🪞
Welcome back to the Asylum write-up, where we explore the decade-long slow-motion car crash that is the Emilie Autumn fandom.
Sorry this installment took so long to upload! Just a heads-up, I may take some time to deliver the last one too – these posts take forever to format on Reddit's finicky-ass editor, and my dumb real life is currently keeping me from precious Internet time. Thank you for your patience! You have my word that everyone who pre-ordered the final installment will receive a PERSONAL, HANDWRITTEN letter autographed and illustrated by me, a list of the snacks I consumed while composing this write-up, some exclusive behind-the-scenes secrets, and a pony.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4.1 – Part 4.2 Part 5

Places, everyone This is a test Throw your stones Do your damage Your worst, and your best (...) And if I had a dollar For every time I repented the sin And commit the same crime I'd be sitting on top of the world today (“God Help Me”, 2006🎵)

Quick recap of where we left off. First, there were five to ten halcyon years of pleasant and meaningful interactions between EA and her blossoming fanbase, prominently by way of her official forum. Then, circa 2009-2010, EA's online presence shifted towards sudden anger outbursts, ban-hammering, and an increasingly top-down communication style.
This created a sort of primordial rift within the fanbase, between those who supported EA's right to speak her mind and regulate her own fan spaces however she pleased – and those who thought that her reactions were rude and inappropriate (at best), and that even fan spaces should allow for reasonable, non-abusive criticism of the artist.
Between a poorly-handled book release (see Part 3), the controversial (Part 2) or dubiously true (Part 4) contents of said book, and serious shade from various former collaborators (Part 5), more and more fans had pressing thoughts about EA's work ethic and choices. EA attempted damage control through drastic forum rules that made it virtually impossible to voice any “serious” critical opinion. It didn't work, of course: instead of squashing the mutiny, she created a schism.
Critical fans and active haters started congregating on unofficial platforms.

“WITH MUFFINS LIKE THIS, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?”: TROLL LIKE A GIRL

So here we were, the early 2010s. The official forum (which had about 700 members in 2006, if you recall) was now thousands-strong, reaching just over 12,000 registered users in 2012 – not all of them active, but still. In terms of sheer numbers and content creation, the party was POPPIN'... but increasingly in parts of the Asylum that escaped EA's jurisdiction, such as Tumblr, where they could speak their mind freely.

You play the victim very well You've built your self-indulgent hell You wanted someone to understand you Well, be careful what you wish for, because I do (“I Know Where You Sleep”, 2006🎵)

In one wing of Asylum Tumblr, a smattering of call-out blogs emerged, which laid out EA's various lies, faux pas, shitty takes, and general deep-seated terribleness in detailed timelines and screenshots (or, short of that, long-winded bullet points). While many such blogs framed it as “serious” whistleblowing and did their best to remain as fact-based and neutral as they could, there was some genuine disgust, animosity and creepiness towards EA on that side of Tumblr; for some ex-fans, “exposing the truth” was mostly justify obsessive hatred, prying and verbal abuse. Some, for instance, felt the bizarre need to side with EA's mother in their estrangement. (One user, with the URL “emilyautumnfischkopf”, argued in a serious and down-to-earth tone - but with zero sources - that EA's upbringing had been nothing but peaceful and supportive until she ungratefully kicked her loving family to the curb for no reason at all. They were later revealed 🔍 to have an alternate handle as “eaisalyingcunt”.)
Either way, through these blogs, a number of potential drama bombs that had mostly flown under the radar were dredged up from over the years – some of which were hard to ignore, even for supportive fans. Where to begin?
There was that nonsense in-joke song, captured twice on camera during the 2009 tour (to very little outrage, at the time), crassly called “Manatee Retard”📺. Or EA's scathing response, in print, to a wheelchair user who found it insensitive that she used a bedazzled wheelchair as a prop to do sexy acrobatics on stage. (“Your offence taken at my hard-won self-acceptance proves that I indeed have something to fight against”, she wrote). Spoken word tracks where she made trivializing knock-knock jokes about serious mental illnesses she didn't have, like schizophrenia and OCD. Multiple instances of calling Britney Spears a “bimbo” and a “Hollywood fucked-up”, resentfully claiming that she only shaved her head because she was “hopped up on drugs” and certainly not because she was “bipolar”, a word the press liked to wield as an insult anyway. (“That's almost like calling someone a retard!” Yeah, heaven forbid.) The meanest, most distasteful paragraphs in the book. Basically everything problematic EA had ever said or written.📝 In retrospect, it had been a long time coming, but it was a lot to take in – and certainly more off-putting, even to less emotionally invested fans, than silly lies about her age and last name.
In another wing of Asylum Tumblr, some fans had had it up to here and just wanted to have fun. 🎵 If Plague Rats had learned one valuable lesson from EA, it was how to crack a joke in the face of absurd tragedy – and the general state of the EA fandom certainly warranted a few.
In 2012, Fight Like a Girl was released. After six long years, three of which had been peaceful, the Opheliac era was officially over. The new album and ensuing tour confirmed that the Asylum had entered a process of glamorous Broadway-style militarization. 🎵📺
The mood board was “Roman general meets Vegas showgirl meets Victorian street urchin”.🪞 The color palette was, to naysayers, “musty pink and rotten, stale piss yellow”. 🐀 The keyword was “REVENGE” (through the power of... self-expression! sorority! brutal assault with rusty medical implements!). The chorus of the title song had an intriguing run-on line about getting “revenge on the world, or at least 49% of the people in it” 🎵 – which seemed like an awful lot, and was widely interpreted (to cheers, boos, or uncomfortable sighs) as a misandrist jab at literally all men on Earth.
The show was essentially a demo version of the musical, in that the setlist vaguely reflected the order of events in the story – but prior reading was essential in order to get what the hell was going on on stage. This one Broadway reviewer had not perused the literature before seeing the show 🔍, and hated: the set, the choreography, the skits, the plot, the lyrics, the music, the concept. (Seriously, you should read the review. It's not even my show and I feel like quitting show business.)
Pre-show VIP encounters, now violin-free, were lorded over by EA's new manager🐀, whose official title was “Asylum Headmistress”. (Interesting choice – she sounds fun!) The swag bags were less substantial than before, and the “greet” part of the meet-and-greet was rarely more than a quick hug and photo op.
On Twitter, EA continued to embrace her “I am very badass” fronting attitude...

Often wonder if cyberbullies r aware they’re fucking w/ a girl who’s BFs w/ maker of the SAW films & is marrying a knife-throwing scorpion. (🐀📝)

...and her taste for needlessly inflammatory statements. About an aisle sign in a supermarket:

If this does not infuriate you, then you're a fucking potato.

(Again with the confounding crypto-ableism, EA! 🔍) She also went through a phase of raging against Lady Gaga 📝, who had stolen her idea of using a wheelchair on stage as an able-bodied woman. 🔍 That failed to convince anyone that she wasn't the histrionic diva that haters made her out to be.
Spurred on by EA's rallying cries and “us vs them” mentality, loyalists turned the white-knighting up to 11. On Twitter, some Plague Rats got into cat fights with Lady Gaga's Little Monsters (what a time to be alive). Others tried to balance out the Tumblr negativity with initiatives like “Spreading a Plague of Love” – a “positive-only” confession blog, whose extreme fangirling, comically drastic rules and hyper-defensive tone📝 did not debunk the increasingly popular notion that “true Plague Rats” were a bunch of authoritarian and hopelessly brainwashed fanatics.
EA truthers and other anti-fans started lashing out at anyone who dared express any positive opinion of EA, solidifying claims that the backlash against EA was just a conspiracy of bitter, hysterical bullies.
All this to say: every passing day brought new reasons for fans to get mad at EA and each other, and everyone in the Asylum was in need of a laugh. It's not easy having a good time.🦠
Leading up to Fight Like a Girl and in the years that followed, user-submission-based meme blogs took off, most notably “Spreading a Plague of Lulz / Troll Like a Girl”. A lot of the early submissions were absurdist humor and toothless, cheezburger-Impact memes (a style that was, oddly, already dated at the time). Those often originated in good fun, and from loyal fans, on the official forum. But there was also true snark, satirizing EA's questionable ethics, outrageous claims, and easily spoofed artistic gimmicks. A new slang of Asylumspeak emerged: Glittertits (slight NSFW), GAGA!!, EA Gusta and all its memeface variants, Get outta mah house!, Are You Suffering?, Fight Like A Goat, [Random celebrity] copied EA (a subgenre in its own right), ...
Most of the “trolling” was directed at unrepentant bootlickers and, to a lesser extent, red-in-the-face haters and creeps. Meme blogs would post joke comments under “serious” or gushing submissions on Wayward Victorian Confessions, and taunt loyalist accounts by tagging them in their posts. When a few people complained on WVC that almost all of the Bloody Crumpets to date had been thin white able-bodied women, and a few fans responded by sharing their dream-casts for a more diverse line-up, the blog was flooded for days with confessions that “X should be a Crumpet” (candidates included RuPaul, Mitt Romney, Nicki Minaj, EA's therapist, and the WVC admins). Farcical shenanigans like that.
Ah, but some people will always cross the line, won't they. EA threads popped up on merciless, bully-friendly snark platforms like Lolcow, Pretty Ugly Little Liar, and Encyclopedia Dramatica. Snarkers with a mean streak and obsessive haters mingled in some of the more aggressive, 4-chan-spirited retaliation against EA – which would be called “brigading” in modern parlance. This included flooding EA's Goodreads page with one-star reviews (see part 4), repeatedly editing her Wikipedia page to include her legal name and birth year, and ensuring that Googling said name would bring up current pictures of her.
All of this compounded agitation fragmented the once-united fandom beyond recognition.🦠 Through substantial disagreements among fans, personal bickerings, layers upon layers of inscrutable in-jokes, and cross-platform telephone games, the Asylum morphed into a booby-trapped Escher room.
Satire blogs were taken in earnest. Earnest fan blogs scanned as satire. Memes would get called out as abuse. Appreciation without attached criticism would get mocked as bootlicking. Obvious jokes made by EA would be taken at face value. One divisive confession could trigger days and days of debate, to the point that WVC eventually banned confessions in response to other confessions. New waves of infighting created a confusing web of rival sub-factions🐀, each accusing the others of being toxic, cliquish, and delusional.
The shared fantasy was broken, the collective vision had crumbled, no onez was speaking the same language anymore. Fans would jump down the throat of other fans who held almost identical views about EA, except for that one thing she said or did that one time. Everyone had differing thoughts on what should or shouldn't acceptable to discuss, question, excuse, make fun of.
War is hell.

SCORCHED EARTH SHENANIGANS: HONEY, I SHRUNK THE ASYLUM

Would you tear my castle down Stone by stone And let the wind run through my windows Till there was nothing left But a battered rose? (“Castle Down”, 2003🎵)

Haters vs sycophants is not really the kind of conflict where one side can come out on top (if you're participating, you've already lost). But in the long tug-of-war between “grassroots” and “EA-sponsored” fan spaces, the ultimate winner is obvious – in that the former is gasping in agony, a shriveled husk of its former glory, while the latter... is non-existent. This is due in no small part to EA's tendency, like the Czars of old, to settle conflicts by setting Moscow on fire.🔍)
That's not entirely fair: unlike EA, the czar only did it that once.
By early 2013, as EA was gearing up for her third Fight Like a Girl tour at the end of the year, the official forum was... not as lively as it once had been. Not just because of the stifling rules and disgruntlement towards EA, or because EA herself hadn't really posted anything on there in years; the Internet was also changing, and forums in general were fast becoming passé.
This made it difficult for EA to create a safe space where she could talk to fans, and fans could talk to and about her, in a way she deemed suitable (ie, a space she could gate-keep and regulate enough to keep it completely free from negative criticism). Social media was a minefield; she still posted regularly, but didn't interact very much. So EA and the Headmistress came up with a way to filter out the unbelievers: an official fan club📝, aptly called the “Asylum Army”, with a $100 entry price.
Joining the AA came with a dog tag, a sew-on patch, and a lifetime membership certificate signed by EA and – for some reason – the Headmistress. (Unlike EA's best friend and sound engineer back in the forum's heyday, I don't think fans ever really embraced the FLAG-era manager as part of the Asylum in-group. She came across more as a coordinator / businessperson / adult chaperone, at best.🐀) So, slightly better goodies than you'd get by joining the other AA 🔍 ... but not by much. The main appeal was that members would have access to exclusive content, special merch, giveaways, early bird tickets for future shows, and regular video chats with EA.
The concept itself drew a fair amount of criticism, as you can imagine. Between the name🐀, the price, and the inherent gatekeeping of a pay-to-join fanclub, many balked at the monetizing of a concept that had once (like, three years back) been significantly more DIY, grassroots, and inclusive. 📝🐀
Then again, many also longed for a positive, drama-free space where fans could just be fans. And while the creation of the AA was generally recognized as a quick cashgrab, a lot of people were surprisingly cool with it. EA was trying to finance her dream musical, after all – although a number of fans wished she had gone about raising funds in a less sketchy way.
So around 400 fans shelled out (which, according to the Headmistress📝, “basically cover[ed] the cost of running the fanclub itself – keeping the database up, website, etc.”). Enough for a close-knit, but sizable community. But already, there was a conflict of interest: a high fanclub entry fee essentially demands that you pledge loyalty to the artist over loyalty to your fellow fans, who wish to join but can't afford to. Sharing, caring, and ensuring no one felt left out were some of the more positive values cultivated in the fandom... but leaking exclusive content would surely piss off other paying members🐀, and make EA feel betrayed all over again. (And she had barely just started to mellow out on social media!)
...But then again, this is the internet. After the first month of secret AA drops (lyric sheets, some photoshoot outtakes – nothing too juicy, really), there were, yes, some leaks. EA was predictably miffed, and retaliated by... ghosting the fanclub for weeks at a time in its first few months of existence (great look!). She eventually found the “solution” to her problem, by providing something you couldn't right-click-save (and which had been part of the promised perks to begin with): live interaction.
Over webcam, she was her usual in-person bubbly, charming, funny self. Everyone seemingly had a good time during the fanclub video chat, and this gave people faith and hope.
There were a few more events, giveaways, etc. As promised, ahead of the fall 2013 tour (the last one to date, it would turn out), AA members got priority access to show tickets and VIP bundles. The latter were much pricier than before, and only included soundcheck, a photo-op, and three goodies: a tin of loose-leaf tea, a signed printer-paper setlist, and a small flag that said “F.L.A.G.”.🔍 Some stuff continued to leak – but, as some of the outlaws pointed out (scroll down to the Disqus comments), they were mostly relaying information that was relevant to the entire fanbase, such as updates about ongoing projects (the dragged-out recording of the audiobook, for one).
In early 2014, lifetime memberships were closed, and replaced with monthly, quarterly and yearly subscription tiers. Bizarrely, you ended up paying $3 more per month if you bought a $99 yearly subscription📝 – but it did include the patch, dog tag, and piece of paper!

Sometimes I kind of want to be part of the cool kids and register to the Asylum Army. Then I remember how it came about, what you could get for the same price a couple years ago, how the whole thing was and is handled, and that I won’t support any of this bullshit. (And then I roll around naked in all the money I’m saving.) (🐀)

Still, a number of fans rejoiced at the affordable monthly option, and joined – if not for the exclusive content and merch (which were... okay, but not much to write home about), then for the friendly, drama-free exchanges with an artist they actually did love, in spite of all the frustration.
For the still-too-poor or still-undecided, there was always the forum! It wasn't as active as it used to be, but a few die-hards still managed to keep the lights on... until, inevitably, Someone Did Something and Ruined Everything. (Once again: EA's wrath is spectacular, but rarely completely unprovoked.) The incident features one notable figure in the Asylum community. Let's call him the Collector.
OK, so maybe you remember the meme I linked to in Part 4, with Christian Grey and the ginormous EA hoard. Well, that's the Collector's collection. The “Violin” promo that I called the "Holy Grail of the fandom" in the same paragraph? Also his. The handwritten lyrics that went for $940? Guess who won that auction. Over the years, the Collector had probably spent five figures on EA merch and shows, and although that fact was a little unsettling, he was a very active, easy-going, and generally well-liked fixture of the fandom.
One day in 2012, shortly after the Headmistress had replaced EA's old Chicago BFF as main forum admin, the Collector's account got banned or restricted over something dumb. When the ban wasn't lifted as quickly as he hoped, he took it... the way one takes things when one is unhealthily invested: he started spamming Headmistress and the mod team with increasingly rambling and abusive emails (lost to time, probably for the best). When that didn't work quickly enough, he tried a different route.
One of the many auctions that the Collector had won, some years prior, was EA's old iPod Touch📝 – which contained all of her favorite tunes and, buried somewhere in the data cache... a phone number. Which the Collector tried calling. And wouldn't you know it: EA picked up. She congratulated him on his sleuthing skills, listened patiently as he made his case, apologized for any distress caused by the unfair account restriction, and then they got married.
Kidding! She freaked the fuck out, hung up, and banned him for life from the forum and all EA shows and events.
After his ban, the Collector allegedly still tried to attend at least one VIP pre-show (one source in the comments says he was allowed to buy some merch, refunded for his ticket, and escorted out). He joined the Reform forum to bitch about EA and try to rally people to his cause, possibly made revenge posts about her on darker snark forums, and continued to hound the Asylum mod team. So in June 2014, EA came up with a radical and unexpected fix to the Collector problem.

The official Asylum Fan Forum has been shut down permanently. I have personally paid thousands of dollars each year to keep the forum safe and secure for you ... Unfortunately, the forum has not been kept safe and secure for me, a truth which disappoints me greatly, instead becoming a place where people who have physically threatened myself and my staff prey upon forum members, pressuring them to contact me and my staff on their behalf. If the gullible wish to humor my stalkers (who live in their parent’s basement at age 30 something) and thus put me in danger, they may do it on their own dime. They may also fuck off, because stupidity can kill, and I won’t be your victim. To those who enjoyed the forum, you know who to thank for its closure. (“On the closing of the Asylum Forum”)

Voilà! This is how a decade-long archive of shared history ends: not with a bang, but with a dirty delete and a sod-off communiqué.
The obliteration of the forum took everyone by surprise...

I was actually on the forum when it was taken down. I was navigating between posts and when I went to click on a different board, an error message came up. I honestly cried a little, I'm not ashamed to say. (WVC admin on Reddit, 2024)

...and I do mean everyone:

Chicago BFF / ex-admin, the next morning: Whoa, EA forum shut down? Ex-mod: It turns out that if someone spends enough years actively “waging war” to destroy what they can’t have, eventually they’ll be successful. * eye roll * Not even mods got prior warning. Just all the sudden, poof, gone. BFF: Really? She did not let the moderators know?! This is sounding worse and worse. Uggh. I’m so sorry. Such a loss. (...) Ok, threats are serious, but why not just put it in archive mode so no one can post? (...) Sad. I shall light a candle in the forum's honor. (Facebook posts; scroll down for screenshots)

It was a gut punch, especially for people who had poured countless hours into the community, or could have used some prior warning to save years of their own writing from the role-playing threads. One last chance to take a look around the place that had meant so much to so many.

From the wording of the announcement of closing the forum and a number of other things, it sometimes seems like EA doesn't like her fans much. :/ (🐀)

Three months after the forum was nuked, Battered Rose (a venerable EA fansite, which had been around since the Enchant era and had one of the most complete EA galleries online) announced that it was shutting down too.📝 The admin, who had also been a long-time forum mod, cited a lack of “time, energy, passion, or money” to keep the website going... and being upset at the sudden disappearance of the forum. It was, truly, the end of an era for the Asylum.
...Well, no point in living in the past. For those who could afford it, and still wanted to talk to/about EA after that (not everyone did 🐀), there was always the Asylum Army fanclub!
Over the summer of 2014, EA held regular live chats and Q&A's, and... many attendees really enjoyed them, and thought the AA was well worth the money after all. She also quietly parted ways with the much poo-pooed Headmistress around that time.

Just spent over 4 hours giggling, drinking tea and playing guessing games in chat with EA and other Asylum Army members ... No griping, no downers, just lots of fun. I think I like the way the ‘new fandom’ is going and now I’m really glad I finally decided to join the Army. (September 4, 2014🐀; Battered Rose had closed the day before)

The forum was lost forever, but perhaps that was a chance for a fresh start. Could this fanclub thing really be the Asylum Renaissance that fans had been longing for?

...I have come today to a very difficult but necessary decision, and that is to discontinue the Emilie Autumn Official Fanclub. The site itself, and the community chatroom, will remain open to you indefinitely, but I will no longer be making updates to the site. (Newsletter, September 8, 2014📝)

...Never mind, then.
Turns out the fanclub had been the Headmistress' idea all along. EA had been reluctant from the start, and although she really enjoyed the live chats with a safe community of people “who are there for the right reasons”, she couldn't overcome her fundamental discomfort with the concept. Lifetime and regular members would receive a bunch of digital downloads and a -35% coupon on the Asylum Emporium for their troubles. EA said she would definitely pop back once in a while for live chats, for free, just for fun, but to my knowledge, she never did.
And so the most devoted fans were left standing in the rain...

