Ascending the Oka

[JEDCJT]

Standing astride the Oka River, located approximately 250 miles west of Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod had survived the Great Apolcalypse, and its surviving inhabitants weathered the post-war storm the best as they could. The city and its namesake surrounding regions had been a great industrial center in the old Russian Empire, with over 650 such companies established there. It wasn't too difficult for the city's inhabitants to rebuild the shattered city-region and to slowly restore the city-region to its prewar status. Years later, the city-region had more or less rebuilt itself, even if many of its buildings did not dominate the city-region's skyline as before and it was half its prewar size. Thanks to austerity economic practices implemented by the city-region's leaders, Nizhny Novgorod managed to get its economic affairs in order, although not without difficulty and social turmoil, and to establish a foundation for economic growth, modest as it was given the city-region's rather scarce resources.
 

 
The city-region's leaders had initially viewed the foundation and subsequent expansion of the Grand Duchy (now Tsardom) of Muscovy with suspicion. However, as trade and commerce between Moscow and the Nizhny city-region increased in size and scope, such views gradually softened as daily life in the city-region slowly but surely improved due to the influx of products, goods, and resources flowing from Muscovy as well the export of such products and goods that enabled the city-region to earn hard currency and credit. It didn't like long before some of the more prominent citizens began to talk about the possibility of joining their neighbors, and spirited debates began to take place throughout the city and region. Some wanted to join Muscovy in the interests of continuing the city-region's prosperity, some wanted to become an autonomous region within Muscovy, others wanted to retain their current status as an independent polity (even declaring independence if necessary). This placed pressure on the city's leadership, and discussions were held in the city's historic Nizhegorodsky district. A vote was held, and a simple majority of the city's council voted in favor of meeting with a representative of the Muscovite government to explore the possibility of an "association" between Muscovy and Nizhny Novgorod.
 

 
The Foreign Ministry duly sent over a plenipotentiary, Count Ivan Kuznov, to meet with Leader Oleg Sorokin in Nizhny Novgorod. There followed hours of increasingly complicated discussions, in which Kuznov and Sorokin talked about political representation, citizenship, individual rights, taxation, economic and fiscal policies, the provision of food, water, gas, and electricity, law enforcement, integration of infrastructures and systems, national defense, foreign policy, and political autonomy. Despite several disagreements and arguments about some of these issues, such as taxation and political autonomy, Kuznov and Sorokin came to an agreement, and a draft of a treaty of accession (the Treaty on Accession of the City and Region of Nizhny Novogorod to the Tsardom of Moscow) was prepared and after review, signed.
 
When the National Assembly and the Nizhny Novgorod City Council voted to ratify the Treaty, respectively, Nizhny Novgorod officially became part of the Tsardom with a high degree of autonomy similar to that of the Viceroyalty of South Russia.
 
(OOC: Claiming the Nizhny Novgorod oblast, will rp the gradual incorporation of the region. 1 of 7 posts) Edited June 18, 2014 by JEDCJT

[JEDCJT]

Following the accession of Nizhny Novgorod to the Tsardom, administrative specialists from both entities would meet to plan out the gradual integration of infrastructures and systems of both entities (actually more like the incorporation of Nizhny systems into the existing Muscovite systems). Any outstanding issues were to be reviewed and resolved on a case-by-case basis. Administrative and operational regulations would be sent to water, gas, and electricity providers to follow during the transitional period, and plans were underway for telephone and internet service providers to do the same. The existing law enforcement and penal systems in Nizhny would remain as is, with certain procedures modified to comply with the Muscovite constitution and regulations for the time being. Minister-President Vladimir Putin would sign a government resolution establishing air, sea, road, and railway checkpoints. Accordingly, border guard personnel would be sent to evaluate the state of the new border, and to establish checkpoints, with resources provided by both the Muscovite and Nizhny governments.
 
On the political scene, the Nizhny City Council would become the provisional legislature of the newly-established Viceroyalty of Nizhny Novgorod pending the election of a new viceroyal assembly, and Leader Oleg Sorokin would accordingly become Viceroy. Plans were in the works to convene a constitution convention to draft a constitution for Nizhny Novgorod, and Nizhny electoral laws were currently under review to ensure compliance with the Muscovite constitution. The Ministry of Justice announced that most of the Nizhny judicial system would remain largely unchanged, with only its highest court being replaced by a High Court and the lower courts placed under its purview. Finally, Muscovite officials would work to implement the Decree on the Administrative System of Muscovy; Nizhny Novgorod would become part of the new Volga-Vyatka Administrative District, along with Mordovia, and be headquartered in Nizhny Novgorod. The changes would be visible as well, with the Muscovite flag being hoisted in the front of the City Hall building alongside the Nizhny one; soon, the Muscovite flag would be everywhere.
 
