulTech CEO Maximillian Reaver has pledged to undertake a series of investment projects valued at more than NRR$3.1 billion in the EIAC if both sides manage to agree to an amicable power sharing arrangement. In a short statement in his usual style, Mr. Reaver stated that the 32% unemployment rate in the EIAC was ‘an absolute disgrace’ and that the two communities ‘have only themselves to blame’ for it. Addressing the religious divide in the province, Mr. Reaver stated that ‘Muslim, Christian or Buddhist, it’s all rubbish anyway’.”[/i]-R.Porter

[b][u]VNN News: Power-sharing rumors in EIAC[/b][/u] [i] “The East Ingushetia Autonomous Community, long a flashpoint of tensions between the Muslim Ingush and the Christian Vaulian communities who reside there is once again in the news today. Despite official denials from all involved parties, there have been strong and persistent rumors from credible sources that some form of governmental reform is being discussed between the Vaule National Movement-Patriotic Front (VNM-PF) and the opposition Ingush Liberal Party (ILP). These talks are said to be chaired ‘at the highest level’ by a representative of the Office of the Imperator. According to our source, the talks were convened on the initiative of the Crown with the support from both Orthodox and Islamic clergy in the province. The key aim of the talks, as we understand it, is to draft some form of power-sharing formula for local governance in the province. The secondary issues of policing, electoral reform and discrimination are also likely to be discussed. While no government official is openly confirming that such talks are underway, our source insists that the talks are well advanced and may potentially conclude sometime in the coming months. If the reports are correct, the talks will face an uphill battle to overcome the decades of animosity between the two communities and to overcome the fear and militarism which once scarred the province. Both sides will likely have to make significant concessions in any future power-sharing agreement. The governing VNM-PF will be reluctant to cede any powers and might see such attempts as serving to undermine the Christian numerical majority in the province. The ILP on the other hand, will be reluctant to undertake negotiations which may weaken the party among it’s Ingush separatist base for fear of undermining itself at the next elections to the Regional Legislature.”[/i]-R.Porter

"The government of the Greater Russian Empire is pleased to report to the Security Council that we have begun the process of nuclear weapons reduction to bring us into compliance with the standards outlined in the UNSC Resolution on disarmament. The Russian Defense Ministry, tasked with overseeing the process of nuclear arsenal reduction, has completed the process of identifying and removing from active service of 80% of all nuclear weaponry which is in excess of the limits specified in the aforementioned UNSC Resolution. We note that the process was interrupted by the brazen aggression of the Pure Lands regime against Russia, but it is now once again underway. The completion of this process and the destruction of the weapons in excess of the new arsenal limits should be completed within the next 60 days. Accordingly, at that time, the Russian Defense Ministry, via our permanent Representative to the UNSC shall submit a declaration of our full compliance with the UNSC Resolution and supporting documentation as is deemed necessary."-Russian Deputy Rep.

*Classified* Defense Ministry Directive Re: UNSC-Compliance, etc. *Classified*

Confidence Motion in the 5th Boskovic Administration Vote: 509-0-192 (Yes-No-Abstain) Status: Approved, Royal Assent pending.

VNN News: First divorce finalized, BSS reports rise in profits “History was made at a district court in Sygh-Varthys today as the first legal divorce in the modern history of the Serene Republic of Vaule took place. After 7 years of marriage, Konstantin and Irina Belinsky applied for a divorce under the terms of the Dissolution of Marriage act. As required by the law, the couple verified that they had not lived at the same residence for more than two years and submitted an official Application for Divorce. Afterwards, the couple submitted proof of completion of a recognized marriage counselling program and proof that all reasonable steps were taken to save their marriage. Two months ago, the couple obtained a Certificate of Pending Divorce and began to divide their common assets. At the district court today, the presiding judge officially granted their divorce and presented them with a Certificate of Divorce. Moments after the historic occasion, the formerly married couple spoke to the press. Irina Belinskaya told reporters that she was ‘deeply saddened’ by the divorce and that she hoped that her former husband would be ‘run over by a tank’. Konstantin Belinsky, on the other hand, was fairly upbeat after the approval of the divorce. After smiling and joking with the gathered reporters, Mr. Belinsky stated that he was ‘indescribably happy’ that he was finally ‘free of the old ball and chain’ and that he was looking forward to a ‘wonderful future’. When asked about his future plans, he announced that he intended to marry his mistress Natasha Kameneva. Ms. Kameneva, who is almost half Mr. Belinsky’s age is a former professional gymnast. Without being prompted, Mr. Belinsky produced a photograph of his mistress/fiancée and commented to journalists that ‘clearly he had upgraded’. Shortly after the interview, Mr. Belinsky was seen skipping down the street shouting: "Free at last!" In other news, the Bureau of Special Services (BSS) has revealed a 9.7% rise in profits in the prostitution sector. This sharp rise in revenue means that for this financial year, the BSS has brought in NRR$696 million. The organization has pledged to continue efforts to expand the sector and to continue cooperation with the official union PROSSIE. The BSS director has not commented on how much the state owned agency will have to pay in taxes on it’s profits, but he has revealed that at least 12% of the overall profit will be placed into pension and healthcare funds under the terms of the agreement which ended the last prostitutes’ strike five years ago.”-R. Porter