She is happy, she made it. She is fulfilling her dreams, found love and happiness after all the pain. I understand that she now doesn’t need “us” anymore ... That doesn’t change the fact she broke my heart with taking the Asylum Army and the forum from me. Yet, I am happy for her. (🐀)

...while naysayers pointed and laughed, Nelson-style.🦠

I don’t feel sorry at all for the people that paid for the Asylum Army fan club. Most of them knew that EA is an atrocious business woman and has broken many promises before. In fact, I laugh at them. They seriously thought that EA would actually stay consistent with this? (🐀)

EVERYTHING MUST GO: THE ASYLUM WHOLESALE

EA fans were left without an “official” home for about three years. This gave them plenty of time to be annoyed at EA for: not releasing the audiobook on time, not materializing any new project for a while... and the new sin of peddling random, ridiculously marked-up AliBaba jewelry as “merch” on her official store. Think faux-antique cameo pendants and $30 Big Ben rings (...because the Asylum story is set in London, get it?).

The whole accessories section looks like a tacky overpriced English souvenir shop. (🐀)

The fanbase lost a lost of steam in those in-between years, because there wasn't much to stick around for. As evidenced by the positive reception of the AA live chats, even in the midst of unresolved drama, out-loud interactions in a friendly environment have always been EA's saving grace. Considering the amount of online hate, there are shockingly few accounts of bad IRL encounters with EA: most people say that in live conversation, she comes across as a fun, warm, and genuinely sweet person. Some report that their negative opinion shifted after meeting her.
But there were no chats or live shows anymore. There was only social media, where she ignored questions and vague-posted about overdue projects – and the newsletter📝, which was all saccharine love-bombing to promote bland dropshipped trinkets. For fans who remembered the handcrafted merch (and two-way communication) of the early years, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

CONTINUED IN COMMENTS

​

I play Canada a lot (home nation and also was very easy to understand and play with as a beginner) and I’m finding it to be very easy to win the war for Mother England.
Step 1) research speed: Canada is now built to research things stupid fast with all their new (and old) buffs. Get all the research buffs/decisions as early as possible. By the end of 1936 you should be able to have the political power, and industrial advisors (the latter only costs 50 after a 35 day focus), as well as used 200pp to get German and Italian scientists. Take the focus “commonwealth ties” and “Montreal laboratory” to get another 5%.
Step 2) readying for war: You’re gonna wanna try and get as many civs through focuses early on to reduce the effects of the Great Depression. After Anschluss you can take the focus which is locked by world tension, and within a few focuses most of the negative effects should be gone. This should be early 1939 by now. Prioritize an industry focused on armour and air. For a navy just build anti-submarine 1936 destroyers, you can even build some light cruisers to buff up the convoy escorts.
Step 3 manpower) Canada can actually field a decent sized army now that its focus tree isn’t locked to manpower or industry. From early to late 1939 you’re going to want to focus on getting to the “send in the zombies” and get to limited conscription, you’ll still have the Quebec manpower debuff but you should field an army of around 350,000 by the end of 1939.
Step 4) strategic deployments: Use your units and manpower wisely, it’s strongly recommended you put two infantry divisions (9-0 or 9-1) on the El-Alemain tile and Italy will throw countless lives at you while your allies clean up east Africa securely. With the rest (12-16) divisions at the wars start, have them waiting in Scapa flow until Germany declares on Norway. Send two divisions to each port and let the Germans waste away divisions, and even better Norways divisions are enough to clean up the Germans so you don’t have to move troops and lose the entrenchment.
Step 5) wait and liberate: as the Germans waste divisions in Norway, and the Italians in North Africa, the Soviet Union will eventually start holding and pushing the Germans back before Moscow. Use your newly built up army of tanks to invade and liberate France. Leave Italy to the UK and US. Drive to Paris ASAP so France can deploy troops in Europe, and use your tanks to quickly encircle and drive to Berlin.
Step 6) invade Japan: by this point Japan is almost entirely overextended and attrition riddled, the US probably has drastic naval superiority and probably even captured Iwo Jima. Invade from wherever you see fit, but make sure your hundred strong fleet of destroyers are escorting

13-minute read.

did/does Russia support or oppose the ongoing Tavush border delimitation process?

Some pro-West figures in Armenia believe that Russia is against this delimitation process because that would further reduce the need to have Russian boots in those regions, and Armenian government member(s) have publicly stated that there will be no need for Russians to stay there. Others cite a recent statement made by Russian MFA spokeswoman Zakharova to suggest Russia supports the delimitation. Others believe Russia organized this delimitation process by using its "puppet" Mher Grigoryan - the head of the Armenian border commission.
Let's recall the events.
March 18: PM Pashinyan announces a plan to delimit the borders and to start it from Tavush. Says the chance of a war is high if Armenia doesn't return the 4 (2.5) Soviet-era Azerbaijani villages where civilians used to live.
March 20, Moscow, Zakharova: There is a mechanism for delimitation and Russia is ready to assist the parties with our expertise. We are ready to cooperate [suggests that Russia is not currently part of that process]. That is the role we could play. Now regarding the role we certainly do NOT play today. We have nothing to do with the decisions voiced by the Armenian government. Do me a favor, understand and remember, that whatever Pashinyan said, must not and cannot be associated with Russia. Armenia held no consultations with Russia in advance, no contacts, this is an exclusively Armenian decision based on Yerevan's consultations with the West. This is the West's zone of responsibility. The questions on what agreements they have reached, what the [West] was pushing Armenia to accept, should be directed at Yerevan. The Armenian government should not blame Russia for this. //
Fast forward to April 19. Armenian government announces a breakthrough agreement with Azerbaijan. Territorial-wise, it is more favorable for Armenia than many expected, with Armenia maintaining control of crucial roads and most of the Soviet-Azerbaijani territories during this phase of the delimitation.
Following this agreement and the successful launch of the border marking process, Russia's Zakharova makes a generic statement welcoming any diplomatic effort: "Let me remind you of our [Russia's] traditional position. We support the settlement of all issues related to the demarcation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, without exception, exclusively by political-diplomatic methods."
Do you believe Russia organized, supported, or truly supports this process? Leave your opinion in the comments below.
video, source, source,

Armenia's ruling party met Ben Cardin, the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee

A delegation of ranking ruling MPs and Armenia's Ambassador Lilith Makunts were hosted by Senator Cardin on Wednesday.
They discussed the AM-AZ peace process and the Crossroads of Peace regional logistics project that aims to lift the blockade on Armenia.
Cardin expressed support for Armenia's sovereignty and democracy and expressed willingness to further deepen the US-AM relations.
source,

tens of U.S. Representatives urge Congressional Appropriators to allocate $200 million for Artsakh refugees

66 members of the House want to...
(1) Expand the US military aid to Armenia. $20M in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and $10M in International Military Education and Training (IMET).
(2) Suspend all US military and security aid to Azerbaijan.
(3) Urge Blinken to develop a potential sanctions package against the Azerbaijani regime.
(4) $200M for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees.
(5) $10M for law enforcement reforms in INCLE
(6) $10M in democratic reforms under OTI
ANCA welcomed the letter by the Congress members:

With tens of billions of American dollars being shipped overseas to crisis zones around the world, the less than $20 million that President Biden has set aside – but not yet allocated – for displaced Artsakh Armenians is truly an embarrassment

source,

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommends listing Azerbaijan among "countries of particular concern" like Afghanistan, North Korea, and Cuba

The USCIRF made that recommendation to the US government in its 2024 Annual report.
It also urges the US government to allocate funds to restore, preserve, and protect Armenian religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The report notes that in 2023 the Azerbaijani government continued to pose a threat to religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh. For example, the chairman of Azerbaijan's official State Committee for Work on Religious Affairs Mubariz Gurbanli urged Armenian Apostolic priests to leave the Dadivank Monastery, falsely claiming that they had no ties to the religious site.
source,

U.S. Treasury Department sanctions an Azerbaijani business for assisting Russia to bypass the weapons sanctions

An Azerbaijani company is accused of acting as an intermediary to negotiate and execute business deals on behalf of sanctioned Russian entities.
source, source,

Azerbaijani president Aliyev praises Russia's role in "ensuring security" in Caucasus and globally

Ilham Aliyev hosted the Russian Senate's deputy leader Kosachev and the head of the Eurasian Integration Committee Leonid Kalashnikov.
RUSSIAN SENATOR: President Aliyev's insightful speech at the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue regarding the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and [the anti-French speech about] neo-colonialism were very relevant under today's conditions. Mr. Aliyev's recent visit to Moscow was very successful.
ILHAM ALIYEV: My visit to Moscow was very productive and it once again displayed the strategic nature of the Russian-Azerbaijani alliance. As neighboring states, we provide maximum support to one another. Russia plays an important role in ensuring security not only in the region but also in the wider area.
source,

Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Ukraine discussed bilateral and regional issues over the phone

Emphasizing the efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus, Ararat Mirzoyan attached importance to the unconditional respect for the principle of territorial integrity in the process of border delimitation, the commitment to the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration and the position expressed by international partners

source,

Armenian government approves the package to establish Police Guard as part of ongoing police reforms

EXECUTIVE: Purely police service will be created with new weapons and trained personnel in accordance with international standards, which will be entrusted with the maintenance of public order and public safety, the protection of state buildings and important objects, the escorting of delegations provided for by the state protocol, as well as ensuring the legal regime of martial law and state of emergency.
At the same time, the adoption of the drafts will contribute to more effective realization of the right of citizens to hold assemblies, and will exclude the risks of use of disproportionate force against participants of rallies.
INTERIOR MINISTRY: Police Guard will be one of the 4 pillars of the police reforms [Patrol Police, Police Guard,...]. We have been working with the Council of Europe and Armenian NGOs to develop this reform. It has received a positive evaluation from international observers.
The Police Guard will have civilian management and be monitored by the parliament. In comparison, the existing Police Forces operate under a different code. The Police Guard will be formed as an entirely new structure and won't be a legal successor of another division.
New international standards will be implemented for the use of force and weapons. This will come to replace "inaccurate" formulations in the existing structures.
Today we have reports about a disproportionate amount of force being used by police, or other inappropriate conduct. That is because these police officers were never trained and educated for years. The Police Guard applicants will receive training on how to ethically communicate with citizens during mass events, how to negotiate with citizens, what the citizens' rights are, etc.
The main law will go into effect in September, launching a process of bringing other laws in line with the new code. The head of the Police Guard will be appointed in January 2025; it will be fully formed two months later. We decided to do it slowly so as not to compromise the quality and to give enough time for applicants to study and join the service.
PASHINYAN: This is the next important reform in the police. We have decided to do it slowly but accurately. We need to standardize how much force the police can use and when. The correct boundaries will protect not only citizens but also the officers who will avoid harsh consequences by not overstepping their boundaries.
source, video,

Armenia and US extend agreement on cooperation in the area of counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction

MOD Papikyan hosted Ambassador Kvien. They discussed the current state of AM-US relations and future developments.
The US expressed readiness to continue to support defense reforms in Armenia.
source,

Armenia will join an EAEU mechanism to identify the true origin of goods

There is a unified system of determining the origin of goods that helps streamline the movement of goods.
EXECUTIVE: This will significantly facilitate trade, as goods from the EAEU member states, as well as from countries that have or are planning free trade agreements with the EAEU, will undergo minimal inspections and enjoy favorable trade regimes. The unified system will simplify the procedure for processing documents.
source,

the government discusses changes to the tax code for businesses

FINANCE MINISTER: (1) We need to raise the turnover tax rate to reduce the difference in tax burden compared to the VAT/profit taxation system. (2) Turnover taxpayers should improve their documentation discipline. (3) Certain types of activities won't enjoy the privileges of microbusinesses and turnover tax. The latter must be more targeted.
As you know, the purpose of the turnover tax system was to simplify the tax system and have a milder approach to certain businesses. However, the research shows that the turnover tax system has turned into a system of "privilege". We compared the tax burden under profit/VAT and turnover systems and found that in almost every sector, the profit/VAT burden was much heavier than the turnover-based burden, ranging from 2-3x.
Moreover, recent years' experience with turnover tax and microbusiness shows that these systems often include types of business activities that resemble activities that are prohibited under the turnover tax system.
Therefore, it is necessary to double the turnover tax for most cases to address the aforementioned issues.

the tax rate for trade enterprises will be set at 10%, for production enterprises - 7%, and for the catering sector - 12%. At the same time, the limit for turnover tax will remain unchanged at 120 million drams per year (equivalent to about $300 thousand), and if the business exceeds this threshold, it will be forced to switch to VAT and profit tax

At the same time, the final turnover tax rate will be lower in practice than the existing rates for certain businesses that properly document their activities.

retailers will be able to reduce their minimum tax rate from 1.5% to 1%, manufacturing companies from 3.5% to 3%, and the catering sector from 4% to 3.5%. Full report.

As of 2022, we had 56,000 businesses paying turnover tax. That's twice the number of businesses in the profit/VAT system. These turnover-based businesses paid only 2.3% of the share last year. This is a very low number. We need the tax system to be fair.
PASHINYAN: Our conclusion is that the turnover tax system has been promoting bad motivations. Our goal was to allow businesses to grow so we believed that by providing certain privileges, certain trampolines, to allow people to "kickstart" their businesses, it would allow them to grow and in turn grow the economy. The goal was to allow them to grow and exit the turnover tax system and enter the VAT system.
Today the turnover tax threshold is ֏120M so you pay turnover tax for under ֏120M, and VAT for turnover above ֏120M. For microbusinesses the annual turnover threshold is ֏24M.
The research shows that as soon as the business reaches this threshold, instead of using the trampoline to jump, it for some reason hits the brakes. It turns out that how well businesses perform on paper is mysteriously tied to whatever threshold we set. The turnover reaches ֏118.5M but never crosses ֏120M. This system promotes a shadowy economy.
It is time to gradually abolish the turnover tax system and set healthy motivations for businesses. If we want to have a country, we have to collect taxes. Having an independent state is the most expensive project in the world. Every looma you pay to the tax authority helps strengthen Armenia.
IRS CHIEF: Another amendment sets January 1, 2025, as a deadline for turnover tax businesses to improve their paperwork discipline. If we find discrepancies in the business's product inventory not explained by paperwork, we will be able to demand a 20% tax.
PASHINYAN: I don't get it. This system existed since the early 2000s. Does that mean for 20 years the tax code promoted and allowed illegal activities and we're fixing it only in 2025?
IRS CHIEF: (nods in approval)
PASHINYAN: Why did we not fix it sooner, after 2018? Can anyone explain how it slipped through the cracks? This is why we need to develop Armenia's institutions. This problem is everywhere. We have thousands of state employees presenting daily nonsense reports but not the important things. Sometimes I read stacks of documents, never understand anything at the end, and develop the impression that it's a ploy to keep you distracted from the important. Why are you grinning right now? I know you have all experienced this. Let's fix this.
We must step-by-step abolish the turnover tax and establish one taxation system in Armenia. Businesses that require help will receive help, but we must end this economic deformity. //
full, source,

government authorizes allocation of another $125 million to assist Nagorno-Karabakh refugees

It will keep the monthly payments going until December.
source,

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan could swap parts of their territories to address border demarcation issues

KYRGYZSTAN: It's possible, but only after discussing it with border villagers. The border delimitation work is reaching its end. We have seen two conflicts and we have sustained losses among civilians and servicemen. People are concerned and there is fear among the border populations on both sides. In some regions, the border passes through communities but it's necessary to make mutual concessions, without which it will be impossible to resolve this.
source,

Russia expands the scope of anti-migrant retaliation to include citizens of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan

About a thousand Tajik citizens, many of whom were students studying in Russian universities, were detained at the airports and borders. Now the same is happening to Uzbek and Kyrgyz citizens.
Russian NGO: The migrants are being arrested at the airport. They have accumulated around 4,500 people at airports since April 24, and a similar number was blocked on land borders. This is the first time restrictions are applied at this scale. We receive letters that the travelers are left without food, water, and toilet, and that their cellphones are being taken away without an explanation. Some of them got deported within 2 days, while others had to wait a week. //
Foreign ministries of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have urged their citizens not to travel to Russia. Tajikistan's MFA sent a note of protest to the Russian embassy.
source,source,

Georgia’s Western trajectory is at risk: U.S. government

STATE DEPT: The United States condemns the Kremlin-inspired “foreign influence” legislation advanced in Georgia’s parliament and the false narrative government officials have adopted to defend it.
Members of the ruling party have been clear that the intent of the law is to silence critical voices and destroy Georgia’s vibrant civil society, which serves as a critical check on government in any democratic nation.
The statements and actions of the Georgian government are incompatible with the democratic values that underpin membership in the EU and NATO
Comments mischaracterizing foreign assistance in Georgia – which we have provided for 32 years to strengthen Georgia’s economy, democracy, and ability to deter Russian aggression – fundamentally undermine the strong relationship.
source,

What is happening in Georgia? Protests continue in Tbilisi over the "foreign agent" bill.

The government says the law is necessary to protect the country from foreign influence and that it could be revoked/amended later if the EU decides to accept Georgia. The opposition says it's a Russian-style law that aims to punish pro-West NGOs and will derail Georgia's path to the EU.
UGULAVA (ex-mayor of Tbilisi): The vast majority of the population is against this law. If you take the speech by the ruling party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili and replace "Georgia" with "Russia", it won't be any different than the speeches made by Vladimir Putin. Ivanishvili publicly announced that the West is the enemy of Georgia. He even distorted history and announced that the 2003 Rose Revolution was a Western conspiracy. That is an identical copy of how Putin described the revolution. This angered many Georgians, who felt that they didn't "sign up" for this. Modern Georgians have two elements that shaped their identity: (1) Georgia is part of Europe and is a European nation, (2) the Georgian identity was formed during the struggle against the Russian Empire. The separation from the Empire was the biggest achievement of the 20th century.
Ivanishvili also announced that the October elections are a "formality" and that he plans to arrest his opponents as part of a "de-Nazification" crackdown. He plans to declare [Saakashvili's] United National Movement as an illegal organization. He said it point blank during his public speech. [needs fact-check]
REPORTER (RainTV, Russian opposition): Many observers have indeed noted how open and direct Ivanishvili's confrontation was with the West in his speech. He almost promised repressions against the opposition.
UGULAVA: This is a Putinization of Georgia. They have declared Georgia as part of the "Russian world" that must fight for traditional values, etc. but the population is against this en masse. Over 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Tbilisi, which is not a large city.
May 17 is Diversity Day [against anti-LGBT hatred] but the church wants to convert it to Family Day. They are provoking. On that day they [traditional value defenders] often organize mass unrest. This is what Putin does. Ivanishvili, the reactionaries at church, and Putin are operating in tandem.
source, [source,]

9th Crusade is officially launched in Armenia

Robert Kocharyan's MP son Levon Kocharyan's assistant released a statement after assaulting a pro-government journalist over a report critical of an opposition churchman and his involvement in businesses. Context in May 1 news.
KOCHARYAN's ASSISTANT: Yes, there was an incident between us. This young man has adopted a mission to discredit the church, which is unacceptable for me as an Armenian, as a Christian. I attempted to explain this to him in the backyard of the parliament building. It is my duty as an Armenian to defend the church. Spreading falsehoods about the church and its figures is an act void of morality. He accused me of the same, so I punched him once [you telling on yourself, bud, get a fucking lawyer]. He fell to the ground. He got up and started screaming at me but I didn't fall for his provocations. He yelled and said "but I didn't touch you". I told him "you touched my church", that's the same as touching me. //
He has been jailed for 2 months pending a trial.
full, source,

Edmon Marutyan has released a statement in support of opposition church figures and delimitation protesters

video,

update on "ծակվավ" story

The opposition activist who was seen poking a van's tire in Tavush is charged with a crime, and so is a 17-year-old who gave him the knife. Context in April 27 news.
source,

the construction of Park of Life is underway in Yerevan: VIDEO

Dedicated to soldiers, it will be located in Yerevan's Botanical Garden. There will be a pond, newly renovated cascade stairs, alleys, and a parking lot for 180 cars.
video,

what share of the IT workforce is Armenian?