For defense, the Defense Ministry would order the deployment of 10,000 troops (consisting of a mechanized division, two light motorized brigades, and an airborne brigade) to the new Viceroyalty. Existing bases and installations would be put back in operation, with evaluations on their working status to be carried out. The nucleus of a new regional defense force would be established with the 'deputization' of Nizhny's existing defense force.

(OOC: 1 of 7 posts)

Edited June 18, 2014 by JEDCJT

[JEDCJT]

CLASSIFIED
 
At the orders of the Director, 2,000 operatives of the Third Department would enter Nizhny Novgorod, where they would promptly establish a regional headquarters in the Palace of Labor building, followed by satellite headquarters in the cities and towns of Rastyansk (formerly Dzerzhinsk), Arzamas, Semyonov, Gorodets, and others. Utilizing information from local census bureaus, Third Department operatives would draw up lists of individuals to be placed under surveillance (and arrest and detainment if necessary), to be corroborated by information provided by the Internal Ministry screening agencies and the National Terror Watchlist Screening Center. The viceroyalty's primitive security systems would be subject to comprehensive review and upgrade by Third Department and other relevant experts in due time. Moreover, Third Department officials would begin the process of recruiting eligible citizens for the Internal Troops as well to expand the rank-and-file of the Third Department offices in Nizhny Novgorod.

(OOC: 1 of 7 posts) Edited June 18, 2014 by JEDCJT

[JEDCJT]

The incorporation process was continuing in Nizhniy Novgorod. Border Troops personnel have indicated the eastern Nizhny border to be in an "acceptable condition", and will begin the process of constructing temporary and permanent border checkpoints. Constitutional review of Nizhny electoral laws were completed, with some minor revisions, and the green light was given for a constitutional convention to be organized and delegates elected there. The same went for the viceroyal assembly, in which local election officials would work with officials of the Central Election Commission (not to be confused with the Election Registration Commission, which concerns the registration of political parties). Andreij Izkov, who was appointed the Plenipotentiary-General of the Volga-Vyatka Administrative District, arrived in Nizhny Novgorod, and will work with Viceroy Oleg Sorokin in the execution of his duties. After strategic evaluations by Stavka and Defense Ministry officials, the number of troops and personnel in Nizhny Novgorod would be reduced to 7,000.

(OOC: 2 of 7 posts)

Edited June 17, 2014 by JEDCJT

[JEDCJT]

HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED

Following evaluations on the state of the military bases in Nizhny Novgorod, and after consultations with the Defense Ministry, a decision was made to expand the ongoing national defense project into Nizhny Novgorod. Viceroy Sorokin was informed of this beforehand, and despite some misgivings, gave his assent in the end. Construction of underground bases, and onground bunkers, hardened against bunker buster and EMP attacks would commerce immediately, to be followed by airbases and airfields, fixed and mobile aerial defense platforms, and RADAR systems. There, however, would be no mining the border regions.

(OOC: 3 of 7 posts)

[JEDCJT]

A constitutional convention was held in Nizhny Novgorod, with Viceroy Oleg Sorokin himself chairing its first session. Over the course of hours, days, and even weeks, debates raged in the halls of the Trade Union building in the city's center. At last, a viceroyal constitution was drafted, based on the Muscovite constitution, and approved by the convention's delegates in a two-thirds majority vote. Tsar Mikhail Ivanovich Romanov, acting through his plenipotentiary Count Ivan Kuznov, approved of the Nizhny constitution as well. Elections for the Nizhny Viceroyal Assembly would be held, with intense competition among the local candidates. Once elections concluded, the newly-elected deputies of the Assembly would assume their seats; they would have the authority to pass legislation and to oversee the daily matters of the Viceroyalty.

 

(OOC: 4 of 7 posts)

[JEDCJT]

HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED

 

Construction of underground and onground bases and installations were currently in progress, while existing ones were being configured and upgraded whenever possible by military engineers and experts. Airbases, airfields, and in cases airports were being reinforced and expanded. Fixed and mobile air defense platforms such as SAM launchers would be moved into position in strategic locations across Nizhny Novgorod, while 40mm and less heavy anti-aircraft guns would be upgraded. Construction of new RADAR stations were in progress, with new systems such as active scan arrays, RADAR transmitters, and high-resolution infrared motion camers being installed in place, while existing ones would be upgraded to modern standards. Finally, Stavka decided to place a minefield alongside the eastern Nizhny border; hundreds of thermite mines would be put in place, along with hardened control stations.

 

(OOC: 5 of 7 posts)