The Dark Times

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Sakhalin[/b][/u]

Sakhalin had been Japanese for some time, before the Buryatian Invasion took back what had been a historically disputed territory. The defeat of Japanese forces on Sakhalin had been called a liberation by the Buryatian Government, but the ethnically Japanese population had viewed the defeat and the occupation as a blow to their pride.

Life had returned to normal and the Buryatian administration had reconciled with the Japanese Minority. They had promised to keep most of what the Japanese Empire had implemented while allowing Buryatian Citizens to settle on the island and introduce Buryatian Law.

Meanwhile a shadowy group known as the Бурятия фронт освобождения or the Buryatia Liberation Front which was a group geared at establishing a revolutionary communist dictatorship in Buryatia had appeared on the scene. Their biggest success had been the attack on the Yakutsk Financial Centre ([url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=98258"]Link[/url]) and they had attempted smaller operations which had been foiled. They would now carry out the first stage of attacks on Sakhalin.

They had gained some local Japanese volunteers who were opposed to the Buryatian Administration on the island and they would be used to spread disharmony between the Japanese settlers and the Buryatian authorities.


[u][b]Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
09:14 Hours Local[/b][/u]

The Sakhalin Capital bustled with activity as people rushed to work. They didnt notice a large rubbish truck passing through the city, mingling with the rush hour traffic. Suddenly it veered towards a shopping centre before exploding with extreme force, sending a huge plume of smoke high into the air. Many were killed or maimed instantly, with several nearby parked cars being turned into burning missiles. Windows on buildings and vehicles for at least five hundred metres shattered. Debris and pieces of the dead showered everywhere, with the smell of mutton and fuel present in the air.

Emergency crews began to arrive to deal with the aftermath, using the massive plume of black smoke as marker. It was chaos as the inside and outside of the shopping centre were evacuated of people. This was but nobody knew it, only the beginning.........

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Khomutovo
14:06 Hours Local[/b][/u]

A Mitsubishi Type 89 Infantry Fighting Vehicle had began to leave the town and head on its patrol. The three crew and seven passengers were happy to be in the vehicle as the afternoon's weather seemed to be turning cloudy with rain clouds on the horizon. The bombing in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk that morning had meant all military units were more active than usual.

As the IFV passed a junction there was a dull explosion, throwing the vehicle into a spin as the left track disintegrated before coming to a stop. The occupants were lucky as the device only crippled the vehicle.

[u][b]Sokol
15:54 Hours Local[/b][/u]

The same day and to the north, a Buryatian Motors Model 1 Infantry Transport on another routine patrol was passing a bakery truck when a device hidden in the truck exploded, totally wrecking both vehicles and killing sixteen soldiers and three civilians who happened to be nearby.

The Buryatia Liberation Front had already declared their involvement in the shopping mall bombing and had warned that "further attacks are necessary to rid Buryatia of an oppressive government." In response President Anna Petrov had ordered the administration on the island to step up security measures, with options to deploy further military forces to protect the civilian population.

Edited April 30, 2011 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

The Buryatia Liberation Front campaign moved up a gear with the movement of weapons and ammunition into the central areas of the island where guerilla warfare could be conducted. Many vehicles over the next few days ferried supplies into these areas where the plan would be to disrupt the Buryatian garrison as much as possible.

The first operation was a small scale raid on a Buryatian ammunition storage facility. It was a success with most of the equipment falling into BLF hands but twenty nine of the fifty strong raiding force were killed. This blow forced the Buryatian Military to increase security on the remaining facilities, causing manpower problems.

Various gun battles had also taken place inside the central areas which had resulted in sixteen Buryatian Soldiers and ten confirmed BLF fighters being killed. The sudden BLF onslaught had been immediately reported to the Buryatia Military High Command and relayed to President Anna Petrov.

In response she ordered the deployment of further military forces to Sakhalin under the "Internal Sakhalin Security Act", which would mean the entire island's security being run by the military.

Their deployment were also supplemented by the stationing of Pacific Wolf Class Aircraft Carrier BNS Pacific Wolf which had returned from the Indian Ocean. Its role would be to support the eight squadrons already on the island. Other assets would arrive in the next few days to "quarantine" the island.