Last year there were 34,000 registered IT workers, a +62% YoY.
44 percentage points of the 62% increase was caused by the influx of foreigners, mostly Russians.
Share of foreigners in the IT workforce:
2022: 4%
2023: 27%
The number of Russian IT workers in Armenia:
2023 Jun: 8,600 (peak)
2023 Dec: 8,300
The gross output of the IT sector:
2022: ֏585B
2023: ֏837B ($2.1B)
more,

the reptiles are among us

The Nature Ministry (which apparently still exists) responded to concerns raised by residents about an increasingly frequent encounter with lizards.
The ministry says there are 27 types in Armenia and almost half of them are in the Red Book so try not to kill them, they are benign, and they help protect crops by feeding on harmful invertebrates.
source,

First Previous Next
"I have some bad news for you Commander Grant."
Over the last few weeks the regiment was exposed to a lightning paced series of training programs, basic weapons drills and simulated combat scenarios that made 14 hours of cutting grass seem pleasant in comparison. Sun up to sun down they trained hard on every aspect of combat, referencing tactics and strategies that were employed on the modern battlefield, and the evolution of the professional soldier from the Greek Hoplites at Marathon to the Polish air-mobile 'Winged Hussars' in the desperate raid on Moscow that ended World War III.
Robert found it difficult to keep up with a program designed to educate a future soldier in three months condensed into four weeks, but the General had made it crystal clear that if they were successful, their freedom was assured after a standard enlistment was fulfilled. Given the choice of a four year enlistment as respected regular soldiers or a death sentence that could span up to 50 years in Robert's case, the decision was simple and the regiment steadfastly refused to loosen their grip on their desired freedom.
That's when shit went sideways.
"Sir, how bad is it?" Robert asked.
The General looked at Robert, dispair apparent on his face, but he spoke in an even tone.
"Dexian forces were able to swing around our spin ward flank and cut supply lines by taking Dover and Andelusia."
Robert made a mental note that the sailheads were called Dexians. Hobbs and Jacob would be the primary two that he would have to correct, but at another time.
"I don't suppose you know what that means Commander Grant?" The General asked.
"No sir." Robert replied.
"It means this rock is cut off and surrounded." The General replied. "Meanwhile we are outnumbered and expecting a counter offensive any day now."
Robert took a few minutes to process the information. Everything that his Regiment had accomplished to this point was potentially for naught. He hated how it rung in his own mind, and knew the convicts would feel the pain of coming so far for nothing even more.
"Sir," Robert began, "I humbly request, on behalf of the Convict Regiment, that we test out as soon as possible."
It wasn't much, but they wouldn't be used as meat shields.
"You have just over 700 convicts under your command Robert, not even a full regiment." The General said.
"Bullet sponges are not going to improve your odds Sir." Robert countered. "At the very least they can die free sir."
"What makes you believe they won't cut and run?" The General asked.
"I won't." Robert promised.
The General seemed to weigh Robert's words for a few moments before retrieving a box from his desk.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" The General asked.
"Probably going to die anyway." Robert replied. "Might as well give them something worth dying for."
The General opened the lid yo the box and looked inside, then up at Robert, before closing it again and tossing the box to Robert. Robert caught the box and opened it. Inside was a set of cut lapels with the rank of colonel still pinned to them. Robert looked up from the box back at the General.
"You're their 'big bird' now Robert." The General said. "I don't expect much, but none of us are probably going to get out of this anyway."
"Understood Sir," Robert began, closing the box, "It's one less bite of the shit sandwich for someone else."
/////
"First Corporal, now Colonel." Jacob said as Robert returned to the regiments Cage. "It must be bad."
"We are surrounded and cut off by a superior force." Robert replied.
"Back to being the walking dead than." Jacob said forlorn.
Robert took a deep breath, unfolded a piece of paper he retrieved from his right breast pocket, and began to Read out loud.
"The Terran Armed Forces, at the recommendation of Brigadier General Wallace E. Duncan, has placed special trust and faith in the dedication, courage and honor observed of Commander Robert Grant and Convict Regiment 449. Their status is hearby changed, due to emergency, from Convict Regiment 449 to the 449th Infantry Regiment (Seperate) under the command of Colonel Robert Grant for the duration of the conflict. All sentences are hereby commuted to four year enlistments, with the exception of Colonel Robert Grant, and time served."
Robert looked up into the slack jawed faces of 745 former prisoners as the guards who had escorted Robert opened the cage gate.
"You are no longer Convicts, you are soldiers." Robert began. "We are required to provide a regimental name, insignia, colors and so on."
"Freed just in time to die." Hobbs said grimly.
"Free none the less." Robert shot back. "It's your choice to die free Hobbs. I want to live."
Hobbs nodded. "What do you need Colonel?"
"What I need is a Regiment who has something to live for." Robert replied. "What I want is a demolitions expert who set fire to an entire valley not long ago."
Hobbs smiled like a mad man.
"You know, when my Daddy was alive we used to get a few gallons of diesel fuel, mix it with some..."
Robert returned the smile.
"Make a list and get on it."

https://youtu.be/ATQC8cSf5fk?si=3sOrs75r4JjiqfoV
They'd still lose. Not as bad as the Iraqis in 1991 but still pretty bad.
The US Millitary of the ~1989-1993 timeframe was essentially the same force that fought in the Gulf. The Reagan Buildup had just finished and American millitary capabilities were at their peak never seen before or since at any point in American history.
According to a 1979 CIA Doc the Soviets would prefer to fight a conventional war against NATO (Warsaw Pact Forces Opposite NATO) which would have probably still been true for handling the Coalition.
The Soviets only had ~400 T-80Us (Soviet Medium Tank M1989 in NATOese) west of the Urals by the end of 1990 mostly in Ukraine and the Moscow Millitary District (T-80 the Last Soviet Armored Champion) compared to 700 M1A1HAs for Desert Storm alone. The Army also had plans to convert all of their M1A1s to HAs by 1993 (M1 Abrams 1982-1992).
M829A1 was superior to BM-32 and 42 sabot and even M829 baseline was roughly equivalent.
Most other Soviet armor would have consisted of a mix of T-64B and BVs, T-72As (the export variant without an antiradiation liner fought in the Gulf) 72 B1s (SMT M1986) and T-80Bs and BVs and none save for a command variant of the T-80U had thermals. Even the National Guard's M60A3 had superior night fighting capabilities. If the Soviets did decide to rescue the Iraqis the Coalition probably wouldn't have even seen a single SMT M1989 or T-72BM.
Even with 16mm stopgap plate the glacis of the T-72A and T-80B could be penetrated by M-774 and 833 out to 3 kilometers based on firing tests done with captured Iraqi T-72M1s that had the same glacis armor.
West German firing tests done with East German T-72M1s found that 105mm DM-33 which had simmilar penetration to 774 could penetrate the kvartz turret out to 1-1.5 kilometers.
In terms of kinetic protection the SMT 1986 and M1A1 and IP were roughly even with the IP having slightly better kinetic protection. The M1A1/IP's BRL 2 was tested to withstand a prototype L23 sabot that was supposed to simulate the Soviet 125 in the late 1970s and it had 480-490 mm point blank penetration. The SMT M1986's turret was ballistic tested to withstand BM-26 (450mm point blank) and the glacis BM-22 (440mm point blank).
The US had tandem warhead Tow 2As having been introduced in 1987 rendering Kontak-5 worthless and depleted uranium tank armor for their M1A1s also introduced in 1987. The Soviets wouldn't start introducing the tandem Spandrel M untill 1990.
The only area where the Soviets had an advantage was air defences with the S-300 being rated as superior to the Patriot in Soviet Millitary Power 1990 but US/NATO forces could have countered these with electronic warfare platforms such as the Prowler and F-111 Raven and HARM anti-radiation missiles.
Another problem would have been the SS-23 with conventional or cluster warheads which was more accurate than the Iraqi Scud and was almost given to the Syrians as early as 1986 along with T-80s only for the Soviets to back out of the deal as to not embolden Hafez Al Assad to try and invade Israel (CIA Reading Room).
Even with the clock bug the Patriot had a ~40% interception rate against Scuds (Operation Desert Storm Vol 2 by Helion. This wouldn't have been sufficient against the more accurate SS-23.
The R-27R and T AAMs were inferior to the American/NATO Sparrow M and the ER variant had just been introduced to the PVO and was not in fieldable numbers yet. Even the domestic MiG-29 variants and SU-27s would have been badly outmatched with their loadouts at the time.
To make matters worse the AMRAAM was being introduced and was initially designed to be so interoperable with NATO allies that theoretically an F-4 could use them. Even during the actual Gulf War AMRAAMs were shipped over but by the time they arrived the air campaign was winding down so they weren't fired in combat untill the No Fly Zone post war (Operation Desert Storm Vol 2 by Helion).
The PVO would have been incapable of stopping F-15 or Tornado escorted B-52 deep strike packages. They had the bare minimim air to air combat training with individual initiative referred to as "hooliganism" (Defending Rodinu series by Helion).

11-minute read.

Q&A with PM Pashinyan about the Friday breakthrough in the AM-AZ border delimitation process

Context in Friday news.
REPORTER: Azerbaijan does not object to using the Almaty Declaration as the basis for the process?
PASHINYAN: First, a word about the Friday statement. Let's not under- or over-estimate the agreement. Essentially, this is the first time Armenia and Azerbaijan were able to resolve an issue around a table. This is an achievement for both countries.
Essentially, the two states have placed their signatures on a bilateral format to reaffirm each other's territorial integrity and reaffirm that the Soviet-era border will be confirmed on the ground instead of drawing a new border. This is an important nuance because there were various movements and events in 1988-1991. We negotiated and agreed to use the de jure border at the time of the collapse of the USSR. This is a very important achievement.
This event is a cornerstone for the sovereignty, independence, and development of Armenia. This is a cornerstone event and we must continue to build on this.
This decision will significantly reduce the security risks that we have in Tavush, but also in other regions, because as you've noticed, we have reached an agreement around the principle of the rest of the delimitation process. In other words, we can discuss the other disputed issues around the table by using the already-reached agreement.
In Voskepar, we delivered what we promised to Voskepar residents [the road remains under Armenian control]. The same about Kirants [small bypass road]. There were fewer problems in Berkaber. As I told the residents, if during the delimitation process we come across issues with certain houses and lands, then we will defend the rights of our residents and we will ensure proper compensation. That is an "if".
The delimitation process involves the use of very specific maps that reflect the border on the ground but even they can have minor deviations when you turn the map into a description. The commissions should reach agreements that minimize the impact on nearby residents. Today there are no Azeri residents in those villages, but there are Armenian villagers on the Armenian side of the border. Voskepar and Asagi Askipara were basically intertwined during the USSR, and Kirants and Kherimli were very close to each other.
REPORTER: The road won't be affected as part of this delimitation. Is this a temporary thing for us to build a bypass road, or do you plan to exchange lands?
PASHINYAN: Exchanging lands would require a complex process and a referendum. In Voskepar I informed the residents that we don't plan to draw new borders with Azerbaijan; we plan to reproduce the Soviet-era borders. The residents raised concerns over the road, and we took that into consideration and it was addressed during this phase of the delimitation. In Voskepar I suggested building a new road but the residents were against it. I said okay, we won't build a road if you don't want it, but I asked them to think about why they oppose the idea of having a second road that passes through a territory that's guaranteed to be part of Armenia.
REPORTER: In other words, this is a partial delimitation that leaves out the problematic road sections to give you time to build a new road?
PASHINYAN: No. At this stage, we decided to ensure that the conditions allow Armenian and Azeri civilians to live in their villages, so we are only delimiting parts of the borders immediately in front of the villages so the residents will have security. [I.e. initially the perception was that Azeris will advance not only in their villages but also some territories in between and take control of the Voskepar highway, but under this phase of delimitation, Armenia will maintain control of some or most Azeri lands and Azeris will maintain control of Armenian lands, by judging from the map released on Friday. In other words, Armenia and Azerbaijan are yet to discuss the large chunk of Azeri land located between Voskepar-Kirants, and the large chunk of Armenian land south of Mt. Odundag.]
PASHINYAN: The armed forces will be replaced by border guards. The entire logic of service will change. The leaders of Armenia's and Azerbaijan's border guard services are in touch and they will reach agreements on how to conduct the guarding. This is a cornerstone of the peace process. This is a significant shift in Armenia's sovereignty, also in the eyes of the international community. Yesterday the G7 states released a statement defending the principles promoted by Armenia.
REPORTER: Do you plan to remove the Russian border agent bases?
PASHINYAN: The Russian agents were deployed in this section at a different time, and today we have a completely different situation. We are replacing the line of contact with a state border, which is a sign of peace and that means Armenian and Azeri border guards will cooperate with each other and independently carry out the protection of the border.
REPORTER: Can you tell us about enclaves/exclaves?
PASHINYAN: I understand that people have an allergy to this topic but let me remind you that we simply have no right NOT to discuss enclaves/exclaves because Armenia's 29,743 km² includes the Artsvashen exclave. The Friday statement says that we will eventually address this issue in the future. How? First, in the future, we will present the de jure evidence of the existence of Artsvashen as an Armenian exclave. Once those documents are on the table, we will launch the delimitation of Artsvashen. Then we will discuss various resolution options with Azerbaijan.
The Friday statement says the border commissions will first adopt the Regulation which will be ratified. Then we will agree on the areas where to conduct the delimitation. Then do the delimitation in the order, and move forward.
Understand this very important detail: The agreement reached on Friday means there is a preliminary political acknowledgment that recognizes Armenia's 29,743 km^2. This is very important because the AM-AZ border is very long. The commissions should reaffirm the borders piece by piece, and the total size of Armenia should be no smaller than 29,743 km^2.
REPORTER: Which maps will you use? From what year?
PASHINYAN: The Friday agreement says that parties have reached an agreement around the fundamental principle. The border must be reproduced based on the Almaty Declaration. The latter says the administrative borders at the time of the collapse of the USSR became the state borders. Our task is to find the maps that hold de jure power at the time of the collapse.
REPORTER: Are there specific maps?
PASHINYAN: Yes. As I've said before, the AM-AZ border was not drawn in one year and there is no single map for the entire border from a single year. Different sections were delimited during different years, just as we are delimiting only this section of Tavush in 2024. But we are not going to delimit the entire border in 2024. So it took/takes time to delimit borders. When the current process is over, we will have new de jure maps from 2024, 2025, 2026, etc. If in the distant future someone asks you to name a map from a specific year, you won't be able to give a specific year.
REPORTER: Did Azerbaijan agree to demarcate the entire AM-AZ border based on Almaty?
PASHINYAN: Isn't that plainly written in the Friday statement? Yes.
REPORTER: For the whole border?
PASHINYAN: Yes. That's what I was saying. The most important achievement in Friday's statement is that the Almaty Declaration becomes the base principle for the demarcation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, and it will be recorded in the Regulation.
REPORTER: Will any village lose access to roads as a result of this demarcation process?
PASHINYAN: No. Even if hypothetically we don't build a bypass road for Kirants, it has a secondary road today. As for Voskepar, it won't lose access to Kirants at this stage. I offered a new road to Voskepar residents but they rejected it for "psychological" reasons. We will send architects and experts to discuss various options with them. We want an interstate road to pass through Voskepar.
The steps we are taking aim to reduce risk and threats and to increase the level of Armenia's independence and sovereignty. A lot of things are going to change in the region and internationally.
There are undoubtedly forces that do not wish Armenia's sovereignty to develop. They want Armenia to be a fortpost state and they will do everything possible to deprive Armenia of the ability to implement its sovereign decisions. They will play with the population's emotions and use other methods. But I'm confident after the recent meeting with the residents of Voskepar and Kirants.
In the case of Kirants, people are using Google Maps which has problems. I brought the technical maps with me but didn't have an opportunity to present them to residents in full detail. There are technical issues that should not be politized to complicate the whole process. The border commissions should discuss every topic around the table. I appreciate the work of the leaders of the AM-AZ border commissions. You imagine the environment they have been working in. They have been able to focus on their task. They discuss border security in addition to border delimitation [Note: Pashinyan in the past accused Azerbaijan of excluding the border security component from the delimitation commission, so this might be a new development as well]. Both parties must ensure conditions to allow citizens of both states to live next to each other. As I told the residents of Berkaber, we should have a border checkpoint and leave it up to residents to decide whether they want to do trade or have contacts.
We adopted the peace agenda in 2021 and our critics were complaining about a lack of results, but over the past 4 months we have recorded two very important achievements: (1) Our 32 captives returned home, (2) for the first time in the independent history of Armenia and Azerbaijan, we have an agreement around a border. Once again, the important detail is that we have decided not to create that border but to reaffirm the Soviet-era line.
Where is the nervousness coming from? From the fact that there is always a deviation of several meters. When this takes place in an inhabited area it's easier to resolve it, but right now we are talking about the delimitation of borders where Armenian and Azeri villages are almost inside each other, so no matter how you do it there will be nervousness. This issue exists on both sides.
The map's scale has an impact on the ground. The accuracy changes with scale. The line you see on the map has an actual width. On the map, it appears as a 1-millimeter line, but on the ground, it has a width of 5-30 meters depending on the map. In the event there are problems with the properties of our citizens, the state will address all those issues.
I grew up in this region, in Ijevan, which includes Kirants today, and I've visited these forests tens or hundreds of times since childhood. There may be a problem today in this region that we must address, but a fundamental state-level issue is being resolved with this process. The governing party has the political will to go through this difficult process, resolve the issues during the delimitation process, and accomplish our mission of having an independent, sovereign, and developed Armenia. Our mission is to lead our people to move from the mentality of Historical Armenia to Real Armenia.
REPORTER: Will there be no border shootings with the deployment of border guards instead of armed forces?
PASHINYAN: In the areas of Syunik where border guards took over the task, essentially there were no ceasefire violations since 2020, until the recent incident [Armenian shepherd's cattle crossing the border]. So not by 100%, but yes, the border guards have fewer reasons to open fire. Moreover, I won't exclude the possibility of Armenian and Azeri border guards intentionally establishing visual contact with each other during service, and staying in constant touch. The protection of the border is a joint task because when someone crosses a border illegally it's an issue for both countries.
REPORTER: Russian FM Lavrov said he hopes you'll meet Putin. Aliyev will visit Moscow on Monday. Do you plan to visit?
PASHINYAN: There is no decision to never meet Putin so we will eventually meet. I can't say when.
REPORTER: With Putin, will you discuss the issue of the presence of Russian border guard bases installed after 2020?
PASHINYAN: I don't think there is a lot to discuss around that topic because it's obvious they have to leave.
REPORTER: Have you decided when to deploy Armenian and Azeri border guards?
PASHINYAN: I think we should do it quickly. First, it will allow our armed forces to take a breath. Second, the agreement should be implemented quickly. This will be a historical event if we install border signs indicating "Armenia" and "Azerbaijan". This would be a serious change. This will be the first step on a road that takes us to where we want to go.
REPORTER: Kirants residents are in a difficult psychological situation and held protests because the border will be near the newly built school. Will it be safe?
PASHINYAN: There needs to be a psychological transformation and the realization that the dangerous line of contact is being replaced by a stable state border. This is the most important achievement you can have for the protection of a state or a community in the modern world. There needs to be a psychological transformation. The residents are worried about the Armenian armed forces withdrawing from the area, but in reality, the withdrawal of the armed forces and their replacement with Armenian border guards is a good sign, a sign of a positive development. What you referred to as a psychological issue, I hope tomorrow it will be perceived as an advantage, and the population will use the roads and trade with their neighbors across the border. Today we have villagers building new houses in Kirants and Berkaber with the ֏16 million state subsidy program. Ever wonder why we would spend such amounts of money on border settlements if we didn't have a positive outlook for them? Our dialogue with the residents will continue.
source, source,

United States welcomes the delimitation agreement reached by Armenia and Azerbaijan

ANTHONY BLINKEN: We welcome the announcement that Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed upon the 1991 Alma Ata declaration as the basis for border delimitation between the two countries. This is an important step towards concluding a durable and dignified peace agreement.
source,

Turkey welcomes the agreement reached by delimitation commissions

ANKARA: This agreement is an important contribution to the peace process. This positive development, achieved through direct negotiations, is an important step towards the signing of a final peace agreement.
source,

Germany welcomes the delimitation agreement and expresses readiness to assist with the peace process

BERLIN (Google Translate): The agreement between Armenia & Azerbaijan on the Alma Ata Declaration of 1991 for border demarcation removes a major hurdle on the way to a peace agreement. Germany remains ready to provide all possible support on the path to lasting peace. //
source,

EU welcomes the delimitation agreement

CHARLES MICHEL: Warmly welcome the agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the 1991 Alma Ata Declaration as the basis for border delimitation between the two countries. Border delimitation based on the unambiguous recognition of the territorial integrity of each country has been a key element also of discussions in Brussels and will serve as an essential step towards normalisation and the peaceful opening of the entire region.
source,

United Nations GenSec welcomes the AM-AZ delimitation agreement

He welcomes the agreement reached on 19 April between the respective State Commissions on the delimitation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and encourages the parties to continue the delimitation and demarcation of the remaining sections of the border and tackle all outstanding bilateral issues toward achieving full normalization of relations.
source, source,

the award for the best journalistic headline of the day goes to...

source,

anti-corruption: authorities uncovered numerous instances of alleged corruption at Sevan National Park state non-profit in 2017

The administrators are accused of signing large-scale contracts with companies to receive services and intentionally ignoring the partial delivery of the contractual obligations.
Several persons were charged with felonies, some were let go due to statute of limitations, and others were placed on the wanted list. Their assets are frozen.
source,

apartment condos in Dilijan are undergoing an energy insulation process: VIDEO

One resident says his ֏50,000 winter energy bill was slashed in half.
Tenth of the 101 condos were included in a subsidy program financed by the government and UN. The process includes the use of new materials inside and outside, new windows and doors, a new lighting network, and lots of սվաղ․
source,

109-year-old Armenian Genocide survivor honored at Massachusetts State House

Lawmakers and visitors rose to their feet on Friday to honor Mary Vartanian, who received a Boston police escort from her home. She was born Mary Ouzghoushian in 1914 in Ainteb, a city in south-central Turkey.
Vartanian, who is due to turn 110 in August, has 15 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. [but how many winter sweaters has she given birth to? 🤔]
source,

Hello once again! For the first hotfix of 1.1 “An Isle Alone”, we bring a revamp of the existing content for SocLib and SocDem Ukraine. This was put together to build on their content from “On the Wide Steppe”, and aims to bring them to the same level of detail that was later added to the RadSoc path. Can a democratic future for Ukraine be built, or will the carefully brokered coalition between both parties come crumbling down to wreck and ruin? Additionally, we are including a few extra features for the recent Ireland rework that didn’t quite make it into the initial release. In particular, the foreign policy focus branch has been expanded, with a few more hidden dynamic options, and also some more other new events thrown in for good measure. The hotfix will also include the usual new portraits, icons, fixes, and a few other bits and pieces we have been working on. Enjoy!
- The KR4 team

Changes

Notable Additions

• Ukraine's SocLib and SocDem paths have been overhauled, with new mechanics, and updates to the national focus tree, events and decisions.
• The coalition partner list now shows the political power gain contributed from each.
• Economy Laws now give a flat bonus to division limits, instead of a percentage.
• Added a new display bar in the “Recruit & Deploy” tab, displaying the maximum number of supportable divisions, and added a warning for when this is exceeded.
• Added a page to Ireland’s country information screen, with an overview of the lore from 1922 until 1936.

