Zemplen War

Zemplen War
Clockwise from top: Syaran artillery during the initial invasion; A Syaran armored column passing through Sagerejo; A Syaran soldier taking up a defensive position at the base of the Kurilla Mountains; Ruvelkan armor advances; A Ruvelkan attack helicopter taking off in the summer of 2009; Ruvelkan Fusiliers during the Winter Counteroffensive.
Date 23 March 2008 – 19 July 2009 (1 year, 3 months, 27 days) Location Ruvelka, Syara Result Treaty of Aragon
Belligerents
Ruvelka	Syara
Commanders and leaders
Edviná Molnár	Dragomir Zhelev
Strength
4.7 million	4.1 million
Casualties and losses
255,671 killed 14,452 missing 779,803 wounded	270,791 killed 17,886 missing 801,483 wounded

The Zemplen War (Syaran: Zemplenska vojna) was a war between Ruvelka and Syara that began over the disputed territory of Zemplen, which escalated into a major conflict between the two countries. The war took place between March 23rd 2008 to July 19th 2009 following a period of heightened tensions between the two nations over the Zemplen territory that was populated primarily by ethnic Ruvelkans but controlled by Syara. After a period of escalation conventional hostilities broke out, pitting largely two equal powers against one another in what would by the bloodiest conflict in Tyran of the 21st Century, until the outbreak of the Nalayan Civil War.

Syara and Ruvelka had long fought over disputed territory between the two following the collapse of the Arkoennite Empire. In the Siduri War Syara had invaded and occupied the western half of Ruvelka until it was forced to cede control following Syara’s surrender. In the post-Great war era both sides engaged in a number of border conflicts that resulted in Syara holding territory that was inhabited primarily by ethnic Ruvelkans, the Zemplen area being the largest in terms of size and population. Per an agreement between the both the Syaran and Ruvelkan governments both sides had deployed peacekeepers to the area to reduce tensions. However, after a rise in nationalist activity the Syarans doubled the size of their peacekeeping force, which while within the parameters of the agreement was heavily armed and tanks and artillery. Ruvelka protested the deployment and responded with an increase in its own forces. A series of standoffs and escalation eventually broke out into fighting between the two sides, prompting both nations to mobilize their armed forces. Attempts to mediate the conflict fell through after neither side was able to come to an agreement regarding the status of forces in Zemplen, leading to open hostilities.

Syaran and Ruvelkan forces were largely evenly matched in terms of numbers, technology and training, resulting in several major but inconclusive battles in the early months of the war. In August 2008 the Syarans began pushing Ruvelkan forces back in several areas of the front. A winter counteroffensive by the Ruvelkans regained some lost territory, however by the spring of 2009 the Syarans had once again forced back the Ruvelkans. Syaran forces, who’s original goal of reconquering lost territory had been shifted to destroying Ruvelkan military forces to weaken the Principality in the long run, continued to attempt to force the Ruvelkan armed forces into a decisive battle that would break Ruvelka’s ability to continue the war to no avail. As Syaran offensive operations continued, the Syarans became increasingly strained between maintaining their positions while mounting large scale offensives. In the summer Ruvelka unleashed several major offensives across the entire front that forced the Syarans back in all major sectors and pushed them out of the disputed territories. Following their defeat, Syara agreed a proposed ceasefire on July 19th.

The peace talks were mediated by Shalum and resulted in the Treaty of Aragon. The terms largely favored Ruvelka, as Syara was forced to abandon all its claims to Zemplen and all disputed territories inhabited primarily by Ruvelkans, in exchange Syara received lands that were controlled by Ruvelka but populated by ethnic Syarans. Syara all together lost 1,045 square kilometers of territory. Diplomatic relations between the two nations was re-established in 2011.

Fought between two modernized and industrialized nations on par with one another in terms of technology and organization, the war was sometimes referred to as the Digital War due to the high amount of recent technological developments fielded by both sides. Both Ruvelka and Syara conducted extensive information warfare efforts to sway international opinion to either side. In an agreement with Ossoria and Cacerta, both Ruvelka and Syara abstained from naval operations in the Sundering Sea so as to avoid interference with the major sea lanes that ran through the Divide. In the air, Ruvelka initiated a strategic bombing campaign to destroy Syaran military production facilities and manufacturing capability. Both sides conducted cyberattacks on one another. The war was extensively covered by international media outlets on television and the internet. Tensions remained high between Ruvelka and Syara in the years following the war, and only recently have both sides made efforts towards establishing a peaceful relationship.