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Over Yasnoye, Central Sakhalin
06:54 Hours[/b][/u]

The MiG Skat Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle swept silently over the area, surveying a suspected Buryatian Liberation Front camp just two miles north of the village. Approaching the area at high speed to attack the camp were two Su-38 "Slamhound" Multi Role Fighters each carrying two AGM-30 "Javelin" Air to Ground Missiles.

As the target was confirmed, they swept over and fired all four at once towards the target. One scored a direct hit on a large hut while the others landed nearby, destroying several observation towers. The survivors fired back in vain at the departing fighters, before being cut down by a Mi-28N "Havoc" Attack Helicopter which had arrived to finish off the job.


[u][b]Central Sakhalin
08:24 Hours[/b][/u]


A second raid on a camp seven miles north of the vilage of Gorki was conducted, this time by the use of ground forces. Five hundred soldiers of the 1st Regiment, 9th Infantry Division had surrounded the area and began the assault. Three BM-21B "Grad" Multiple Rocket Launchers and two 2S19 "MSTA-S" 152mm Self Propelled Guns opened a devastating barrage onto the camp while small squads moved forward to close in with the camp.

As the barrage stopped, the attack began. Moving quickly, the assault overwhelmed the camp and caught the panicked fighters in a massive trap. Most were shot down as they tried to flee although three high ranking BLF commanders were captured. As the ground forces withdrew with their prisoners, the camp was destroyed to prevent it being reoccupied.

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Eleven Miles East of Gorki
[/b][/u]

Operation Stranglehold began with the systematic bombing of the hills east of Gorki where a significant Buryatian Liberation Front force were known to be based. During the start of the first stage of what would be a three day operation, Tu-160M "Blackjack" Strategic Bombers and Tu-95MS "Bear H" Strategic Bombers came in uninterrupted waves to blanket the area with Napalm and High Explosive. Mosquito Tactical Ballistic Missiles using High Explosive Fragmentation, Submunition, Penetration and Fuel Air Explosive warheads were also fired into the target area.

The bombers came in too high for the BLF fighters to shoot down and the entire area became a killing zone as many camps were completely demolished and many fighters killed or injured. As the bombers on the last mission of the day headed for home, the Buryatia Special Forces Group began operations to create an unseen cordon on the roads leading out of the hills through which if any fighters tried to escape, they would be captured.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Eleven Miles East of Gorki[/b][/u]

The second day began with further heavy air attacks on the BLF positions. Ground attacks began at 7am with two thousand soldiers of the 2nd Regiment, 4th Infantry Division sweeping east into the hills to push the rebel forces that were threatening Gorki itself. Fighting was extremely fierce with both sides trying their hardest to gain the upper hand.

Finally the soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division managed to gain a foothold supported by constant air precision air stikes by the Buryatia Air Force. At around midday, the Buryatian Liberation Army despite heavy losses through the heavy air strikes, counterattacked with an estimated force of five thousand fighters. This overwhelming attack forced the outnumbered soldiers back off the hills and towards Gorki itself.

Frantic air strikes using napalm and a desperate counterattack slowed the BLF advance, allowing reinforcements from the rest of 4th Infantry Division to arrive and halt the BLF force completely. Many fighters were cut down as they came under a second counterattack which allowed the 4th Infantry Division to dig in.

The next day, the 4th Infantry Division supported by the 2nd Mechanised Division had advanced eastwards clearing several encampments before reaching the coast thirty eight miles directly east of Gorki. BLF units still in the area had abandoned camps on both flanks of the offensive to new ones to the north and south.

The Buryatian Liberation Army had been weakened considerably by the operation and the camps that remained east of Gorki would now be reinforced although they would be unable to co-ordinate for some time.

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]08:35 Hours[/b][/u]

At Katangli on the east coast, a force numbering six hundred from a Buryatia Liberation Army stronghold hidden in the hills to the south of the village struck the local garrison of one hundred soldiers of 1st Regiment, 2nd Light Defence Division.

The attack overwhelmed the 2nd Light Defence Division positions and swept into the town. Reinforcements did arrive consisting of the 3rd Regiment, 4th Infantry Division which had raced from Gorki. They also recieved support from the newly arrived Valour Class Battle Cruiser BNS Courage who used her two AK-130 100 mm Dual Purpose Guns to great effect. This forced the BLF attack to falter and allowed the Buryatian units to hold the line.