Revamped Focus Trees

• Ukraine (SocLib and SocDem paths)

Tweaked Focus Trees

• Ireland (expanded the foreign policy branch to involve America, and the victory of Ireland’s respective joinable factions, and added sub-branches for the Small Pact and Celtic Confederation factions)

New Events

• Added events for Canada regarding Prince Albert’s speech impediment.
• Added an event for Fengtian if Zhang Zongchang secures power in Shandong.
• Added unique ending events for each of the three paths for Ireland that emerge from the Second Irish Revolution.
• Added unique ending events for SocDem paths and AutDem Aontas Náisiúnta path for Ireland, separating them from the existing elected RadSoc, SocLib and elected PatAut path events.
• Added events for democratic Ireland after the 1941 election, regarding the coalescing of the opposition.
• Added an event for Ireland regarding Irish volunteers to the War in the Southern Cone.
• Added an event informing Shandong that the Qing Government sent no aid to them.

New Decisions

• Added decisions for the Bhartiya Commune and socialist Hawaii to join the Left Kuomintang’s faction.
• Added more decisions for Germany and the Union of Britain to gain influence with Ireland during the “Gateway to the Atlantic” contest. They can now spend infantry equipment, command power or army experience to gain more influence than with the default consumer goods decision.
• Added toggleable decisions for Germany and the Union of Britain that allow them to repeatedly autocomplete their “Pressure Ireland” decision in the “Gateway to the Atlantic” contest.
• Added a decision for socialist Ireland to delay the potential revolt of Northern Ireland.
• Added decisions for the Indian splinters to declare war on each other, replacing national foci.
• Added decisions for countries to join the Left Kuomintang’s faction, when applicable.

New Game Rules

• Socialist Indian Foreign Policy (expanded current options)
• Hawaii (expanded current options)
• Liangguang (expanded current options)
• Peru (updated current options)
• Turkish Foreign Policy (expanded current options)
• Qing Coup (expanded current options)
• Ukraine (updated current options)

GFX

• New portraits
  • Austria: Sigismund Schilhawsky von Bahnbrück
  • Brazil: Armanda Álvaro Alberto, Ernesto Simões da Silva Freitas Filho
  • Burma: Ba Maw (general)
  • Cuba: Lázaro Peña González
  • Dominican Republic: Carlos Manuel Bonetti Burgos
  • El Salvador: Arturo Araújo
  • Estonia: Johannes Orasmaa
  • Fengtian: Shen Honglie
  • German East Asia: Fritz Bayerlein, Hermann Ehrhardt, Alexander von Falkenhausen, Conrad Patzig, Erwin Rommel, Heinz Trettner, Hermann Voigt-Ruscheweyh, Ernst von Weizsäcker
  • Hyderabad: Bahadur Yar Jung
  • Indochina: Tạ Thu Thâu, Trương Tử Anh
  • Insulindia: Sekarmadji Kartosuwirjo
  • Socialist Republic of Italy: Dardano Fenulli
  • Malaysia: Ahmad Fuad Hassan
  • Ma Clique: Han Youwen
  • Northern Ireland: James Steele (uniform variant)
  • Norway: Arne Dagfin Dahl, Rasmus Hatledal
  • Papal States: John XXIII, Pius XII
  • Peru: Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro (civilian & military), Eudocio Ravines Pérez
  • Portugal: Henrique de Paiva Couceiro
  • Russia: Georgy Zhukov
  • Serbia: Milan Gorkić
  • Slovenia: Jaka Avšič, Ferdinand Janež, Franc Kulovec, Ivan Prezelj, Vladimir Vauhnik, Josip Vidmar
  • Sichuan: Liu Bocheng
  • Somalia: Maxamuud Cali Shiire
  • Sweden: Gustaf V
  • Switzerland: Hans Bandi, Jean de Muralt, Friedrich Prisi
  • Ukraine: Volodymyr Dolenko, Mykola Kovalevskyi, Andrii Nikovskyi, Oleksandr Shulhyn
  • Yemen: Ahmad Muhammad Numan
• Tweaked portraits
  • Hunan: Tang Shengzhi, He Yaozu (new uniforms)
  • Dominion of India: Ishar Singh
  • Switzerland: Eugen Bircher, Henri Guisan (new uniforms)
• New advisor portraits
  • German East Asia: Hans Klein, Paul Kuhlo
  • Left Kuomintang: Dong Biwu, Liu Butong, Zhou Fohai, Gu Mengyu, Chu Minyi, Zhang Renjie, Chen Shaokuan, Liu Shaoqi, Zeng Xing, Zhang Yunchuan, Xiao Zanyu, Gu Zhenggang, Song Ziwen
  • Serbia: Zdenko Ulepić
  • Ukraine: Ivan Romanchenko
• Added three new Italian, two new British, French and German and one Russian generic general portraits.
• Added a new flag for RadSoc Peru and Peru-Bolivian Confederation.
• Added some new event pictures for Ukraine.
• Added some new national focus icons for Ukraine.
• Added carrier variant plane icons for Germany.
• Updated two national focus icons for Germany.
• Updated national spirit icons for Germany and White Ruthenia.
• Updated the portrait of a generic American general, and two admirals.
• Updated Sichuan’s event pictures and added some new ones.

Modelling Mod

• Removed the modelling mods for the DLCs that are now part of base game Hearts of Iron 4, and the Kaiserreich models from the modelling submods associated with these DLCs are now incorporated into the base modelling submod.
• Updated Kaiserreich to use several new unit voices that are now part of base game Hearts of Iron 4, since its incorporation of several DLCs.

Mapping

• Added Chinese and Tibetan endonyms for Barkam.
• Added Yueyang as a victory point in Hunan, and altered Hengyang's value to compensate.
• Changed the default map names for locations in Lithuania, Ukraine and White Ruthenia to be more in keeping with what they would be called by Anglophone cartographers in the Kaiserreich timeline.

Other Changes

• North America
  
  • Added the option for America to keep and potentially core Newfoundland in the “Fate of Canada” event.
  • Renamed Canada’s “University of Ottawa” national spirit and focus to instead involve the “University of Toronto”.
  • Halved field manpower threshold for Canada attacking the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Canada can now also intervene in the Second American Civil War if only the Combined Syndicates of America and one other participant remain.
  • Nerfed the starting stability and war support of the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • The Combined Syndicates of America’s “Good Syndicalist Soldier” national focus will now create a “Fourth Internationale” faction, should the Third Internationale no longer exist.
  • Replaced the name and description of Mexico’s artillery equipment technology.
  • AI-controlled MacArthur will no longer do the “San Jacinto” variant of his war plans, if the American Union State is controlled by a player.
• Central America & the Caribbean
  
  • Improved Guatemala’s national focus AI when set to become PatAut through the game rule.
• South America
  
  • Replaced Vital Henrique Batista Soares as MarLib leader of Brazil with Ernesto Simões da Silva Freitas Filho.
  • RadSoc Brazil will now join the Internationale the same way as other socialist Brazils.
  • Updated Peru’s party names, and added English translations.
  • Peru’s Syndicalist path has been changed to RadSoc.
  • Changed Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre from being the leader of Peru’s Syndicalists to RadSocs.
  • Added Eudocio Ravines Pérez as the new leader of Peru’s Syndicalists.
  • Added Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro as starting leader of Peru, and a field marshal.
  • Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea can now lead Peru following an assassination of Sánchez Cerro.
  • Clarified the requirements of multiple game rules in South America, and made it so that if the Ugartistas game rule is set for Patagonia, then each South American country that has a socialist game rule set, will aim to join the Ugartistas’ faction.
• Western & Southern Europe
  
  • Re-added Raymond Briggs as a general for the Union of Britain.
  • The Commune of France’s support of Indochina now costs manpower, command power and equipment, rather than political power.
  • Nerfed the amount of forts given by the Commune of France’s “Extend the Line” national focus.
  • PatAut and NatPop Ireland can now reduce nationalist discontent and loyalist anger as soon as resistance begins in Northern Ireland.
  • Ireland’s RadSocs can now only be elected in 1941 and subsequent elections if all nationalist discontent and loyalist anger have been removed.
  • Ireland can now take two British engineering advisor decisions at a time.
  • Ireland’s decisions to hire British engineering advisors are now available if the Union of Britain wins the “Gateway to the Atlantic” contest, and altered the text of several of the relevant foci if this occurs.
  • Updated the effects of several party popularity changes for Ireland, to account for coalition governments and give proportional effects to multiple parties accordingly.
  • Clarified the requirements of the Protectionism sub-branch of the “Gateway to the Atlantic” national focus branch for Ireland, so that it is clear which focuses are available after successfully remaining independent.
  • Added clarifying tooltips for the effects of SocDem and PatAut Ireland incrementally removing the effects of Black Monday, when a decision or national focus removes Black Monday’s effects by two levels.
  • Ireland will now keep its "The New Wild Geese" national spirit if it loses the "Gateway to the Atlantic" contest.
  • Decreased the party popularity gain from Ireland’s later elections.
  • Tweaked the effects of several of Aontas Náisiúnta’s national foci to also improve Black Monday for Ireland, if the player failed to decrease the effects of Black Monday enough in the initial “Ulster Comes First” mission.
  • Added a tooltip to Ireland's event about the Irish-American refugees, clarifying that the population growth bonuses are lost if Ireland's government is overthrown.
  • Slightly updated the text in the Irish events about Raidió Éireann and the new Irish constitution.
  • Updated the effects given by the Balance of Power of Ireland’s PatAuts and NatPops.
  • Clarified the tooltips of Ireland’s missions to improve loyalist anger and national discontent.
  • Ireland will now uncomplete the no longer relevant foreign policy national foci when joining the Entente after being in the Reichspakt, and vice versa.
  • Updated Ireland’s AI priorities in completing decisions to improve nationalist discontent and loyalist anger.
  • Updated Ireland’s AI priorities in completing decisions to join factions.
  • Decreased the rise in loyalist anger for Ireland, when the PatAuts are overthrown by socialists.
  • The Italian balance of power is now represented by national spirits for each of the Italian splinters.
  • Italian splinters can now peace out if in factions, if they haven't called in the faction leader.
  • Improved the handling of the non-socialist Italian splinters with declaring war on the Socialist Republic of Italy.
  • Italy now receives Kotor as a claim in the Treaty of Budapest.
  • Increased the priority the AI will have on completing the Irredentism national focus for the Italian Republic.
  • Rebalanced the effects of several national foci for the Italian Republic.
  • Improved the NatPop Italian Republic’s handling of the Venetian revolt.
  • The Netherlands will now have access to a political focus branch if Reijnders restores democracy.
  • Lombardy, the Papal States and Venice will now try to take all of Italy in peace conferences.
  • Renamed the “Papal State” to the “Papal States”.
  • Updated the effect of the Papal States’ “The Holy See” national spirit.
  • Increased AI Portugal’s desire to protect its coasts.
  • Increased AI Sardinia’s desire to protect the island with its troops.
  • AI Sardinia will no longer join the Entente’s wars before the Second Weltkrieg, if the Socialist Republic of Italy still exists.
• Central & Northern Europe
  
  • Austria should now intervene earlier against the Internationale in the Weltkrieg if the Internationale crosses the Rhineland or overruns the Benelux.
  • Denmark can now be released by NatPops as a monarchy.
  • Austria and Germany can now release puppet Denmark as a republic.
  • Finland’s SocCons and AutDems are now always in coalition, since they are the same party.
  • Added Johannes Orasmaa as a general for Estonia.
  • Mitteleuropa’s Infrastructure Projects now add building slots if it cannot add any more infrastructure.
  • Illyria’s Brodosplit is now an Escort Fleet Military Industrial Organisation.
  • The Netherlands will now always become socialist without being invaded by Germany, if set to become socialist in the game rules.
  • Added Arne Dagfin Dahl and Rasmus Hatledal as generals for Norway.
  • Poland’s event around the founding of the “Small Pact” now gives republican influence.
  • Poland is now able to counter the "Organise Mass Protests" mission with high nationalist influence, rather than just high monarchist influence.
  • AutDem Poland will no longer refuse Germany’s insistence on a post-war regime change.
  • Added Jaka Avšič, Ferdinand Janež, Ivan Prezelj and Vladimir Vauhnik as Slovenian generals, with each of them except Avšič starting the game in Illyria, and only joining Slovenia if it becomes independent.
  • Slovenian general Leon Rupnik now starts in Illyria.
  • Added Friedrich Prisi as a general for Switzerland.
• Eastern & Southeast Europe
  
  • Decreased the party popularity drift in several Greek national spirits.
  • Democratic Romania can now gain a fifth research slot if they missed one early in the national focus tree.
  • Buffed the national spirit that Russia gets, if a player playing in Eastern Europe opts for “hard mode”.
  • Increased the party popularity gained in Russia’s military dictatorship paths.
  • Decreased the political power cost given by Russia’s “State Orthodoxy” national spirit.
  • Socialist Russia now also gets the “Great Patriotic War” national spirit.
  • Improved Russia’s AI in managing its manpower against the Eastern front, as well as improving their management of their border with Iran.
  • Russia can no longer invite Serbia or Romania to the Moscow Accord before the Weltkrieg, if the former lost the Fourth Balkan War.
  • Serbia’s Jadransko Brodogradiliste is now a Submarine Military Industrial Organisation.
  • The Treaty of Moscow will no longer occur if Transamur is controlled by a player.
  • Added Zdenko Ulepić as a Chief of Air Force for Serbia.
  • Rebalanced the effects of Ukraine’s Black Monday national foci.
  • Nerfed Ukraine’s starting stability and war support.
  • Nerfed Ukraine’s Industrialisation national spirits, and the overall amount of factories gained from Ukraine’s Industrialisation decisions.
  • Ukraine’s Hetmanist and Republican paths are now equally weighted, rather than being 55:45 in favour of the Republic.
  • Nerfed Ukraine’s war support gain in the “Worst Case Scenario” event.
  • Player-controlled Ukraine’s “Small Pact” will no longer have Poland or White Ruthenia leave it through their own content.
  • Updated the effects of several military national foci for Ukraine, and several of the foci now apply a timed national spirit that gives a malus, that on expiration will now cause the bonus to be applied.
  • Nestor Makhno is now transferred to Syndicalist Ukraine before the Borotbyst revolution, and not before it.
  • White Ruthenia’s regime change imposed post-war by Germany now unlocks the relevant political national foci.
• Africa
  
  • Added the option to give the United Kingdom its African colonies in the annexation events.
  • Liberated African socialists are now added to the Phalanstère and guaranteed by the Internationale.
  • Removed the restrictions of several African countries to release each other as puppets.
  • National foci for Gabon, Liberia and Namibia are now unlocked on their liberation.
  • Liberia’s RadSoc national focus branch is now also accessible to syndicalist puppet Liberia.
• Caucasus & Middle-East
  
  • All countries can now release puppet Georgia as a kingdom or republic.
  • Libya can now be released if Tripolitania is already a puppet, and will annex the latter.
  • The Ottoman event for the Cypriot revolt no longer gives the option to play as Cyprus.
  • Reichspakt-aligned Persia now gets its claims in the Treaty of Moscow.
• East Asia
  
  • Anqing will now start in a coalition with the AutDems, and will now start a coalition with the PatAuts if they flip to AutDem.
  • Anqing now lose their “Fengtian Troop Training” national spirit, if they break relations with Fengtian.
  • Anqing now swaps to AutDem from PatAut, upon becoming Federalist-aligned.
  • Anqing's national government flag is now the League of Southeast Provinces (Republican) flag.
  • Anqing and Shandong successfully compromising with each other independently of Fengtian now gives them mutual military access.
  • Chinese splinters with access to the generic unification national focus tree will now be able to add the AutDems and PatAuts to their coalition, and rename them to the National Protection Association upon uniting China. Their current ruling party will also be renamed to the National Protection Association.
  • Improved the AI for Chinese splinters, when declaring war on each other through wargoals.
  • China can no longer unite if there are ongoing hostilities with Japan.
  • Buffed Fengtian’s starting divisions and their templates, and tweaked their initial production.
  • Fengtian’s annexation of Anqing-puppeted Shandong via decision is now done through the standard Chinese annexation effect.
  • Fengtian now gets an event and a national spirit to send +2 volunteers to Shandong, if Zhang Zongchang secures power.
  • AI-controlled Fengtian will now always join the Co-Prosperity Sphere if they are able to. Fengtian is now required to be losing a war, or be at war and have no allies or possible allies in China, before they can join the Co-Prosperity Sphere.
  • Fengtian’s success in negotiating Anqing-Shandong cooperation now grants military access for both Chinese splinters.
  • Tweaked how likely Fengtian is to call in Japan, depending on what territory they have integrated.
  • Fengtian successfully compromising between Shandong and Anqing will now create a white peace between them if they were already at war.
  • Fengtian can now annex Anqing-lead Shandong if they own Beijing, or if they’re at war with Beijing's owner.
  • Hunan’s Cheng Qian is now AutDem rather than SocLib, if he aligns with the Right Kuomintang.
  • Japan’s PatAuts can now choose between Nagata or Hiranuma, upon Senjuro's death.
  • Japan will now withdraw volunteers from Shandong, if Fengtian backs Anqing when peace talks break down during the League Collapse War.
  • Japan will now immediately get a wargoal on the Chinese splinter that annexed Fengtian, rather than getting it a few hours later.
  • Japan will now always refuse to surrender the Legation Cities to China.
  • Updated the effects of the League of Eight Provinces “Modernise Jinling Academy” and “Unified Command Headquarters” national foci.
  • Buffed the Left Kuomintang’s starting surrender limit, so that Longyan and Nanping need to be captured for them to capitulate.
  • The Left Kuomintang can now recruit Right Kuomintang generals from Yunnan, even if Yunnan is annexed or taken over by Long Yun.
  • Totalist Left Kuomintang can now invite Burma into their faction.
  • Countries invited by the Left Kuomintang into their faction will now always accept, if Japan has been puppeted by the Left Kuomintang.
  • The collapse of Legation Cities will now result in various generals returning to their respective home countries.
  • Improved the reliability of Liangguang’s game rules, if set to align with another Chinese faction.
  • Mongolia will now claim Dzungaria, if they take it during Xinjiang's civil war.
  • Added a national focus for China united by the National Protection Alliance to recruit Beiyang admirals.
  • Right Kuomintang-led Liangguang can no longer align with Left Kuomintang-led Yunnan via national focus, if the Left Kuomintang was victorious in the League Collapse War.
  • AI-controlled Manchu Qing will now wait until after uniting China to end the concessions via their national focus.
  • Qing’s German-trained divisions now use German equipment.
  • Renamed Shandong general Jin Yune to Jin Yun’e, and added descriptions for him and Chu Yupu.
  • Updated the requirements of Shandong's “Besiege Mount Taishan” national focus.
  • Monarchist Shandong forming a government will now result in Puyi becoming Manchu Qing-aligned.
  • Liu Heding taking over Shandong will now result in the loyalists associated with the other three leaders all being purged.
  • The time to complete Shandong’s "Return to the Source" national focus has been reduced from 91 to 70 days.
  • Shandong’s Qu Yingguang will now either restore the Qing, or declare the Republic of China upon unifying China, when appropriate.
  • Updated Shandong’s default flag.
  • Shandong’s Qu Yingguang will not become Manchu-aligned if Yan Xishan backed the coup, and the coup failed.
  • Revised the traits and stats of several of Shandong’s commanders.
  • Shandong’s admiral Lin Jianzhang is now a potential Chief of Navy.
  • Zhang Zongchang-led Shandong now loses his Fengtian alignment, if Fengtian decides to support Chen Tiaoyuan over him during the League War, if war breaks out between Shandong and Anqing.
  • Zhang Tianran now stops being the leader of Shandong's NatPops upon taking the “Besiege Mount Taishan” national focus as Qu Yingguang.
  • Updated the effects of several of Shandong’s national foci to give more varied rewards than factories.
  • Shandong can now take their internal development decisions if they are a puppet.
  • Shandong can now refuse to be annexed by Fengtian, like how other Chinese splinters can.
  • Removed Sichuan's intervention in the Northwest War against Tibet.
  • Sichuan will now always submit to Fengtian if Sichuan’s Fengtian-aligned game rule is set.
  • Rearranged some foci in Yunnan’s expansionism tree, and improved their implementation.
  • Long Yun's “Cult of Personality” national focus now renames the AutDem party and adds them to the coalition.
  • Zhu De securing power in Yunnan now renames the PatAut party to "NRA".
  • Yunnan must no longer be in civil war, for other Chinese splinters to offer an alliance to them or demand their submission, rather than Yunnan always just saying no.
  • Right Kuomintang-led Yunnan can no longer align with Left Kuomintang-led Liangguang via national focus, if the Left Kuomintang was victorious in the League Collapse War.
  • Increased the speed at which Yunnan aligns with another Chinese splinter, if set to do so in the game rules.
  • AI-controlled Yunnan is now more likely to complete army national foci when at war.
  • Yunnan will now start its political focus branch via the "An Opportunity Presents Itself" event.
  • Yunnan will now wait for Chinese factions to border them to use their alignment decisions.
  • Yunnan’s Tang Jiyao can now attend the Unification Conference if he had embraced isolationism before the conference started.
  • Yunnan no longer has to not be a claimant to the Chinese government to get their scripted peace against the owner of Northern Vietnam.
• South Asia & Oceania
  