[b][u]VNN News: Prime Minister expresses concern about election delay[/b][/u] [i] “Prime Minister Rokossovsky has expressed some concerns about the delaying of the municipal and parliamentary elections in the Serene Republic. The elections, which were constitutionally due last year and early this year respectively, were postponed due to the conflict in the Caucasus. According to the legislation which postponed the elections, the incumbent government would continue to function in a limited interim government capacity until the elections could be held. This requirement, the Prime Minister claimed, has significantly impacted the government’s ability to undertake new projects, to complete reforms and to modify taxes and expenditures. This, the Prime Minister stated, has prevented his government from taking action on certain key matters of economic and public sector reform which were on the agenda for the current parliamentary term. The Prime Minister also revealed his intention to go to Parliament in order to request the approval of new legislation that would confer ‘full governing powers’ to the incumbent government until the end of the emergency period. The proposed legislation would allow the government to present a new budget to parliament, provided that the budget in question does not reduce expenditures to National Security, Armaments, etc. The measure would also allow the government to transfer emergency funds to a number of municipalities who have been placed under increasing pressure after using all of their allocated financial grants for the fiscal year. The Opposition has rejected the Prime Minister’s concerns as being ‘primarily motivated by poor election polling’ and has accused the Prime Minister of attempting to sharply increase government expenditures as a ‘last minute vote getter’ ahead of the next election. The Opposition has cited the government’s request as ‘concrete proof of the nature of mismanagement and the lack of governance’ which has taken place over the last four and a half years. The Opposition parties have vowed to vote against any measure which seeks to grant the interim government any additional powers prior to the next election. In other news, in a statement from the Office of the Imperator, it has been revealed that the government will shortly be announcing the first delegation of Vaulian Senators to the Supreme State Council. The delegation of 45 Senators will be appointed via a consultative mechanism involving the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Office of the Imperator.[/i]-Reporter

How about we write into the rules that all posts of less than 800 words don't count towards activity of any sort? *sarcasm*

OOC: I'll try to combine my response to the parts of Triyun's previous post that impact me and my response to his response to this post in my next post.

[b][u]VNN News: Max Reaver to co-found new private TV stations[/b][/u] [i] “In a sudden and unexpected announcement, the CEO of VaulTech Industries has announced that he will be co-founding two private television channels in the next few weeks. In a short statement, Maximillian Reaver revealed that he had long been considering whether or not to foray into the media sector and decided to do so after watching a ‘particularly dreadful 24 hour marathon’ of what he termed ‘some despicable reality tv drivel’. He stated that he turned to his colleague and remarked that he could do more interesting television. With that announcement, Mr. Reaver put up NRR$2.8 million of his own funds to create VaulMedia Industries (VMI). The newly appointed head of VMI will be media specialist Dr. Evgeni Rokossovsky. Dr. Rokossovsky has been charged to recruit a qualified team of experts and to launch the two channels within the next sixty days. If the deadline is met by Dr. Rokossovsky, Mr. Reaver has pledged to donate additional funding and has pledged to raise at least NRR$3 million for the new initiative. When asked if the new foray into television would be expanded to include radio and newspaper production as well, Mr. Reaver stated that ‘this is the Internet age. Who in their right mind still reads an actual newspaper? We shouldn’t cater to any of those tinfoil-hat-wearing, newspaper-reading, abacus-clutching, loons’. In other news, the United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution governing the sizes of nuclear arsenals which can be maintained by nuclear weapon capable countries. The approval of the resolution has been greeted with cautious optimism by the League for Nuclear Disarmament (LND), not to be confused with the League for Narwhal Decimation, which released a statement praising the Security Council resolution as the first step towards a world free of the 'scourge of nuclear weaponry'.”[/i]