[b]08:39 Hours[/b]

Seven miles further to the northwest at the strategic town of Nogliki and almost at the same time, a Buryatian Liberation Front offensive was launched against the town. Their objective was the Tym Bridge, which crossed over the river that passed the northern edge of the town. If the bridge were captured, this would cut the rail line and also block any reinforcement to the Katangli battle from the north.

The force which numbered close to one thousand soldiers attacked from the west and within minutes had come within a hundred metres of the northern end of the bridge. The garrison of four hundred soldiers fdrom the 1st Regiment, 14th Infantry Division bravely fought back with their five 2B9 Vasilek 82mm Mortars and two 2B11 Sani 120mm Mortars, inflicting heavy casualties.

The newly arrived 1st Regiment, 1st Buryatia Socialist Guard Division "Anna Petrov" raced south from their holding base at Okha and arrived there around midday. They arrived with their full complement which went straight into battle. They first began a murderous shelling of the BLF fighters assaulting the bridge using their five 3S1 "Vlad" 152mm Self Propelled Guns. The sudden impact of 152mm shells landing among them checked the attack and eased the pressure on the soldiers defending the bridge itself.

On on the southern bank, a BLF force of three hundred and fifty fighters had crossed the river and overran part of the western outskirts, pushing to within fifty metres of the train station. These gains however were nothing if the bridge remained out of their hands. Heavy fighting continued to rage with the BLF fighters being pushed further and further away. A second attack was made but was stopped dead with most of the attackers being killed or wounded.

By the evening the BLF effort against the bridge had proven to have failed as six BTR-90B Armoured Personnel Carriers and four BMP-3M Infantry Fighting Vehicles of the 1st Regiment, 1st Buryatia Socialist Guard Division "Anna Petrov" charged across to assist the defence of the rail station. This arrival boosted the defenders considerably as the vehicles provided valuable reinforcements and ammunition, which as the night wore on, forced the BLF fighters back westwards and by midnight had established positions on the other side of the river.


The next day began with BLF reinforcements numbering three hundred fighters diverted from the battle at Katangli attacked the southern outskirts of Nogliki. This was an attempt to forcethe Buryatian garrison to weaken its defence of the bridge to deal with the new threat. However they had failed to take into account that the BLF attack on the bridge had been abandoned earlier that morning and the rest of the 1st Buryatia Socialist Guard Division "Anna Petrov" had also arrived. Therefore the 1st Buryatia Socialist Guard Division "Anna Petrov" collided with the attackers and ruthlessly drove them back towards Katangli.

By midday the 1st Buryatia Socialist Guard Division "Anna Petrov" had reached Katangli and began to put remorseless pressure on the BLF force besieging the village. Panic spread through the BLF fighters and they fled south towards their stronghold. The arrival of the Buryatia Socialist Guard had such an effect that their advance south towards the stronghold was one of many fighters laying down their arms and surrendering.

By 5pm, the offensive had reached the BLF fortress. The 3rd Regiment, 4th Infantry Division which had advanced with the 1st Buryatia Socialist Guard Division "Anna Petrov" was tasked with forming a flank shield while the Buryatia Socialist Guard units would attack the fortress.

[VigilantWatcher]

[u][b]Katangli
11:00 Hours[/b][/u]

Okhotsk Class Destroyer BNS Balagan had arrived to provide naval gunfire for the assault and had come to within two miles of the coast to fire on the BLF forces. However disaster struck at ten minutes past eleven as BLF assault groups on the shoreline began to fire three captured 9M133 Kornet Anti Tank Launchers at the vessel.

The ship was caught completely by surprise as the three missiles scored direct hits on the port side causing heavy damage. The ship came to an abrupt halt with fires raging out of control. Twelve minutes after the attack, a fire penetrated the two 130 mm Guns magazine causing a massive explosion.

The blast tore through the ships structure ripping it apart, sending a huge fireball upwards. The blast was so powerful that the hull was blown outwards and the bow of the ship lifted out of the water. It then fell back down and began to slowly slip forwards under the water.

As it began to sink, the survivors in the stern portion of the vessel began their evacuation as the Siberia Class Aircraft Carrier BNS President Vladimir Potomkin had arrived nearby to assist. Its two Kamov Ka-32S Helicopters had arrived to take off the survivors.