  • Australasian socialist congresses now use the election system.
  • Removed a trade mission timer from Australasia.
  • The Bharatiya Commune will now create a “Fourth Internationale” faction, should they attempt to join the Third Internationale and it no longer exists.
  • Burma, Indochina, Insulindia, Persia and Siam will now seek to join the Internationale if they are socialist and the Bharatiya Commune has been capitulated, unless set otherwise in the game rules.
  • The Bharatiya Commune will no longer join the faction Song Qingling creates if she leads the Left Kuomintang, if they were gameruled not to, or are RadSoc.
  • Added Hermann Ehrhardt and Heinz Trettner, and removed Friedrich von Kessinger, Dietrich von Saucken and Josias zu Waldeck und Pyrmont, as generals from German East Asia.
  • Added Conrad Patzig and Ernst von Weizsäcker, and removed Otto Ciliax and Fritz Sachsse, as admirals from German East Asia.
  • Updated the parties and party leaders of Hyderabad.
  • Rearranged some of Indochina’s national focuses, updating some prerequisites and requirements, and made the attack and cooperate with Siam national foci mutually exclusive.
  • Renamed Indochina’s NatPops from “Cao Dai” to the “Tonkin Political Committee”.
  • Renamed an Indochinese national spirit.
  • Indochina can now join the Internationale if the Internationale is at war with Germany, or Germany has been defeated.
  • Indochina can now take their "Special Relationship with France" national focus if they are already in a faction with the Commune of France.
  • Nerfed Insulindia’s surrender limit and supply bonuses.
  • Insulindia’s NatPops are now called Partai Insulindia Raya rather than Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil, and are now led by Soetomo rather than Raymond Westerling.
  • Added Ahmad Fuad Hassan as the PatAut leader of Malaysia.
  • Siam will no longer declare war on Indochina, if they are set to join the same faction in the game rules.
• Miscellaneous
  
  • Music from base game Hearts of Iron 4 from the “Together for Victory”, “Death or Dishonor”, “Waking the Tiger” and “La Résistance” DLCs can now play in Kaiserreich.
  • Adjusted the playback chances of music from base game Hearts of Iron 4, leading to greater variety of music being played.
  • AI-controlled countries should now try to give the player states, and not contest any claimed states, if Player Primacy for peace conferences is enabled.
  • Countries no longer automatically gain a negative opinion modifier with the faction leader, after they leave a faction.
  • Added new loading screen quotes of Argentina and Mexico.
  • Updated Germany’s path guide.
  • Reformatted the Leader Descriptions for Bolivia, the Brazilian splinters, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela to include date and place of birth.

Fixes

• North America
  
  • Fixed a few edge cases of American Civil War participants not joining the Entente, if set to do so in the game rules.
  • Fixed German-American divisions spawning in the Pacific.
  • Fixed socialist elections firing for Mexican non-socialists, if Zapata was killed.
  • Fixed New England’s division spawning not happening, due to not controlling the targeted state.
• Central America & the Caribbean
  
  • Fixed Farabundo Martí and Feliciano Ama not being retired in AutDem El Salvador.
  • Fixed Haiti’s decision to join the Reichspakt not appearing.
• South America
  
  • Fixed Argentina’s Manuel Domecq being a general instead of admiral.
  • Fixed Argentina having a PatAut coup, even if set to remain democratic in the game rules.
  • Fixed democratic Argentina turning into a party dictatorship.
  • Fixed Argentina being able to pressure Uruguay when both Brazil and Uruguay are socialist.
  • Fixed Bolivia’s elected syndicalists remaining in the Reichspakt.
  • Fixed the setup of puppet Peru not being applied.
• Western & Southern Europe
  
  • Fixed BeNeSam being unable to reform after the Weltkrieg.
  • Fixed socialist Belgium joining the Internationale, when set to form BeNeSam in the game rules.
  • Fixed non-socialist countries remaining in the Phalanstère.
  • Fixed the CNT-FAI annexing land in Africa in peace conferences.
  • Fixed the Commune of France’s Orthodox-Anarchist coalition not applying correctly.
  • Fixed puppet Great Britain having an unremovable “Bitter Resistance” national spirit.
  • Fixed the puppet British military governorate country name not being cleared upon restoring civilian administration.
  • Fixed Ireland sending volunteers to the wrong participant in the Second American Civil War.
  • Fixed a missing mission title for the mission for PatAut/NatPop Ireland started by the 12th of July anniversary.
  • Fixed a reference to James Craig instead of Basil Brooke, in an early Ireland event.
  • Fixed Ireland’s “Unpeg the Punt” national focus adding -15 German influence points, rather than subtracting 15, resulting in Germany potentially going into negative values.
  • Fixed Collins’ Wartime Coalition not having post-war elections as normal and having some advisors as unavailable after the war.
  • Fixed socialist Ireland’s “Secure Northern Ireland” mission not annexing Northern Ireland after it finishes.
  • Fixed NatPop Ireland’s religion national focus giving the incorrect tooltip in national foci where it is potentially replaced.
  • Fixed NatPop Ireland’s renames on Scotland being reset if the system is toggled on/off.
  • Fixed the wrong text appearing for Ireland’s events regarding the American Civil War and Italian Civil War.
  • Fixed Syndicalist Ireland’s “Foster Unity Through Class” decision appearing for RadSocs.
  • Fixed the incorrect faction-joining message appearing if Ireland joined the Entente or Reichspakt after previously being in the other.
  • Fixed Italy not being able to claim a puppeted Libya.
  • Fixed Lombardy and Venice’s AutDems being unable to remove Austrian influence.
  • Fixed the AI restoring the Netherlands via offering their cores to Netherlands-in-exile potentially breaking the Dutch Foreign Policy game rule.
  • Fixed a few of Northumbria’s national spirits not being appropriately added or removed.
  • Fixed Sardinia’s AI never declaring war on the Socialist Republic of Italy.
  • Fixed Spain being unable to finish reconstruction if Galicia is seized by Portugal.
  • Fixed the effect of one of the “Iberian Anarchism” national spirits for the CNT-FAI.
  • Fixed the United Kingdom being unable to demand Gibraltar from an allied Spain.
• Central & Northern Europe
  
  • Fixed Austria and its allies gaining a negative opinion modifier with Germany when reforming the Donau-Adriabund after Germany wins the Weltkrieg.
  • Fixed the event for the collapse of Austria-Hungary mentioning the Belgrade Pact if they had nothing to do with it.
  • Fixed PatAut Finland using the wrong flag.
  • Fixed Germany being able to attack countries it has recently peaced out with.
  • Fixed SWR-led Germany getting stuck with a Latgale exclave.
  • Fixed SWR-led Germany having their coalition break in the post-war elections.
  • Fixed Karl Jarres not being set as the leader of puppet republican Germany, when appropriate.
  • Fixed some mixed up German socialist leader portraits.
  • Fixed issues arising with Mitteleuropan agendas, upon loading saves from previous versions of the game.
  • Fixed the “Pax Germanica” event not firing for Germany, if Russia was puppeted by a German ally.
  • Fixed Schleicher’s failstates for Germany being able to re-elect themselves.
  • Fixed several agrarian events for Schleicher-led Germany not firing.
  • Fixed Goerdeler-led Germany getting two options in the End of the Weltkrieg news event.
  • Fixed a few broken German event pictures.
  • Fixed Germany’s Hugenberg split event firing, despite not meeting the threshold.
  • Fixed socialist Poland having its revolution while its faction leader is at peace.
  • Fixed Poland’s land reform decisions breaking if they lose control of the state.
  • Fixed Switzerland’s Campione event chain with Italy leading to an early Weltkrieg.
  • Fixed Switzerland being able to attack the Internationale immediately after peacing out with them.
  • Fixed Switzerland being unreleasable if split.
  • Fixed Switzerland stealing Savoy/Romandy from a third party occupier through a peace event.
  • Fixed NatPop United Baltic Duchy still being referred to as the Baltic State, after being overthrown by democratic Germany after the Weltkrieg.
• Eastern & Southeast Europe
  
  • Fixed the occupation of Bulgaria creating colony states.
  • Fixed Greek political national foci having no effect if the government suddenly changed.
  • Fixed the German invasion of Courland not firing if the Baltic Last Stand exists.
  • Fixed Romania’s Cantacuzino being able to hire himself as an advisor while country leader.
  • Fixed the Stelescu event chain firing for puppet Romania.
  • Fixed puppet Russia keeping inappropriate national spirits to their ideology.
  • Fixed Russia attacking the Ottomans for Armenia while losing.
  • Fixed Russia gaining factories when purchasing oil from Azerbaijan.
  • Fixed the Belgrade Pact not dissolving upon losing the war with Bulgaria.
  • Fixed the “Declare Readiness for War” decision not disappearing if a country leaves the Belgrade Pact.
  • Fixed Ukraine’s Oleksandr Udovychenko not being retired when the Borotbysts come to power.
  • Fixed Ukraine’s Danylo not getting the proper leader description after the war with Russia.
  • Fixed Ukraine’s “Integration of the Eastern Regions” national focus bypassing while still at war with Russia.
  • Fixed a few AI bugs when the player chooses “hard mode” as one of the Oststaaten.
• Africa
  
  • Fixed democratic elections occurring for socialist or autocratic Ethiopian governments.
  • Fixed Ethiopian elections giving the wrong amount of party popularity.
  • Fixed Kivu spawning with zero units and the wrong capital.
  • Fixed Liberia targeting the owner of the Ivory Coast in their “Fight for Sierra Leone” national focus.
• Caucasus & Middle-East
  
  • Fixed Egypt and the Ottomans inviting newly liberated socialist African countries to the Cairo and Istanbul Pacts, respectively.
  • Fixed Persia getting locked out of its army tree if they choose Austrian cooperation, and then Austria collapses.
  • Fixed peace with the Dominion of India not giving them Afghanistan.
  • Fixed Iraq’s Yasin al-Hashimi couping the monarchy even if the game rule was set.
  • Fixed Yemen being stuck with an unremovable integration debuff if the republic was proclaimed before integrating Arabia.
• East Asia
  
  • Fixed some oversights making the Anqing-Shandong Arbitration game rule not guaranteed to work.
  • Fixed Chinese splinters being at war with puppets of enemies that they cannot reach.
  • Fixed Federalist-aligned Chinese splinters opposing Federalism in the generic Chinese post-unification national focus tree.
  • Fixed Fengtian’s “Commission Cruisers” decision taking only a day.
  • Fixed Fengtian’s annexation of Shandong continuing if Shandong stops being their subject.
  • Fixed Fengtian and Hunan accessing motorised technology before early trucks.
  • Fixed countries joining Japan's economic sphere if they were gameruled to not align with Japan.
  • Fixed the Legation Cities decision tab being hidden if no decisions are available.
  • Fixed non-American countries always surrendering the Legation Cities to China.
  • Fixed repaying the debts as the Manchu Qing locking out the German influence mechanic.
  • Fixed Shandong's “Request Japanese naval Assistance” decision not targeting Japan, and fixed them being able to take the decision if at war with Japan, or Japan doesn’t exist.
  • Fixed Shandong getting victory in the League Collapse War event, if they take Nanjing after sitting out the League Collapse War itself.
  • Fixed Liu Heding-led Shandong rebelling against Anqing.
  • Fixed Shanxi’s Qing-aligned game rule.
  • Fixed Sichuan’s “Tie Up Loose Ends” national focus being redundant with the generic unification decision.
• South Asia & Oceania
  
  • Fixed countries creating the Eastern Syndicalist Union faction with the Bharatiya Commune, if the latter has already become isolationist.
  • Fixed the Bharatiya Commune going isolationist causing their allies’ puppets to become independent.
  • Fixed the Bharatiya Commune’s Lala Lajpat Rai not being retired after the congress.
  • Fixed the Dutch East Indies getting locked out of the majority of its national foci if they lose to the Insulindian revolt.
  • Fixed German East Asia receiving cores on transferred port cities in China.
  • Fixed AI countries going against the player, when deciding whether to accept Siam's surrender.
• Miscellaneous
  
  • Fixed the “End Military Occupations” decision not clearing itself, and becoming available after annexing claimable territories.
  • Fixed puppets trying to liberate their overlord's claims in peace conferences.
  • Fixed the AI not liberating states to existing friendly countries, before releasing new countries.
  • Fixed impassable states sometimes being controlled by neutral third parties.
  • Fixed coalitions being ended when the government does not change.
  • Fixed invalid Officer Corps spirits not being removed on a government change.

We hope you enjoy playing Kaiserreich as much as we did making it!
- The KR4 Team: Alpinia, Arvidus, Augenis, Blackfalcon501, Blackleaf, Carmain, Cazadorian, Chazem, Chiang Kai-shrek, Chiron29, Cody, DuoDex, El Daddy, falling_robin, Fedex, Flamefang, Gaboemi, Hamfast, hildagrim, Ido, Igor050301, JazzyHugh, Jeankedezeehond, Jonny BL, Kano, Kara-Diamant, katieluka, Kennedy, kergely, KFateweaver, Klyntar King, Krčo, lehmannmo, Luwofe, Matoro, McOmghall, MrMano, ~mw~ // miwaco., Pelmen, PPsyrius, Purple Jinjo, RagnoStrangeros, Remington, Rnk, Shiroe, Shōta, Sonny O’Cad, SuperGreenBeans, suzuha, The Alpha Dog, The Irredentista, The Italian Jojo, Vidyaország, VladimirLemon and Zimbabwe Salt Co.

Hi everyone. I might catch a lot of heat because of bad rep the country I’m talking about has nowadays but I’ll ask anyway. Does anyone know where do sugar-minded men seek partners in Russia, particularity Moscow? I’ve only found one website but the vibe there is bad — guys mostly look for escorts and that’s not something I’m interested in. I used VPN and created an account on Seeking but they deleted my profile ten minutes later — maybe they have a policy regarding users from Russia I’m not aware of. So if anyone has any insight I would love to hear it.

Seige of novosibirisk
Started july 17th 2009
Ended July 29th 2009
Loyalist numbers 295,000 infantry 20,000 tanks 2 peacekeepers squadrons 9 air wings of fighters 4 bomber groups
Rebel numbers 90,000 1,600 tanks 1 peacekeepers squadron 3 fighter squadrons 1 bomber group
Lore- defeat after defeat the rebels were forced back to their capital with on 90,000 men left and the only command left. General volodymyr sokila the leader of the зеленые дьяволы ( green devils) peacekeepers so while they would worry of the coming ground battle they knew that they would mostly be victorious in the air. 10: 37am the first loyalist bombers would take off from Moscow Airport along with mig-29 escorts their objective to destroyed the runway at tolmachevo Airport and to hit their remaining arms supply. By 11am the bombers would begin their attack but before they could hit their target викинг один "viking one ) would be hit by a R-77 fired by green devil 2 as the bomber would try to avoid the incoming missiles two would collide with one another and the fighter squadron made up of veteran on the Alaska campaign would rush into a dogfight. As the fight got more desperate with a mig diving down to the city below trying to get the su-35 hit by Fridly fire due to rebel being rumored to have terrible anti air crew. By 12 the last of the fighter of золотой "golden squadron " would be shot down by a combination effort of GSH-30-1 from green devil 6 and ground fire from a rebel SZU-23-4 shilka. July 20th as tanks of the истинные сыновья "true sons" tank division rushed the second to last defenders line while the rebels were using old t-62 and 72 while the loyalist were using t-90s and French provided leclerc. By nightfall most of the true sons tank division would be not but burning wrecks and the corpses of thousands of loyalist soldiers the rebels hade several hidden pillboxs and hidden anit tank teams armed with German panzerfaust 3 and Russia 9M133 Kornet. While the ground battle would come to a halt the air battle would start to turn in the loyalist favor as one of the green devils being shot down by a loyalist Sam sites striking green devil 5 left wing sending him cashing into the ob river killing the pilot. By the 27th the outskirts of the city were firmly in loyalist hands while the inner city was being defended by the last 17,000 men and 14 tanks and the remaining 5 green devils. 7am the final push by the 185th infantry division along with the remaining members of the true sons tank division would launch their attack with the peacekeepers on old bastards squadron clashing with the rebels peacekeepers. By 12 the city would be under loyalist command but the air battle would continue with green devil 1 and old bastards one going head to head. As the two top aces engage one another firing their guns trying to get a lucky burt at one another the sound of a missile lock was all they heard as one would get a lock on only for the other to preform some manover to get on the other tail. 1:24 pm with green devil one wing getting hit by old bastards GSH-30-1 green devil one would be the only one of his squadron to survive the engagement and quickly captured by loyalist forces. General volodymyr sokila would be one of five rebel General to be captured at the end of the war standing trial later that year with him and two getting life sentences while the other two would be executed by hanging on December 16th 2009.
Casualties Russian loyalist 48,000 dead 14,000 wounded 3,694 tanks destroyed 19 bombers destroyed 26 fighter destroyed
Russian rebels 54,000 dead 19,000 wounded 1,600 tanks destroyed 10 bombers destroyed 12 fighter destroyed 6 peacekeepers shot down one survived
Aftermath- with the war now over the nation would spend the next 7 years rebuild while several rebel squadron,infantry and tankers would escape the nation and become mercenaries with several later fighting in the American Civil War of 2002-2014

We all have surely heard of Francisc I rather unconventional alliance to the Ottoman sultan Soleiman the Magnificient; an alliance which lasted from 1536 till the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt in 1798, accounting for a total of 252, almost as long as the Auld Alliance. Those two unexpected allies, which had nothing more in common than their hatred for the Habsburgs, even ended up fighting side by side in Corsica in 1553, agains the gifted Andrea Doria.
What most folks don't know, however, is that Persia also tried forming a similar alliance, albeit with less succes. After the humiliating defeat in the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1578-90, which caused Iran to lose most of its domains in the Caucasus and Mespotomania, Shah Abbas I the Great (r. 1587-1629) searched for an ally in Western Europe.
Shah Abbas wasn't the first one to come up with this idea. His great-grandfather, Shah Ismail I (r. 1501-1524), the founder of the modern Persian state, also tried reaching to the Europeans for help, specifically to Charles V, but all the prospects vanished after Ismail's death, and his efforts lead nowhere. Another embassy, this time from England to Persia, was sent by Queen Elizabeth I in 1562, under Anthony Jenkinson, during the reign of Shah Tahmasp I, Ismail's son, but again no diplomatic relationships were established.
In 1599, Abbas the first sent an embassy to Europe, led by Hussein Ali Beg, an Azerbaijani nobleman, and by Sir Anthony Shirley, an English adventurer, accompanied by four secretaries. The embassy left in July and arrived in Moscow in November; a special embassy remained there, at the court of Boris Godunov, and the rest continued their voyage. They visited Rudolf II in Prague in the autumn 1600, then met with Vicenzo I, the Duke of Mantua, who was the cousin of Rudolf. The Doge of Venice refused to see them, however, and they skipped France for obvious reason. They had a long audience with Pope Clement VII, though. Finally, they visited King Philip III in Madrid, and although the King welcomed them kindly, their stay in Spain was by far the most unfortunate and unpleasant one, as one member of the embassy was stabbed to death by a Spaniard in Mérida. After negotiacions, the embassy left for Lisbon and the Portuguese Navy escorted them back to Persia, where they returned at the beginning of 1602.
In the meantime, Sir Anthony Shirley came home earlier, with his brother, Robert, and 5,000 horses, with the aim of modernising the Persian army and to keep it up-to-date to British militia.
In 1603, seeing that the Ottomans have been engaged in a war with Austria that was already lasting for 10 years (and shall last for three more, thus gaining the nickname 'The 13 Years War'), Shah Abbas decided to attack and after one month of fighting he already captured Tabriz, one of Persia's most important city. The new Ottoman-Persian War lasted for eight years and Shah Abbas managed to regain all of the territories lost in 1590, under the Treaty of Constantinople.
In 1609, Abbas sent another embassy to Europe, this time led by Robert Shirley. He also visited Krakow (the first embassy missed Poland), Prague (where Robert was knighted by Rudolf II), Rome (where he received an audience with the Pope) and London. Robert returned to Persia through India in 1615 and managed to obtain trade agreements between Shah Abbas and the East India Company, which ended up having a monopoly over the Persian Gulf after the expulsion of the Spanish and the Portuguese in 1622. Shirley travelled back to England in 1624, obtaining even more trade agreements.
Abbas' diplomatic efforts were a huge steps and rised Persia's importance on the international scene. By contrast, his grandfather, Shah Tahmasp, expedieted Anthony Jenkinson from his court upon hearing he was a Christian, but Abbas prefered the dust on the foot of the lowest Christian over the highest Ottoman personage and even permitted Christian missionaries into Iran. He initially sought an alliace with Spain, who held the port of Hormuz after 1580, but it didn't last - neither did Abbas' alliance with the Habsburgs. England remained the only option, and the fact that the Shirley brothers were English certainly helped.
Abbas died in 1629, and with him, the glory of the Persian state.