Civil/Police When confirmation of the attacks in Moscow and against the Marscurian fleet arrived in Sygh-Varthys, the Vaulian government decided on a massive response aimed at deterring or minimizing the impact of further terrorist attacks against the state. The Vaulian police would deploy large numbers of personnel in major Vaulian cities with priority given to the capitals Sygh-Varthys and Zhukovgrad and cities which housed major armaments factories. The Homeland Defense Battlegroup (HDB) would be ordered to provide additional air cover for troops moving through Vaule towards the front, in addition to the HDB’s regular duties defending the home front. The HDB would coordinate efforts on the homefront with the G.P.S.R. (Police) and Civil Defense authorities. To shore up morale, television stations would broadcast pro government propaganda for at least four hours each day. Messages were broadcast about the ‘steadfastness’ of Russia’s resolve and the ‘inevitable victory of the Russian motherland’. News websites which had been victims of cyberattack were shut down until further notice. In the East Ingushetia Autonomous Community all television, radio and news websites (with the exception of State tv) would also be shut down. The overall impact of the attacks, including the destruction of the Pacific fleet only marginally impacted the Vaulian Stock market indices. The VSE index would decline by a mere 2.89% by the close of trading. The Vaulian Emergency Situations Ministry would submit a classified report to the government stating that there were 3,972 Vaulian fatalities from the nuclear attacks with approximately 17,922 individuals at increased risk due to radiation exposure. While the transportation of troops using the Trans-siberian railroad was proceeding smoothly, there was a single point of concern. A 25 foot damaged gap in the rail lines in the southern region of East Ingushetia. While not a significant concern for the Vaulian government, the incessant and annoying protests from the Marscurians caught the attention of VaulTech Industries CEO Maximillian Reaver. Within hours, VaulTech Industries mobilized 850 skilled workers and 250 low risk prisoners for the project. The teams would work 24 hours a day repairing the damaged section of the track. As no trains would have been able to pass the damaged section of the track anyway, the repair work would not significantly impact the troop deployments. Once the repair work started, a message would be sent to the Marscurians: Air Vaulian troops deployed in Toylatti and Samara would be the most vulnerable as they were moved into position. Wherever enemy fighters were detected by RADAR, they would be engaged by battery after battery of S-400 systems. Five of the F-22 fighters ordered to Moscow would take off, heading south, to coordinate air activities while engaging enemy fighters in the skies south of Samara. When the dust settled, 1,012 Vaulian soldiers were dead in Samara Sea/Naval Four Vaulian submarines (VNS Erinyes, VNS Gigantes, VNS Meliae, VNS Aphrodite) would depart from the Antarctic territory heading north into international waters. The submarines would be ordered to report to Russian East Africa as quickly as possible. From the Vancouver Territory a task force of two Aircraft carriers (BNS Sophitia & BNS Sakha), two Destroyers (BNS Siberia & VNS Novosibirsk) and three Battleships (BNS Liberty, BNS Mikhailov & BNS Gemini), would be ordered to set sail for the Arabian Sea. In order to take the shortest possible distance from Vancouver, the task force would submit a request to Tianxia for permission to use the Strait of Malacca. Ground Vaulian troops and support equipment and materiel would continue to be deployed through land and air routes. Given the targeting of the Trans-siberian Rail network, care would be taken to ensure that some soldiers would disembark at stations further away from the front and would be transported to their rally points by the highway network. The movement and transport of these troops would be coordinated with the Russian High Command to prevent the creation of traffic choke points along the route.

Election Results: United Russia will be largest party, but short of outright majority "The voters have spoken and the election results are in. The dedicated party machinery of United Russia has demonstrated it's capabilities once again as the party wins 319 seats in the next Duma. This result makes United Russia the largest party in the next Duma, despite the fact that it is 32 seats short of an outright majority. On the other side of the political spectrum, despite fierce campaigning by the Communist Party, the party managed to win only 192 seats (and approximately 27% of the overall vote). The poor showing by the Communists almost guarantees that they will not be able to attempt to form a governing coalition. The Meritocratic Socialists surpassed initial expectations to win 63 seats in the new Duma, and the Russian Fatherland Party won 127 seats in the Duma. With no party having a clear majority, coalition talks will shortly get underway between United Russia and other parties. Given the configuration of the new Duma, it is widely expected that United Russia will either seek a coalition with the Meritocratic Socialists or with the Russian Fatherland Party. According to experts, a coalition with the Fatherland Party is most likely since that coalition will be relatively stable and have a huge majority of 446 of the 701 seats in the Duma."