Two of her Sukhoi Su-33 Fighters had also arrived and had spotted the three BLF fighters who had began to flee. They immediately attacked dropping a GPB-2 1000 Pound General Purpose Bomb each, killing the three fighters and destroying the three captured 9M133 Kornet Anti Tank Launchers making them unable to be used again.

After ten minutes of both helicopters flying to and from the carrier, the last survivors were taken off and flown back to BNS President Vladimir Potomkin. Then at midday, the stern sank beneath the waves. The Buryatian Government announced through the Buryatia News Network the news of the sinking and the loss of two hundred and sixty four sailors, which provoked a furious reaction from the general public.

For the Buryatian Liberation Front, this was a propaganda coup. Their morale had been heightened by the attack on BNS Balagan. However they were disappointed of the result of the attacks on Katangli and Nogliki and which had been decisively halted and turned by the Buryatia Military.

Edited May 8, 2011 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

The Buryatia Senate had passed the "Sakhalin Security Act", the effort to protect the rest of Sakhalin from the Buryatian Liberation Front. With intelligence that the BLF had most of its total strength in the central areas of the island, the containment of those areas had began.

[img]http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab328/AdamH312/BuryatiaMilitaryContainmentArea.png[/img]

[b]Containment Line positions[/b]

Under the codename Operation Rat Trap, the two containment lines were put into place. Twenty per cent of the Buryatian Air Force had been deployed to Sakhalin which numbered eight fighter squadrons and four bomber squadrons. The Buryatia Navy had also deployed along the western and eastern coasts of the cordoned area and was providing twenty four hour support.

[VigilantWatcher]

With the containment of the BLF occupied area, the rest of the island began to return to normal. All BLF fighters that had been outside the containment were in effect no threat as their control had been severed. In fact many began to surrender themselves to the authorities, as they realised they were no longer able to recieve orders from their commanders.

The containment zone would now become the focus of military operations. The options that had been dismissed were the use of tactical nukes and a massive air saturation bombardment on the area due to the projected massive civilian casualties. Therefore the only option would be a land campaign. This would be a longer task but would mean less collateral damage on the civilian population.

The first operation would begin in several days.

Edited May 9, 2011 by Curristan

[VigilantWatcher]

At four am on both sides of the containment line, Operation Swift Justice began. A total force of ten divisions smashed through BLF forces who were being hammered from both the ground and the air. With both sides of the containment zone now converging at a fast rate, it was only a matter of time before the Buryatia Liberation Front was eliminated as an effective fighting force. Desperate attempts to plug the gaps were mounted by BLF fighters but the weight of numbers overwhelmed them. Any stubborn pockets were mercilessly bombed and shelled into submission and any survivors who tried to escape were gunned down by the units surrounding them.

As the fronts converged at Tymovskoye, the remaining BLF fighters who still numbered around six thousand fell back into the hills east of the town where they had a large fortified base to make their last stand. The Buryatian forces arrived at Tymovskoye at around 3pm the same day and sealed off the area. The plan would be to subject the base to intense air attack before sweeping through to clear any surviving fighters. The air attacks would begin the following day but for now the siege ring around the fortified base was strengthened.

[VigilantWatcher]

However the BLF were not finished. The surrounded forces were actually in better shape than first thought, having a significant amount of munitions and having a massive fortified network of defences around the perimeter, with underground supply tunnels snaking to the main complex. The base would be difficult to assault directly so a preliminary air campaign would be needed to soften the defences.

The first stage began with an attack by a F/A-47D "Drake" Sino-Fighter Stealth Multi-Role Fighter which dropped two GPB-4 5000 Pound Guided Bunker Buster Bombs. Both punched through a reinforced bunker killing ten fighters and set off a massive fire which began to burn out of control. Following up came three Tu-160M "Blackjack" Strategic Bombers which dropped twenty GPB-3 2000 Pound General Purpose Bombs, completely wrecking several observation towers.

One bomb somehow failed to explode, lodging itself in a pillbox roof and scaring the three occupants to the point where one dropped dead from fright. Throughout the day there were several more raids which caused some more damage, but the more important targets which were housed underground were yet to be threatened.