In the early 1980’s, (in mid-winter) I was a young E-6 USAF policeman stationed at Hellenikon AB, in Athens Greece. I took a 10 day tour to Moscow and Leningrad with three USAF officers who were also assigned to the same base.
Upon arrival in the Moscow airport, I remember my suitcase came into the terminal baggage pickup area from outside. When I went to pick it up, my bag had some sort of white powder on it, similar to lime. (At first I thought it was snow from outside.) I brushed it off as best I could and didn’t think much about it. (I later figured out that it was probably "spy dust.") https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-08-21-mn-1011-story.html
Shortly thereafter, two massive security personnel in uniform approached me and escorted me off to a small security room of some sort. I remember them telling me to empty my pockets, which I did. (I had some coins, but not much else.)
They never asked me any questions, but they left me alone in this small room for about five to ten minutes. I seem to remember that there was some sort of an unusual unidentified contraption in the middle of the room. (It was enclosed in some sort of wooden case as I remember.)
The security personnel returned shortly thereafter, and escorted me back out to join the rest of my party. No particular questions were asked of me, nor was I given any explanation of why they had singled me out. None of the other members of my party were given this treatment. We completed the rest of our tour without further issue.
I seem to remember reading a Tom Clancy novel which mentioned a contraption something like this. I'm pretty sure the book was "Clear and Present Danger."
Was it some sort of an irradiating device? I'm searching for the reference in the Tom Clancy novel related to this. Thanks!
​

1. Return of the Magical Girls - Wanting to help her squad mates either keep their magic abilities or even regain them, Yoshika hits upon using some of her surplus magical energy to refuel or recharge Minna, Barkhorn and Major Sakamoto. With knowledge of the Neuroi still threatening Orussia and the Pacific Theatre, the girls still want to fight and use magic to save everyone. Major Sakamoto, in secret, has been helping to design the Reppū-Kai model Striker Unit along with the Shrike 152 for Minna and Barkhorn so they can keep in the fight. With the experiment a success; Yoshika, Major Sakamoto, Commander Minna and Barkhorn reunite with Lynne, Perrine, Shizuka, Francesca, Shirley, Hartmann, Eila and Sanya to prepare the 501st to reinforce the 502nd in driving the Neuroi Hive out of Petersburg and Western Orussia just in time. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget for this Season Premiere.
2. Plunge with the Polar Bears - The 501st, successful in taking out the Neuroi Hive moving towards Petersburg, retires to the 502nd "Brave Witches"' base to ring in the new year of 1946 with potential for the unified Europe. A celebratory practice for ringing in a year practiced by Sanya and Sasha is the act of going nude and swimming in an icy Nepa River from the border of Petrograd and Petersburg Oblasts to the Trinity Bridge downtown as the finish line. Sanya and Sasha are at home in swimming the river even as other witches struggle to acclimate for they are mainly used to tropical, temperate or Mediterranean climates. But a spirit of jubilation and competition overpowers fears of hypothermia and frostbite as they charge down the river. The race was cleared by the League of Nations Allied Armed Forces, but some have reservations about it all. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
3. From Nobodies to Nightmares - The Liberion Marine Corps Reserves' 4th Marine Division is dispatched Petersburg Base for remedial, cold weather operations and survival training with the 501st and 502nd Joint Fighter Wings being asked to supervise and drill the reserves. But the jobs of Majors Rall and Sakamoto is made harder than it needs to be by one trigger-happy, glory-hound Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Travis Gerheim. Disgruntled by himself not being allowed to fight on front lines in Africa against Neuroi and authoritarian-leaning terrorists, Gerheim's meat grinder methods of training the reserves pose a clear and present danger to the sanity and lives of the Reserves. Only through the unpredictability and compassion of the Witches will the men of the Reserves possibly make it through with higher quality training to Gerheim's simmering outrage. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
4. Spirits of the Bayonets - Finishing up with training of the 4th Marine Division Reserve platoon, the 501st and 502nd must contend with the disappearance of eight 7.62 x 63mm Ball Cartridge M1 rifle rounds. The conflict with Gerheim comes to a tragic head on the final night of the 4th's remedial training before they are to be sent home. Barkhorn is been given fire watch duty over the Petersburg base when she hears clicking of missing rifle rounds coming from the base's barracks head bathroom. She finds Gerheim loading the clip of AWOL rifle rounds into his own M1 Garand rifle as his mental state collapses with him going into drill routines and the Rifleman's Creed. Two of his troubled recruits intervene and attempt to protect Barkhorn but one is killed before Gerheim turns the rifle on himself and a major fallout ensues with Barkhorn lucky to survive it all. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
5. Higher, Faster, Braver - A fleet of prototype Striker Units to test has been sent by Ursula Hartmann, Erica's twin sister. Needing to keep ahead of the Neuroi, Ursula has built a fleet of jet and rocket-based Strikers based on experiments with a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter for Karlsland and the fleet of prototype Bell Aircraft X-1 series rocket planes built to get Shirley past Mach 1 and be able to sustain maneuverability and evasions at such speed with built-in oxygen supplies. With Francesca supervising the tests by dropping the girls out of a B-29 Superfortress bomber; Perrine, Lynne and Shirley decide to test a squadron tactic called the Concorde Swerves to charge at Neuroi and missiles. High-flying aerobatics prove to indeed be possible with the X-1s and Me 262s, but the tricolor trio have a few close calls after suffering control damage and barely avoid fatal ditching. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
6. Over the River, Through the Woods - Sasha delivers a report that Sanya's parents are cut off from vital supplies by Neuroi scout drones but are indeed alive. Intending to help rescue her parents, Eila memorizes the route to the old cottage just over the Svir River and through the Yandeba Woods flying low to sneak in under the Neuroi Capital's detection and chooses to take Eila's place on night witch patrol. As the rest of the 501st wakes up to find Eila having not come back yet, Sanya asks Francesca to accompany her and Sasha as the three rush to Eila's rescue. With a set of skillful and crazy tactics only Francesca can think up on the fly, the four witches are able to shoot down the Capital. As they patch up, Eila reveals her surprise for Sanya - she found her parents alive and holding out against the Neuroi scouts as they tried to find and reunite Sanya with a little sister. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
7. All Aboard the Trans-Siberian Express! - The League of Nations Allied Armed Forces has a convoy of troops, munitions, supplies and equipment to be taken by train from Moscow to Vladivostok to build up Eastern Orussia and Northern Fuso now that Europe is free of the more immediate Neuroi threats. The 501st are to take turns in shifts escorting the train from the air in Striker Units to scout ahead/behind and defend or resting with troops aboard the train during her weeklong trek east. When the Trans-Siberian Express's engine crew falls ill, it's up to Yoshika and Sanya to take control and get the train moving whilst keeping on the move until they stop in Vladivostok. Traveling with Allied troops in passenger coaches, Major Sakamoto and Commander Minna find sabotage by Karlsland Fascist spies out to take Fuso turning the train into an out-of-control runaway! 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
8. Operation Olympic - With the safe arrival of the Allied convoy at Vladivostok Base for the League of Nations Forces, the campaign to liberate East Asia from the Neuroi and Fuso is to commence. Termed "Operation Olympic", the plan is to have five forces attack the Hive on the move over mountains and foothills of Fuso. The main force is the 501st and they will be taking multiple detours as General Patton termed them while four forces led by the Joint Fighter Wings will act as decoys - the 508th's from the West, the 567th's from the North, the 555th's from the South and 502nd's from the East. For the time being, the 501st are to have leave and liberty granted to explore and shop in the town. Knowing she is going to have to get better at driving once the war is over, Barkhorn turns to Hartmann to teach her how to drive with the truck going into town so she gets practice. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
9. Heart in Darkness - Assigned to take command of the 567th Joint Fighter Wing stationed in the hills of North Sinoa, Flight Sergeant Rudolfine Müller disappeared over the Yalu River in the last year. Now, reports of cultist warriors emerge from the Yalu and Tumen regions by League of Nations patrols that managed to escape. Since Müller is a subject of intense fascination and envy by Erica Hartmann, it is a surprise that Karlsland aces Marseille and Schnaufer come to her with a mission to track down Müller firstly and either rescue her if she has been captured by the cultists or terminate her if she has become the leader of these cultists. Hartmann knows operations to secure the safety of Fuso from the Neuroi will maybe suffer from cultist attacks, so she sets off to patrol the River to find Müller. But she has now stumbled into a bloodthirsty nightmare of inhumanity. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
10. The Horror, The Horror... - Hartmann heads up the Yalu River to find traces of Mage Supremacist cultist activities if it means she can rescue her idol Müller. What she finds is evidence of massacres and barbaric abuses of people and animals which has our Karlsland ace's blood boiling. Finally, she makes her way into a vast temple compound where her idol was last reported by patrols that barely escaped. It soon dawns on Hartmann that the exploits of Müller have taken a dark toll on her and she has become the leader of these Mage cultists so she can send innocent non-magic lemmings to commit the worst deeds possible so she can flex like a dictator and not sully her hands anymore. The experience leaves scars upon Hartmann as she destroys the compound but considers sparing the ruined Müller when her idol-turned-foe tries to kill her. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
11. Olympians - The time has come for Operation Olympic as cities and towns close to the projected path of the Neuroi Hive are evacuated thanks to Shizuka transmitting via telegraph a communiqué to Yoshika's friend Michiko. The 555th's attack from the South heralds cover fire by warship fleets led by the carriers USS Enterprise, HMS Victorious and the IJN Shōkaku to draw fire from Tokyo in the East and the 508th. The 501st splits off into pairs so to reduce the recharge and reaction accuracy of the Hive's drones even as the Hive still hangs on - Yoshika/Eila, Sanya/Shirley, Shizuka/Lynne, Perrine/Francesca, Mio/Minna and lastly Barkhorn/Hartmann. The last Hive is getting strong enough to vaporize a whole Karlslandian battleship Bismarck sent to protect the fleets and even ground troop reinforcements are not holding out so well against Neuroi along Tokyo's streets. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget.
12. Battle for Tokyo - The Neuroi Hive is coming together over Mount Fuji and the League of Nations Fuso and Liberion-based reinforcements from Okinawa and Iwo Jima are getting hammered. Michiko Yamakawa, Yoshika's old friend and classmate, demonstrates a magic talent she never had before as saving a Shiba Inu dog from a Neuroi drone with a battle rifle as she fights her way on the ground to evacuate civilians. This gives an opening for the 555th Joint Fighter Wing under Jenny Doolittle to cover the city of Tokyo while the 501st is free to make the final desperate attack on the Hive's core. With the Neuroi gone from Earth for now, the Second Neuroi War is over and time is here for rebuilding with various nations and empires having to unite with a worldwide democratic alliance. But all the Witches are crowned as the heroes they are. 25 Minutes. $5,000,000.00 Budget for this Season Finale.

Welcome to the Peanut Gallery! Today we seem to know little more about conditions in Belgorod than we did yesterday.
Please remember that I know nothing.
Ukraine:

Russian forces may be currently committing tactical and operational reserves to fighting in eastern Ukraine in an effort to maintain and potentially intensify the tempo of ongoing Russian offensive operations.
Mashovets’ reporting about the transfer of elements of the DNR’s 10th Tank Regiment to southwest of Donetsk City and elements of the 1st Guards Tank Army’s (GTA) 272nd Motorized Rifle Regiment to the Lyman direction are notable as these elements were likely reserves in other directions where Russian forces are conducting offensive operations.

Folks, ChatGPT says that accounts for something like fifteen thousand of the Kremlin’s finest, shoving themselves at Lyman. That is a significant chunk of Putin’s muscle as these are some of his best equipped and trained units in his formations. We’re talking tanks, APCs, and every bit of still-functioning artillery. The crème de la crème, essentially. Or what’s left of it.
Two things about this concern me,

1. If it’s true, if Putin really scents blood, then it’s because of America’s failure to deliver upon our promises. We have a duty to stand by Ukraine, one which we fail every day we delay our obligation.
   
2. If it’s an act of desperation, one final push, then it’s because his regime is collapsing right before our eyes. Putin’s amazing plate-spinning act may soon come to a crashing end.
   

Fuck the first for obvious reasons. But I’m also terrified of the second.
Life ain’t look so good for ol’ Putin. All his plates are crashing down around him. In the lost all semblance of control over the Black Sea; failed to replace the A-50 over the Sea of Azov; came down with a sudden case of exploding refineries; needs to contend with refugees from Belgorod; and can only watch the Czech’s hand Ukraine a shitload of artillery shells.
None of that is even considering the collective West’s hawkish turn in rhetoric. I mean just today Macron floated sending troops to Ukraine. It’s a threshold I never thought we’d reach, yet here we are...about to step into the most dangerous phase of the war.

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi stated on March 14 that unspecified Ukrainian units that have been deployed to frontline for a long time have started rotations.

It’s this kind of thing that makes me think it’s the second option. Rotations are tough, typically performed in a lull, and usually in areas that are relatively quiet. They’re not the sort of maneuvers you performed when one’s back is to the wall. Remember, Putin committed his reserves to the Lyman direction, so if Ukraine can perform routine rotations then they aren't buckling. If they were then they'd have committed these units already.
What interests me are what a rotation typically implies: full replacement. There’ll be a brief window when Ukraine effectively doubles their manpower and equipment, meaning there’s an opportunity for surprise if Ukraine chooses to take it. Shuffling units can hide a lot of buildup, and with shit popping off in Belgorod now seems like a damn fine time to rotate units in Kherson and Zaporizhya.
Discharge Watch!
Current count: 177 (/213D) signatures of the required 218. All current signatories are Democrat.
Nobody signed today, which is a fantastic sign. It means the rumors of a negotiation between Mike Johnson and McConnell’s half of the faction are progressing to the Democrat’s satisfaction. It means that future commitments as lend-lease rumor we heard may be the framework of a compromise. It’s just the sort of five-steps-forward, two-steps-back sort of progress which built this nation.
I’m okay with making future commitments entirely lend-lease. It answers the moronic question, “Where is our money going?” with a neat little bow: it’s all accounted for—in fact this aid isn’t just a good deed, it’s a fucking asset. There’s your God damn incentive: make it profitable. Put the plutocracy’s greed to work by giving them a reason to care about the war. Hand Ukraine a charge card with a little infinity symbol on it, escort them to the armory, and then just stand behind the register. It’s that easy.
Later—much later we can figure out how to wipe the debt. But right now Ukraine needs bullets, and I don’t think she cares about the conditions of the deal so much as that it goes through. It is in America’s best interest to broaden lend-lease as wide as we fucking can--this shit means profit. Worried about the debt? Fine. Let’s make a buck doing what America does best: let’s sell some mother fucking guns.

Get it done.

Russian authorities in Moscow Oblast created “training programs” for people potentially considering adopting illegally deported Ukrainian children in Russia.[80] The program reportedly falsely conflates Ukrainian and Russian culture. The program reportedly tells participants that their main objective is to create a “second homeland” for Ukrainian children in Russia and that they will need to overcome “difficulties in international differences.” Participants of the training program must undergo interviews in which Russian authorities ask if they have Ukrainian friends and relatives. ISW continues to assess that the forced deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children likely amounts to a violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Please give Ukraine what they need to bring this war to an end.
‘Q’ for the Community:

• Which one do you think is more likely reason for Putin committing his reserves? The option one I listed above, or the option two?

• Join the conversation of on /TheNuttySpectacle!

The Holy Hieromartyr Kirion II (known in the world as George Sadzaglishvili) was born on November 10, 1855 in the village of Nikozi in the Gori district. His father was a priest who served in the mountains and did a great job of restoring and establishing Christian traditions among the Ossetians.
He enrolled at the parochial school in Ananuri, then at the theological school in Gori, and finally at Tbilisi Seminary.
In 1880 he graduated from the Kiev Theological Academy and was appointed assistant dean of the Odessa Theological Seminary. From 1883 to 1886 Saint Kirion was active in the educational life of Gori, Telavi, Kutaisi, and Tbilisi. In 1886 he was appointed supervisor of the Georgian monasteries and dean of the schools of the Society for the Renewal of Christianity in the Caucasus. He directed the parochial schools, established libraries and rare book collections within them, and published articles on the history of the Georgian Church, folklore and literature under the pseudonyms Iverieli, Sadzagelov, and Liakhveli (the Liakhvi River flows through his native region of Shida [Inner] Kartli, the central part of eastern Georgia).
After the death of his wife and children, he became a monk, assumed the name of Kyrion, and was ordained to the position of Archimandrite at Kvatakhevi Monastery in 1896. Kirion continued his scholarly pursuits and intensified his spiritual labors. He collected folklore and ethnographic materials and studied artifacts from ancient Georgian churches. He generously donated the reliquaries and rare manuscripts he found to the antiquities collections at the Church Museum of Tbilisi and the Society for the Propagation of Literacy among the Georgians.
In 1898 Kirion published a description of the historical monuments of Liakhvi Gorge. His publication is an important resource for scholars and historians, since most of the monuments he describes were toppled by Georgia’s ideological and national enemies in subsequent years. (Kirion would later join the Moscow Archaeological Society.)
In August of 1898 Archimandrite Kirion was consecrated Bishop of Alaverdi.
Saint Kirion began at once to rebuild Alaverdi Church, and he offered his own resources for this momentous task. At the same time, he began to study the ancient artifacts of Kakheti and Hereti in eastern Georgia. Among the manuscripts he turned over to the Church Museum of Tbilisi was a Holy Gospel from the year 1098, unknown to scholars until that time.
Bishop Kirion was a tireless researcher, with a broad range of scholarly interests. To his pen belong more than forty monographs on various themes relating to the history of the Georgian Church and Christian culture in Georgia. He compiled a short terminological dictionary of the ancient Georgian language and, with the linguist Grigol Qipshidze, a History of Georgian Philology.
Kirion fought the appropriation of Georgian churches by the Armenian Monophysites. He sent a detailed memorandum to the Russian exarch in Georgia demanding that the confiscated Orthodox churches be returned.
In 1901 Kirion was installed as Bishop of Gori. By that time it had become clear to the Georgian exarchate that the educated and progressive clergymen were endorsing the holy hierarch Kirion and contesting the abolition of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. But the government found a way out of this “dangerous situation” by frequently reassigning Saint Kirion to serve in different parts of the Russian Empire: in 1903 he was reassigned to Cherson, in 1904 to Orel, and in 1906 to Sokhumi. In Sokhumi, Saint Kirion exerted every effort to restore and revive the historical Georgian churches and monasteries, though he would soon be reassigned to the Kovno diocese.
In 1905, at the demand of Georgia’s intelligentsia (under the leadership of Saint Ilia the Righteous), the regime formed an extraordinary commission to formally consider the question of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. Saint Kirion delivered two lectures to the commission: one on the reasons behind Georgia’s struggle for the restoration of an autocephalous Church, and the other on the role of nationality in the life of the Church. The commission rejected the Georgian claims to autocephaly and subjected the leaders of the movement to harsh repression.
In 1907 Saint Ilia the Righteous was killed, and the government forbade Saint Kirion to travel to Georgia to pay his last respects. Saint Kirion managed only to send a letter of condolence to Saint Ilia’s loved ones. In the months that followed, the regime tightened down even more severely on Saint Kirion. In 1908 he was accused of conspiring in the murder of Exarch Nikon, deprived of the rank of bishop, and arrested. This treacherous deed roused the indignation not only of the Georgian people but of the faithful of Russia as well. Even the democratic forces in Europe founded a society for the protection of the rights of Bishop Kirion and gathered signatures to demand his release from prison. The bishop himself humbly carried the cross of his persecution and consoled his sympathizers with the words of the great Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli: “‘Not a single rose is plucked from this world without thorns.’ We must bear our suffering with love, since suffering is the fruit of love and in suffering we will find our strength!”
By the year 1915 the regime had ceased to persecute Saint Kirion. They restored him to the bishopric and elevated him as Archbishop of Polotsk and Vitebsk in western Russia. He was not, however, permitted to return to his motherland.
In March of 1917 the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church declared its autocephaly restored. At the incessant demands of the Georgian people, Saint Kirion finally returned to his motherland. One hundred and twenty cavalrymen met him in Aragvi Gorge (along the Georgian Military Highway) and reverently escorted him to the capital. In Tbilisi Saint Kirion was met with great honor. Soon after he was enthroned, Saint Kirion sent an appeal to all the Orthodox patriarchs of the world in which he described in detail the history of the Georgian Church and requested an official recognition of her autocephaly.
On May 26, 1918, Georgia declared its independence. The next day Catholicos-Patriarch Kirion II presided during a service of thanksgiving. The chief shepherd and his flock rejoiced at the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and the independence of the Georgian state, though from the beginning they perceived the imminence of the Bolshevik danger. The socialist revolution, now showing its true face, posed an enormous threat to the young republic and her Church.
On June 27, 1918, Catholicos-Patriarch Kirion II was found murdered in the patriarchal residence at Martqopi Monastery. The investigation was a mere formality and the guilty were never found. Rumors were even spread that Saint Kirion had shot himself.
Kyrion's death remains a mystery to this day. He was buried at the Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral.
When the Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church convened on October 17, 2002, it canonized Holy Hieromartyr Kirion and numbered him among the saints.
(from johnsanidopoulos.com)

The Holy Hieromartyr Kirion II (known in the world as George Sadzaglishvili) was born on November 10, 1855 in the village of Nikozi in the Gori district. His father was a priest who served in the mountains and did a great job of restoring and establishing Christian traditions among the Ossetians.
He enrolled at the parochial school in Ananuri, then at the theological school in Gori, and finally at Tbilisi Seminary.
In 1880 he graduated from the Kiev Theological Academy and was appointed assistant dean of the Odessa Theological Seminary. From 1883 to 1886 Saint Kirion was active in the educational life of Gori, Telavi, Kutaisi, and Tbilisi. In 1886 he was appointed supervisor of the Georgian monasteries and dean of the schools of the Society for the Renewal of Christianity in the Caucasus. He directed the parochial schools, established libraries and rare book collections within them, and published articles on the history of the Georgian Church, folklore and literature under the pseudonyms Iverieli, Sadzagelov, and Liakhveli (the Liakhvi River flows through his native region of Shida [Inner] Kartli, the central part of eastern Georgia).
After the death of his wife and children, he became a monk, assumed the name of Kyrion, and was ordained to the position of Archimandrite at Kvatakhevi Monastery in 1896. Kirion continued his scholarly pursuits and intensified his spiritual labors. He collected folklore and ethnographic materials and studied artifacts from ancient Georgian churches. He generously donated the reliquaries and rare manuscripts he found to the antiquities collections at the Church Museum of Tbilisi and the Society for the Propagation of Literacy among the Georgians.
In 1898 Kirion published a description of the historical monuments of Liakhvi Gorge. His publication is an important resource for scholars and historians, since most of the monuments he describes were toppled by Georgia’s ideological and national enemies in subsequent years. (Kirion would later join the Moscow Archaeological Society.)
In August of 1898 Archimandrite Kirion was consecrated Bishop of Alaverdi.
Saint Kirion began at once to rebuild Alaverdi Church, and he offered his own resources for this momentous task. At the same time, he began to study the ancient artifacts of Kakheti and Hereti in eastern Georgia. Among the manuscripts he turned over to the Church Museum of Tbilisi was a Holy Gospel from the year 1098, unknown to scholars until that time.
Bishop Kirion was a tireless researcher, with a broad range of scholarly interests. To his pen belong more than forty monographs on various themes relating to the history of the Georgian Church and Christian culture in Georgia. He compiled a short terminological dictionary of the ancient Georgian language and, with the linguist Grigol Qipshidze, a History of Georgian Philology.
Kirion fought the appropriation of Georgian churches by the Armenian Monophysites. He sent a detailed memorandum to the Russian exarch in Georgia demanding that the confiscated Orthodox churches be returned.
In 1901 Kirion was installed as Bishop of Gori. By that time it had become clear to the Georgian exarchate that the educated and progressive clergymen were endorsing the holy hierarch Kirion and contesting the abolition of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. But the government found a way out of this “dangerous situation” by frequently reassigning Saint Kirion to serve in different parts of the Russian Empire: in 1903 he was reassigned to Cherson, in 1904 to Orel, and in 1906 to Sokhumi. In Sokhumi, Saint Kirion exerted every effort to restore and revive the historical Georgian churches and monasteries, though he would soon be reassigned to the Kovno diocese.
In 1905, at the demand of Georgia’s intelligentsia (under the leadership of Saint Ilia the Righteous), the regime formed an extraordinary commission to formally consider the question of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. Saint Kirion delivered two lectures to the commission: one on the reasons behind Georgia’s struggle for the restoration of an autocephalous Church, and the other on the role of nationality in the life of the Church. The commission rejected the Georgian claims to autocephaly and subjected the leaders of the movement to harsh repression.
In 1907 Saint Ilia the Righteous was killed, and the government forbade Saint Kirion to travel to Georgia to pay his last respects. Saint Kirion managed only to send a letter of condolence to Saint Ilia’s loved ones. In the months that followed, the regime tightened down even more severely on Saint Kirion. In 1908 he was accused of conspiring in the murder of Exarch Nikon, deprived of the rank of bishop, and arrested. This treacherous deed roused the indignation not only of the Georgian people but of the faithful of Russia as well. Even the democratic forces in Europe founded a society for the protection of the rights of Bishop Kirion and gathered signatures to demand his release from prison. The bishop himself humbly carried the cross of his persecution and consoled his sympathizers with the words of the great Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli: “‘Not a single rose is plucked from this world without thorns.’ We must bear our suffering with love, since suffering is the fruit of love and in suffering we will find our strength!”
By the year 1915 the regime had ceased to persecute Saint Kirion. They restored him to the bishopric and elevated him as Archbishop of Polotsk and Vitebsk in western Russia. He was not, however, permitted to return to his motherland.
In March of 1917 the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church declared its autocephaly restored. At the incessant demands of the Georgian people, Saint Kirion finally returned to his motherland. One hundred and twenty cavalrymen met him in Aragvi Gorge (along the Georgian Military Highway) and reverently escorted him to the capital. In Tbilisi Saint Kirion was met with great honor. Soon after he was enthroned, Saint Kirion sent an appeal to all the Orthodox patriarchs of the world in which he described in detail the history of the Georgian Church and requested an official recognition of her autocephaly.
On May 26, 1918, Georgia declared its independence. The next day Catholicos-Patriarch Kirion II presided during a service of thanksgiving. The chief shepherd and his flock rejoiced at the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and the independence of the Georgian state, though from the beginning they perceived the imminence of the Bolshevik danger. The socialist revolution, now showing its true face, posed an enormous threat to the young republic and her Church.
On June 27, 1918, Catholicos-Patriarch Kirion II was found murdered in the patriarchal residence at Martqopi Monastery. The investigation was a mere formality and the guilty were never found. Rumors were even spread that Saint Kirion had shot himself.
Kyrion's death remains a mystery to this day. He was buried at the Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral.
When the Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church convened on October 17, 2002, it canonized Holy Hieromartyr Kirion and numbered him among the saints.
(from johnsanidopoulos.com)

To put it short, both sides of the Cold War discover things they shouldn't have. Here is an excerpt: a NATO or CIA (unsure which) military intelligence assessment of the Second Guards Engineering Brigade's shoggoth capabilities.

Warning
The following briefing film is classified SECRET GOLD JULY BOOJUM. If you do not have SECRET GOLD JULY BOOJUM clearance, leave the auditorium now and report to your unit security officer for debriefing. Failing to observe this notice is an imprisonable offense.
You have sixty seconds to comply.
Video clip:
Red Square in springtime. The sky overhead is clear and blue; there's a little wispy cirrus at high altitude. It forms a brilliant backdrop for flight after flight of five four-engined bombers that thunder across the horizon and drop behind the Kremlin's high walls.
Voice-over:
Red Square, the May Day parade, 1962. This is the first time that the Soviet Union has publicly displayed weapons classified GOLD JULY BOOJUM. Here they are:
Video clip:
Later in the same day. A seemingly endless stream of armour and soldiers marches across the square, turning the air grey with diesel fumes. The trucks roll in line eight abreast, with soldiers sitting erect in the back. Behind them rumble a battalion of T-56's, their commanders standing at attention in their cupolas, saluting the stand. Jets race low and loud overhead, formations of MiG-17 fighters.
Behind the tanks sprawl a formation of four low-loaders: huge tractors towing low-sling trailers, their load beds strapped down under olive-drab tarpaulins. Whatever is under them is uneven, a bit like a loaf of bread the size of a small house. The trucks have an escort of jeep-like vehicles on each side, armed soldiers sitting at attention in their backs.
There are big five-pointed stars painted in silver on each tarpaulin, like outlines of stars. Each star is surrounded by a stylized silver circle; a unit insignia, perhaps, but not in the standard format for Red Army units. There's lettering around the circles, in a strangely stylised script.
Voice-over:
These are live servitors under transient control. The vehicles towing them bear the insignia of the second Guards Engineering Brigade, a penal construction unit based in Bokhara and used for structural engineering assignments relating to nuclear installations in the Ukraine and Azerbaijan. This is the first time that any Dresden Agreement party openly demonstrated ownership of this technology: in this instance, the conclusion we are intended to draw is that the sixty-seventh Guard Engineering Brigade operates four units. Given existing figures for the Soviet ORBAT we can then extrapolate a total task strength of two hundred and eighty eight servitors, if this unit is unexceptional.
Video clip:
Five huge Tu-95 Bear bombers thunder across the Moscow skies.
Voice-over:
This conclusion is questionable. For example, in 1964 a total of two hundred and forty Bear bomber passes were made over the reviewing stand in front of the Lenin mausoleum. However, at that time technical reconnaissance assets verified that the Soviet air force has hard stand parking for only one hundred and sixty of these aircraft, and estimates of airframe production based on photographs of the extent of the Tupolev bureau's works indicate that total production to that date was between sixty and one hundred and eighty bombers.
Further analysis of photographic evidence from the 1964 parade suggests that a single group of twenty aircraft in four formations of five made repeated passes through the same airspace, the main arc of their circuit lying outside visual observation range of Moscow. This gave rise to the erroneous capacity report of 1964 in which the first strike delivery capability of the Soviet Union was over-estimated by as much as three hundred percent.
We must therefore take anything that they show us in Red Square with a pinch of salt when preparing force estimates. Quite possibly these four servitors are all they've got. Then again, the actual battalion strength may be considerably higher.
Still photographic sequence:
From very high altitude -- possibly in orbit -- an eagle's eye view of a remote village in mountainous country. Small huts huddle together beneath a craggy outcrop; goats graze nearby.In the second photograph, something has rolled through the village leaving a trail of devastation. The path is quite unlike the trail of damage left by an artillery bombardment: something roughly four metres wide has shaved the rocky plateau smooth, wearing it down as if with a terrible heat. A corner of a shack leans drunkenly, the other half sliced away cleanly. White bones gleam faintly in the track; no vultures descend to stab at the remains.
Voice-over:
These images were taken very recently, on successive orbital passes of a KH-11 satellite. They were timed precisely eighty-nine minutes apart. This village was the home of a noted Mujahedin leader. Note the similar footprint to the payloads on the load beds of the trucks seen at the 1962 parade.
These indicators were present, denoting the presence of servitor units in use by Soviet forces in Afghanistan: the four metre wide gauge of the assimilation track. The total molecular breakdown of organic matter in the track. The speed of destruction -- the event took less than five thousand seconds to completion, no survivors were visible, and the causative agent had already been uplifted by the time of the second orbital pass. This, despite the residents of the community being armed with DShK heavy machine guns, rocket propelled grenade launchers, and AK-47's. Lastly: there is no sign of the causative agent even deviating from its course, but the entire area is depopulated. Except for excarnated residue there is no sign of human habitation.
In the presence of such unique indicators, we have no alternative but to conclude that the Soviet Union has violated the Dresden Agreement by deploying GOLD JULY BOOJUM in a combat mode in the Khyber pass. There are no grounds to believe that a NATO armoured division would have fared any better than these mujahedin without nuclear support...

One ought to read the whole thing. It's an interesting take on Lovecraft, and it's faithful to the tone.

​

Introduction

Osama Bin Laden (and Al-Qaeda as a whole) had many different causes for attacking the United States on September 11th: They felt that the United States was the Great Aggressor against Islam, the United States was supporting Israel, they wanted to start a global Jihad. But, many other countries have reasons to attack the United States. Take Russia and China for example, the United States dominates the world political landscape and economy. It supports Taiwan in its fight for independence. It’s the leader of Nato, an organization meant to bring down Russia and global communism. So, what if Russia and China did 9/11?

Context

So, if you don't know(which basically means you live outside of a NATO country). On September 11th, 2001, 4 planes were hijacked. All of them had intended targets to crash into. All the planes had 2 things in common, They all were on their way to LAX airport, and they all were to depart at around 8:00 AM. At 8:46 AM, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the side of World Trade Center One, the tallest building in New York City. At 9:03 AM, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the corner of World Trade Center Two. At 9:37 AM, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the recently rebuilt side of the Pentagon, the headquarters for American Military Operations. At 10:03 AM, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Its intended target was the White House or the Capitol Building (the home of the HoR and the Senate). At 9:59 AM, the South Tower(WTC 2) collapsed. At 10:28 AM, the North Tower(WTC 1) collapsed. At 5:21 PM, fires raging at WTC 7 caused the building to collapse. 2,996 people died that day. It would become known by the Bush Administration as a “Day of Infamy” as a reference to FDRs speech on December 8th, 1941, where he called the attack on Pearl Harbor a “Day of Infamy”. These attacks would lead to the Global War On Terror and the American-Iraq war of 2003.

Weeks Before The Attacks

It is very likely that Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin would not directly authorize the plot. They both know how strong the United States would be and how brutal the response would be. However, they turn a blind eye to Russian, Chinese, and maybe North Korean generals plotting the attack. The chaos of the election of 2000 would probably keep the United States from discovering the attacks.

How The Alternate Attack Might Go

So, I think a real country with a real airforce and navy wouldn’t use just a civilian airliner. So, they would most likely use planes departing from Cuba and navy warships in the pacific to use instead. The plan is simple. Civilian airliners will be hijacked and then escorted by fighter jets and tactical bombers. General conspirators would demand the US doesn’t have any planes in the sky or else they will shoot down the plane and bomb cities across the west and east coast. The targets would be a civilian crash into the Stephen P. Clark government building in Miami, the White House in DC, and perhaps a Naval Bombardment in LA and San Francisco. Following the plane crashes, the USAF would not have time to scramble before bombers let their loads drop and escape. At the same time, Chinese troops would invade Taiwan, North Korea would invade South Korea, and Cuba would invade Guantanamo Bay.

Side Note

Now, I know this idea is batshit insane. No Russian, Cuban, Korean, or Chinese general would ever agree to starting a conflict that is almost certain to go nuclear. This is just for fun.

September 11th, 2001

At 7:00 AM, a plane takes off to Boston, MA. At 7:13, the plane goes silent and Russian planes escort the plane up the east coast. At 7:45, a plane takes off to Philadelphia. At 8:03, the plane is hijacked by Russian Soldiers and turns around to Florida. The United States, expecting a ransom instead of a crash, complies with the demands of the generals. At 8:15, the plane heading towards DC crashes into the White House and Russian bombers begin bombing the city. Key structures like the Capitol and Washington/Lincoln monuments are destroyed. At the same time, the SPC gov. Building is destroyed by a plane crash and collapses almost immediately, however, the USAF has organized and begins approaching the Russian Planes. What follows is a one sided air battle. The Russian air squads are destroyed within minutes. After news reached the Russian navy, the ships/submarines began shelling LA and San Francisco. The cities suffer major damage and the ships retreat.

The Invasion

Following the attacks, the Chinese Government sets up a naval blockade of Taiwan and prepares an invasion. North Korean troops cross the DMZ, along with Chinese Troops and quickly take Seoul. Guantanamo Bay is besieged and shelled by artillery, naval, and bombing strikes.

The Response: Russia

Almost immediately, any representatives and senate members meet in Philadelphia and declare war on all the countries involved. Article 5 is triggered and NATO begins preparing the largest bombing operation ever seen in history. Within a week, Kaliningrad, Vladivostok and St. Petersburg is turned to dust. It is likely that all three of these cities would be occupied as well. Finland would also likely assist in the invasion in order to regain Karelia. Murmansk and all of Karelia is occupied. In Moscow, Putin is shot and killed by American agents and a state of emergency is declared. Yevgeny Prigozhin seizes control of the government and begins negotiating peace with the United States.

The Response: Cuba

Cuba is.. Basically gone. Being the key asset in the attacks as well as being incredibly weak out of the 4, they are targeted harder than no other. Havana is destroyed within a day and a land invasion wipes out any resistance in the country. It is possible that Venezuela is also invaded in order to “replace the hostile government”, even though everyone knows it's to take control of the oil supplies.

The Response: North Korea

Within a few weeks, North Korea is slowly pushed back to Pyongyang and the government capitulates. Their nuclear arsenal are taken and either destroyed or stolen.

The Response: China

This one is much, much harder to make a reasonable story besides Nuclear weapons. However, this is the batshit theory I came up with. After the invasion of Vladivostok, the American troops continue and take most of Manchuria. At the same time, CIA sponsored Tibetan uprisings flare up. India could also invade in order to establish Tibet as a buffer zone. If India does invade, I’m certain that Pakistan would also invade India, catching the military off guard. Within a few years, China is taken and Beijing and Shanghai are destroyed

Peace

I think it’s likely that Cuba would be directly annexed and later become a state. The Tibetan Republic is established, under the supervision of the American/Indian governments. South Korea would annex North Korea and perhaps some Chinese Territory. The Taiwanese Government would take control of China. Key cities like St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, and Beijing are annexed by the US government. Everything west of Moscow and Transamur would be turned into a DMZ/UN Administration Zone. Yevgeny Prigozhin is allowed to stay in power and Karelia is turned into a Finnish Puppet State. Kaliningrad would be given to either Poland or Germany. Murmansk would be given to either the USA or turned into a UN Admin. Zone.

Conclusion:

This was fun.