[VigilantWatcher]

At 9am the following morning, the following order had been issued:

[quote]

[size="3"][u][b]Buryatia Supreme High Command[/b][/u][/size]


[color="#000000"][u][b]Classified Level 4[/b][/u][/color]


[b]Operation Phantom:[/b]


[u]Objective:[/u]

Test of prototype Quinuclidinyl Benzilate bomb


[u]Overview of Operation[/u]

The prototype device will be dropped on the Buryatia Liberation Front Stronghold east of Tymovskoye. Device will be timed to airburst three hundred feet above the target for general dispersion. Friendly forces will be outside the danger zone but for safety purposes the aircraft taking part in the mission will fly at one thousand feet to guarantee an accurate strike.

[/quote]

Around midday, a single Tu-160M "Blackjack" Strategic Bomber raced towards the target, flying level at one thousand feet. To cover the bombers approach a nuisance raid by three Jadayu Mark 2 Multi Role Fighters had dropped GPB-1 500 Pound General Purpose Bombs causing light damage. The bomber then as it approached the western part of the fortess released the device. Weighing just eight hundred pounds and carrying thirty grammes of Quinuclidinyl Benzilate, it plummeted towards the ground.

As it reached three hundred feet the small charge exploded, rupturing the case holding the Quinuclidinyl Benzilate and dispersing it in a white cloud. BLF fighters in the open suddenly dropped where they stood as the incapacitating agent entered their blood stream. Some managed to stay on their feet but looked disorientated. The overall effects were that the people that had been infected were unable to function. This was causing major problems as replacements could not reach the surface or tend to the casualties.

A MiG Skat Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle flying overhead recorded the scene below which was sent to Buryatia Supreme High Command confirming the test was a success. All the data collected would be analysed by the scientists attached to the project at Tavatum Top Secret Facility.

[VigilantWatcher]

The biggest air raid of the war took place the following day as thirty six Tu-160M "Blackjack" Strategic Bombers and twenty four Tu-95MS "Bear H" Strategic Bombers dropped GPB-3 2000 Pound General Purpose Bombs, GPB-4 5000 Pound Guided Bunker Buster Bombs and GPB-5 750 Pound Napalm Bombs on the western edge of the fortress with the aim of suppressing the western defensive fortifications and disrupt the supplying of those positions.

The raid wrecked several observation posts and destroyed several bunkers. The unexploded GPB-3 2000 Pound General Purpose Bomb which had been dropped in an earlier raid had still not exploded and the bunker roof it had lodged itself in was still relatively secure. However a fire started by napalm had spread close to the bunker and the bomb had began to cook off. Eight minutes and fourty seconds later the bomb finally exploded, causing a secondary blast which ripped the bunker roof clean off.

Thirty seven BLF fighters were killed in the raid and more than half of the supply tunnels to the western fortifications were cut. Some positions were isolated while surface trenches were dug to them and camouflaged. Harassment of the Buryatian Military forces surrounding the fortress through pinprick raids had begun, with mortar attacks killing three soldiers and injuring seven. However with their manpower being conserved in preparation for the defence of the fortress, these raids would be with minimal participation.

[VigilantWatcher]

The ground offensive began with the 1st Buryatia Socialist Guard Division "Anna Petrov" in the lead striking eastwards towards the fortress. It encountered little enemy resistance, but was delayed by muddy roads and rearguard positions. Nevertheless, the division was able to reach the objective of the day, overwhelming the first line of fortifications. The 2nd Mechanised Division and the 8th Infantry Division moved on either flank and also managed to push back the rearguard positions barring the way to the rebel fortress. By the end of the day they had penetrated the first line of fortifications in the north and south and had effectively sealed any escape.

Fighting was fierce with the BLF fighters suffering heavy casualties as they tried to hold back what was the inevitable. With the air campaign now switched to close air support, the first uses of GPB-6 1000 Pound Cluster Bombs effectively ended any resistance from stubborn camouflaged positions, with many BLF fighters retreating to the second line of defence.

[VigilantWatcher]

Then suddenly without warning, news filtered through that the remainder of the BLF leadership had committed suicide in their bunker. This was triggered by an air strike killing the leader of the Buryatia Liberation Front and the fact that their fortress was about to be overrun. With their death all resistance ceased, effectively ending the insurgency. Three hundred and twenty surviving fighters marched into captivity, with the pledge that they would be treated as normal prisoners of war. There were suspicions that the promise may not be kept.

At the same time, the military presence in Sakhalin would be slowly reduced to normal levels. However the Internal Security Agency would continue to monitor the island to see if any remnants still existed. However expectations were that the movement would die now the entire leadership were no longer functioning.