18-minute read.

parliament leader Alen Simonyan about a coup against Pashinyan, Russia, and Azerbaijan

REPORTER: Your sister-in-law was arrested as part of the Synergy case. Is there a conflict between you and PM Pashinyan?
SIMONYAN: No. We are friends and colleagues.
REPORTER: There are rumors that you were plotting a coup against Pashinyan. You, Andranik Kocharyan, Khachatur Sukiasyan, Gurgen Arsenyan, and Arshakyan are allegedly following Russia's orders to overthrow Pashinyan.
SIMONYAN: Hahaha. No. To suggest I'm a "Russian project" after everything I've said [about Russia] is a sin.
REPORTER: So you are anti-Russian?
SIMONYAN: I'm pro-Armenian.
REPORTER: Rumors say you were competing for Pashinyan's seat.
SIMONYAN: Knock it off. It's absurd. Can we return to the important stuff?
REPORTER: Pro-Western outlets leaked a report that Zelensky plans to visit Armenia [and Azerbaijan]. He would undoubtedly give an anti-Russian speech while in Armenia. Isn't this a hybrid war?
SIMONYAN: A hybrid war against Armenia was launched a long time ago by Russian propagandists with Armenian last names. They instigated protests in Yerevan. As for Zelensky's possible visit, we have no specific details yet but if there is one, it would be a regional visit and not just to Armenia.
REPORTER: Azerbaijan demands Armenia to provide a corridor and change its Constitution.
SIMONYAN: As the media, it is your duty not to allow Azerbaijan's propaganda to propagate in Armenia. When Azerbaijan demanded the corridor after 2020, they also began to attack our borders in an attempt to shape the internal discourse in Armenia; do not become part of Azerbaijan's plot. With a great effort, we were able to defeat the "corridor" talks and now Azerbaijan has clarified that it didn't actually mean a "corridor" corridor and that they can get a route through Iran if needed. Now they play the same game with our Constitution. Do not fall for it. We launched the Constitutional reforms in early 2020, and as of right now, there isn't even a decision by us to change the preamble [to remove the reference to Armenia's reunification with Nagorno-Karabakh]. We don't mind raising these potentially scandalous topics because we need public discussions, we need a dialogue with the public. So many things need to change in our current Constitution. Armenia will take steps that are beneficial for Armenia. Azerbaijan will observe this process and attempt to interject itself into this process.
REPORTER: Pashinyan said Armenia is freezing relations with the Russian-led CSTO military bloc.
SIMONYAN: Not "freezing", but it has already been frozen. Pashinyan stated that our decision not to participate in CSTO activities is essentially an indication of frozen relations. It's frozen because CSTO was unable to show on the map where Armenia's borders are. We don't want them to send "observers" to Armenia if they can't even point out where the borders are. Do they recognize Armenia's borders? CSTO has disconnected itself from Armenia.
REPORTER: Why don't you officially exit CSTO?
SIMONYAN: We are waiting to see what happens next. The Armenian government shares the public's anger toward CSTO. Our "ally" not only did not defend us but also allowed many things to happen, before manipulating the chronology of events in an attempt to pin it all on the actions of the Armenian government. Maybe the Russian government has a problem with keeping up with the chronology because they have 11 time zones, but Armenia has only 1, and we all remember very well what happened and how things unfolded. This led to a growing anti-Russian sentiment in Armenia to the point that even some of our pro-Russian opposition members chose not to defend Russian officials. The actions taken by Russians, and all the lies they served through the TV, it was so obvious that even some of our critics acknowledged it was a lie.
REPORTER: Will you remove Russian border agents from the Zvartnots airport?
SIMONYAN: We should. I haven't been part of any such discussions, however. Maybe they are discussing it with law enforcement agents.
REPORTER: Why do you support the removal of Russian border agents from Zvartnots?
SIMONYAN: Because I don't trust them with protecting Armenia's borders. Do you trust them? We should be the ones to handle that task. Hasn't it been proven several times already that they cannot be trusted with protecting us? Moreover, they did everything possible to make our borders as vulnerable as possible. What did they do in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia? They came to Nagorno-Karabakh just to escort the population out. Hours after the ceasefire, when a few of their peacekeepers died under non-combat circumstances, they presented it as "evidence" of heroic effective work by their peacekeepers. They just came to escort the population out. Are they going to escort me and you out of Zvartnots airport tomorrow?
REPORTER: Should the Russian military base be removed from Armenia?
SIMONYAN: Don't rush with that. We must not go from one extreme to another. Every decision must be justified.
REPORTER: [can't hear]
SIMONYAN: The plan [by Russia] all along was to drag Armenia into a large-scale war against Azerbaijan so they could deploy soldiers with peacekeepers' badges and subjugate Armenia and Azerbaijan to prevent us from "escaping" from Russia.
REPORTER: What is the legal basis for deploying Russian border agents in Nerkin Hand with an outpost? They are blocking EU observers.
SIMONYAN: I don't know the details and the legal background but that's also a topic of discussion. I don't want to comment on something I'm not familiar with.
REPORTER: What are they doing there? Armenian soldiers are guarding the borders so what are the Russians doing down in the village? What problem are they solving?
SIMONYAN: If I'm not mistaken we entrusted that area to Russians at a time when things were very tense there. The legal aspects of it need to be clarified.
more, more,

Armenian government has given Russian agents "few months" to leave the Zvartnots airport: NGO chief Daniel Ioannesian

DANIEL: Right now it's 50/50, it's a lottery whether you will encounter a Russian agent or an Armenian one. In a few months, they will either replace them with Armenians or install those biometric terminals for scanning, like the ones you see in European countries. The government became convinced about the need to remove the Russian agents after they helped kidnap the Russian deserter out of Armenia without Armenia's permission.
People like me have a reputation for being "anti-Russian" but nobody does a better job at damaging AM-RU relations than Russia itself. We don't have an explicit intent to harm the relations with Russia. Russia is doing this to itself.
Here is what happened shortly before the September 2022 attack. Russian border agents on the Armenia-Iran border began building a wall and barbed wires that would essentially serve as the corridor that Russia wants to give to Azerbaijan. The plan was moving forward. Moreover, Armenians traveling within Armenia, from Meghri to Agarak, would be forced to go through multiple Russian checkpoints. The setup was ready. However, the Armenian government shut it down and a few weeks later Azerbaijan launched the September 2022 attack.
Armenia must also block Russia's access to our SEKT (electronic border control and information system). It contains information on every crossing, jet, transport type, and everything over the past 7 years.
REPORTER: Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin recently stated that Azerbaijan has had access to these border logs. Lapshin said that while he was serving in Azerbaijani jail, the investigators showed him lists containing Armenian names and border crossings and every detail about their travel.
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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was Vladimir Putin's servant until he realized in 2022 that Russia had no intention of helping Armenia and its sovereignty, according to ruling party MP

Pashinyan appointed pro-Russian military figure Arshak Karapetyan as the Minister of Defense in 2021 under the orders of Russia, revealed the ruling party MP Gagik Melkonyan.
The now-fired MOD Arshak Karapetyan recently entered politics with a video message recorded in Russia. The head of Armenia's parliamentary defense committee Andranik Kocharyan urged Armenian authorities to keep an eye out on "suspicious" Karapetyan, who has deep-rooted ties with Russian apparatus.
There were also rumors that between 2020-2022 under the instruction of Russia, Pashinyan refused to appoint pro-West Armen Grigoryan (currently NatSec) as the Foreign Minister, and also fired Argishti Qaramyan from NSS at their request.
NAVASARDYAN (analyst): In the early 2000s there were 3 seats in Armenia that were not appointed without Russia's permission: NSS, defense minister, and foreign minister. The number kept increasing. This continued even under Pashinyan until it became evident Russia was not an ally in border protection. //
Armenian government members have publicly admitted that Russia's inaction in September 2022 was a turning point in Armenia-Russia relations and it forced Armenia to change or diversify its foreign vector.
Ruling MP Gagik Melkonyan said Armenia no longer wishes to be the "slave" of Russia.
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Russian analyst claims without evidence that Pashinyan reached an agreement with France's Macron to exchange intel and satellite information on Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, and Russia

Context: Pashinyan's recent trip to France and the multiple agreements on the acquisition of arms and the army reforms.
IGOR KOROTCHENKO (Caspian Institute for Strategic Studies): During Pashinyan's visit to Paris, the issue of Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO was discussed behind closed doors. All Pashinyan is doing now is an action plan agreed with Macron. Pashinyan does not want to make any sudden movements, but it is quite obvious that Armenia will gradually increase cooperation with the West.
During Pashinyan's visit to Paris, an agreement was reached between the French intelligence service, the DSGE, and the newly formed Armenian foreign intelligence agency on the exchange of data on four countries — Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, and Türkiye on an agreed list of issues.
France will also transmit satellite data to Armenia containing information on the military and political situation along the perimeter of Armenia's borders.
The only thing that is currently keeping Pashinyan from a final break with the CSTO and Russia is the economy. //
The Kremlin-linked analyst presented no evidence to back up the claims. Fact-checkers have noted that the information was circulated by unreliable outlets. No official information has been released about such satellite and intel cooperation between Armenia and France.
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Armenia's pro-Russia opposition lambastes Pashinyan administration's "pro-West" moves, gets accused of being Russian "agents"

OPPO REPORTER: Does the stoking of anti-Russian sentiments speak about a changing foreign vector or is this being done by the Pashinyan administration for the internal electorate to show they are not responsible for the situation?
OPPO MP: Both. There are people who are selling anti-Russian sentiments to appease the West with complete disregard for Armenia's interests.
OPPO MP: A country must be predictable and have principles. You wake up in the morning to learn that your country has "frozen" relations with the CSTO. The CSTO responds saying it hasn't received any requests. Russia wants to receive clarification but the Armenian government refuses to clarify. It's not about the CSTO failing or not failing to follow their obligations. Worsening relations with Russia is not in the best interest of Armenia. Certain people are doing everything possible to turn the arms acquisitions from France and India into a geopolitical topic.
OPPO MP: There are rumors that the notorious president of Ukraine Zelensky will visit Armenia soon. Pashinyan office does not confirm or deny this. They are checking the public's response to a possible visit with this informational drop. It's obvious that the West is behind the attempt to organize Zelensky's trip to Armenia to open a second front against Russia at the expense of Armenia. Pashinyan's role is to be the Armenian Zelensky. Pashinyan has turned Armenia into a bargaining chip in a geopolitical struggle. We have lost our sovereignty. Zelensky's visit will be a point of no return. Azerbaijan will use the opportunity to attack Armenia. We must remove Pashinyan to save Armenia.
RULING MP: Why do you even give a speech here? We will just tune in to Solovyov and Margarita Simonyan this evening to get the same propaganda. You are promoting the dangerous thesis that Armenia is buying the Indian and French weapons against Russia. This is harmful to Armenia. Are you even Armenian? I realize that you were recruited as Russian agents but every damn thing has to have limits. Any self-respecting agent would have told their curator that they couldn't do this one. "Armenia has fallen," one of you said. Only in your dream and the dreams of your boss.
RULING MP: I'm under the impression that some opposition MPs were reading a text originally written in Russian and translated into Armenian.
source, source,source, source, source,

Sumgayit, 1988

The Sumgait pogrom targeted the Armenian population of the lakeside town of Sumgait in Azerbaijan. On February 27, 1988, mobs of ethnic Azerbaijanis formed into groups and attacked and killed Armenians on the streets and in their apartments; widespread looting occurred, and a general lack of concern from police officers allowed the violence to continue for three days.
Prior to the attacks, strong anti-Armenian sentiments were voiced by Azerbaijani citizens and officials alike. One such statement came on February 14 when the head of the department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan Asadov, declared "a hundred thousand Azerbaijanis are ready to storm Karabakh at any time and organize a slaughter there."
One day before the pogroms, several minor rallies were held in Sumgait. Calls for violence against Armenians and for their expulsion from Azerbaijan were heard and the crowds were agitated by news of Azerbaijani refugees who had fled Armenia (from the towns Kapan and Masis). Certain individuals told stories of murders and violence purportedly carried out by Armenians against the Azerbaijanis. Soviet authorities would later cast these individuals as agents provocateurs. One individual, according to the Soviet press, was later revealed not to be a resident of Kapan (Armenia), as he had claimed, but a criminal with a prior arrest record. Many Azerbaijanis believed that some forces were intentionally agitating the crowd to attack Armenians.
Slogans such as "Death to Armenians!" and "Armenians get out of our city" were being voiced during rallies. Azerbaijani poet Khydyr Alovlu, a strong supporter of Heydar Aliyev, and others, called for Armenians to be expelled from Azerbaijan or killed. Almost every speech was concluded with the slogan "Death to Armenians!". Since the speakers used microphones these calls were heard not only in the square but also in the nearby streets.
Radio played a role in inciting the murders. Soviet official Aleksandr Katusev announced on Baku Radio that two Azeri youths were killed during clashes with Armenians near Agdam. He neglected to mention that one youth was killed by Azerbaijani police officers. He was criticized for revealing the nationalities of the young men.
The pogroms began on the evening of February 27. The perpetrators targeted the victims based solely on ethnicity. Cobbles were brought into the city to block and limit access and exit from the town; the perpetrators had previously obtained the list of addresses of the Armenian residents of the city. The fact that the attackers were armed with homemade weapons that would have taken some time and effort to manufacture suggests a certain level of planning.
The mobs entered the apartment buildings and sought out Armenians where they lived. Some Armenians took shelter among their Azerbaijani and Russian neighbors, who also risked being attacked by the mobs. Others turned on the television to watch Azerbaijani music concerts and raised the volume to give the effect that they were in fact Azerbaijanis.
There was no intervention on the part of the police to stop the perpetrators. The local police force was overwhelmingly composed of Azerbaijanis and had only one professional Armenian officer.
Many Armenians sought to defend themselves and improvised by nailing their doors shut and arming themselves with axes, and in some instances, a number of intruding rioters were killed.
Soviet authorities arrested 400 men in connection to the massacre and prepared criminal charges for 84. Some Azerbaijanis went on to campaign for the "freedom for the heroes of Sumgait." Many of the perpetrators of the pogrom gained titles of national heroes and/or high positions in the government, where they still serve today. //
U.S. EMBASSY: Today, we join with Armenians mourning all who were killed in Sumgait in 1988. Our deepest sympathy rests with the families of those killed, injured, and displaced. We will continue to work for peace in the region, so such tragedies will not be repeated.
FOREIGN MINISTRY of ARMENIA: The ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh was a continuation of Azerbaijan’s policy of terror. Even today, Azerbaijan continues its policy of eradicating any Armenian traces under its control. Even today, the ongoing xenophobic and hostile policy against the Republic of Armenia is accompanied by high-level hate speech.
source, source, source,

Azerbaijan demolished the statue of French-Armenian artist Charles Aznavour from occupied Nagorno-Karabakh: PHOTO

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during UN's Human Rights Council session Armenia's Foreign Minister accused Azerbaijan of committing ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and making territorial claims against Armenia

FM Mirzoyan said this is the continuation of Azerbaijan's post-1980s policies that led to hundreds of thousands of Armenians being forced to flee various parts of Azerbaijan, including Nakhijevan.
Over 145,000 Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians have been forced to leave their homes since 2020, said Mirzoyan.
video, source, source,

German MPs invited the press to brief them on the recent meetings with Armenian officials

Members of all German parliamentary parties were represented in the delegation that held meetings with PM Pashinyan, Speaker Simonyan, and other officials over the past 3 days.
GERMAN MP: The trip began from Khor Virap with a history tour, followed by a visit to the Genocide Museum. The German parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide years ago and acknowledged imperial Germany's role in it. We joined the EU border observers for a trip to the Yeraskh border. Meetings were held with civil society and government members.
We were able to learn more about the recent developments in Armenia that moved you toward a stable democracy. The message we've received is that Armenia intends to follow this route and continue the reforms in citizen-state relations and legislative areas. We welcome Armenia's effort to adopt Western values. Germany is ready to help Armenia establish peace in the region and the ongoing internal reforms. //
REPORTER: Will you contact the ICC regarding the forced displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh residents just as you did for Ukrainians?
GERMAN MP: There are some legal differences between the two cases. We have Ukrainian refugees in the territory of Germany and we are assisting them with evidence and possible lawsuits. We are in touch with them. On the other hand, from the perspective of international law, Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan so that's different from Russia invading Ukraine. //
watch in full, source,

Armenia is not allowed to import raw dairy products from a third country, process it locally, and export it to the EU because of a ban imposed by Russia's EAEU, claims a ruling party MP

RULING MP: A group of domestic dairy producers have contacted us about this. The EAEU, in other words, Russia and Belarus, prohibited the import of Armenian dairy to their countries yet their dairy is freely sold in Armenia. This causes competitiveness issues for Armenian producers. Enter any supermarket and you'll see that Russian and Belarusian shelves keep expanding. How do you plan to address this?
ECONOMY MINISTRY: Regarding milk producers. We received a signal over half a year ago. We've discussed this with EAEU partners. A list of Armenian producers have received permission to export dairy to Russia and Belarus. This problem has been partially resolved.
As for our producers' competitiveness in local supermarkets, we are drafting new rules to ensure domestic products have better visibility.
RULING MP: There is no equality, though. If Armenian producers could freely enter EAEU markets I wouldn't have a problem. The issue is we can't sell our product there but they can sell theirs in Armenia. I don't trust that Russia and Belarus issued the ban based on lab results. If you ask our businesses they will tell you that the market was closed for them because they didn't show a certain "attitude" in specific places. We are talking about markets where issues are resolved through non-standard methods.
Moreover, EAEU has prohibited Armenian dairy producers from importing raw dairy from a third party, processing it locally, and selling it in the European Union and elsewhere [needs a fact check]. The economy ministry has been promising for a year to resolve this. Deliver results.
ECONOMY MINISTRY: Armenian producers are allowed to export to EAEU but it has to be done through a 2-way registry of authorized producers. We are working with producers not on this list. Тоесть Russia is not fully closed for our producers.
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food became cheaper in 2023

The cost of minimum food basket:
2023: ֏75,900
2022: ֏77,700
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government drafted a bill to amend the rules that define the size of wages paid to civilian staff of armed forces, as well as soldiers depending on how risky their job is and how well they perform in the attestation exams

DEFENSE MINISTRY: The goal is to ensure that wages reflect the specific duties and that everyone's work is measurable. The job positions in the armed forces will be separated into two categories: military and non-military. The latter do civilian work and should be paid wages above the average of the private sector so that the army can attract a quality workforce.
The military personnel's wages will depend on the level of risk in their activities and their certification (attestation) level. Regarding the certification, it must become a routine practice and we must also encourage soldiers to pass the minimum requirements.
The "military" wages will be higher than the "civilian" wages.
There is a group of servicemen whose job does not envisage combat duties. They will be required to take shooting and knowledge exams, and not the fitness and marching tests [for attestation]. Their wages will be lower than that of the soldiers with combat duties.
Soldiers who fail attestation exams will be given an opportunity to retake it.
The amendments will define the wages for Brigade Sergeants and Battalion Sergeants.
For example, a Brigade Sergeant without attestation will earn $520, or $720 if serves under special conditions. With attestation, the salary will increase to $1000/$1300/$1400 depending on the performance.
Ordinary soldiers without attestation with combat duties earn $270. Attestation will raise it to a minimum of $650/X/Y depending on the grade. Add $280 if served under special conditions.
[wages increase with the rank, with as high as $2660/mo]
MP: How much was the salary of an ordinary soldier with combat duties in 2018, and what will it be now with the attestation?
OFFICIAL: It was $270 [with today's exchange rate] for non-special, and $550 for special conditions. Under the new system, they will earn $920 with an acceptable grade, $1210 with a good grade, and $1300 with an excellent grade. //
Robert Kocharyan's faction leader is against the idea of raising wages based on the attestation process. He believes the attestation should be used only for deciding on whom to promote, and that wages should be raised without requiring the exams. The defense ministry says there are housing and healthcare benefits for soldiers in addition to performance-based wage increases in order to help improve the army's quality and prestige.
source, source, source, source, source, source, source,

IRS drafts a bill to exempt Armenian residents from paying remainder tax (equalization tax) from foreign proceeds if they earned under $30,000/yr

It's expected to exempt the low-income seasonal workers who migrate to Russia temporarily for work. They pay 13% in Russia so under Armenian law they were required to pay a 7% top-up tax in Armenia to bring the total rate to 20%. This requirement has been in place since January 2018, said the IRS chief last week. They have drafted an amendment to make this requirement apply to high earners only. PM Pashinyan last week criticized showbiz stars who oppose paying taxes on income earned from foreign tours.
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are the gambling stats trustworthy?

An opposition MP asked the IRS chief to explain why the volume of placed bets has increased from ֏128 billion in 2017 to a whopping ֏4.2 trillion in 2022, before a small drop in 2023.
The IRS chief says the statistics don't reveal much about the reasons for growth and the actual size of growth among Armenian players because (1) the government is relying on self-reported numbers, (2) the bets placed from abroad are counted towards the total, thus making it seem as if Armenian residents placed all those bets.
On January 12 the government revealed an extensive plan to regulate the gambling sector, force online/offline casinos to connect to a database to monitor their bets in real-time, to require anti-cheat lab certification for games, to require gambling operators to check IDs and block residents under 21, poverty aid recipients, and others. The IRS chief says once this reform is enacted they will have clarity on the real volume of bets placed by Armenians.
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Yerevan municipality promises to finish the revamp of the Mergelyan Park this summer: VIDEO

The construction has begun. For 30 years the area housed kiosks, old carousels, and other structures. Everything has been removed.
Grandpas gathered to ask whether their gazebo would be reinstated so they could resume the backgammon world olympics. The Mayor has promised to rebuild their gazebo.
Grandpas said they can't wait until summer because they enjoy playing in the winter months as well, so the Mayor promised to give a temporary shelter near the area.
GRANDPA: 100%?
AVINYAN: 100%.
Tens of teghi and bardi trees had to be cut because they were old and dying. With a city lifespan of 40 years, they were beyond the safe age. The city will plant twice as many trees of other types.
There will also be a playground, atrium, alleys, fountain, and a child development center near the end.
See the video presentation.
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prices will be capped for basic types of medicines: Health Minister

OPPO MP: What is being done to remove from circulation the illegal medications? Their sale is unfair toward companies that pay taxes to import them legally. Will you make the registration of new medications easier?
MINISTER: The processes are being simplified under new rules to increase the number of registered medications. Some changes are also underway in import procedures to greatly simplify the legal imports.
OPPO MP: I bought the same medication for ֏1,700 and ֏2,800 in two different pharmacies. Is there no pricing regulation? Can they just sell it at any price they want?
MINISTER: We are developing institutions and methodologies to require the sale of basic types of medications to abide by a certain pricing policy. This is going to be an important part of the upcoming Universal Healthcare. Right now it's a "free market" approach, the pharmacies decide the prices. We intend to cap it.
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