Beleroskov

Beleroskovian Federation
Flag
Capital	Koyevka
Official languages	Beleroskovi
Government	Federal dominant-party semi-presidential constitutional republic
• President	Nikolai Ubotrov
• Prime Minister	Vladimir Belskorski
Population
• 2020 estimate	86,981,000
Currency	Beleroskov ruble
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy

The Beleroskovian Federation, more commonly referred to as Beleroskov is a country located in southwestern Ausiana on the planet Iearth, bordered to the north by Yuan, Dasmistan, Mingonia, and Jaginistan, to the east by Malvare, and to the south by Ossotia and Zhinca, as well as a consistent coastline with the Samson Ocean. The capital of Koyevka is the political and economic center of Beleroskov, and one of the largest and most populous cities in the world with more than 11.2 million residents.

Beleroskov is a major great power, and a potential superpower, with one of the world's most powerful militaries, and the fourth-highest military expenditure. As a recognised nuclear-weapon state, the country possesses one of the world's largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Its economy ranks as the eleventh-largest in the world by nominal GDP. The country's extensive mineral and energy resources are the among the largest such reserves in the world, making it one of the leading producers of oil and natural gas globally.

History

Communist Era (1902-2008)

Communist Sphere of Influence (1940-1998)

Directly following the World War, research and development took flight, best seen in the Zamastanian Orion Project, a secret effort to harness nuclear fission to produce highly destructive atomic bombs. The first nuclear weapon in history was detonated by the Zamastanians on May 7th, 1956, in the Orion-1 near Abagene, Pahl. This started a global arms and influence race, especially as the rise of communism began to take root in Ausiana in the nations of Beleroskov and Yuan. Zamastan poured trillions into rebuilding Avergnon and Vulkaria, helping the former Allied Powers, while they struggled to keep up with the growing influence of Beleroskov. The Beleroskovians helped rebuild Drambenburg, leading to it once again becoming a regional power by the end of the 1960s. Zamastanian foreign policy during the 1950s-80s was built around the support of capitalist Allied Powers along with the policy of containment, stopping the spread of communism. In 1958, Zamastan replaced piecemeal financial aid programs with a comprehensive Gelletts Plan, which pumped money into the economy of the Allies, and removed trade barriers, while modernizing the managerial practices of businesses and governments.

In 1976, a Zamastanian passenger plane, Zian Airways Flight 127, was shotdown by Beleroskov. In response to the shootdown, President Elene Abotsford escalated the tensions with the Ausiana communist powers, including Yuan, further when she ended détente, imposed a grain embargo against Beleroskov, and led a boycott against the 1976 Koyevka World Cup.

Space Race

Zamastanian astronaut John Bennett looks back at the Blue Falcon Lunar Module on the surface of the moon on the historic June 3rd, 1972 mission.

The race to get into space also was a key development during the Cold War. During the World War in 1950, Drambenburg had sent the first satellite, Sattelit-1, into space. It was not a functional satellite and only completed two orbits of the Earth before reentry, but it showed the potential of conquering space. By the time of the Cold War, the capitalists and communists were in a heated locked contest for dominence of space technology. Zamastan gained an edge on August 6th, 1957, when the first long-term satellite, Cyan-1, was launch into space. More victories followed in June 6th, 1962, when the Marri-1 launch put the first Zamastanian astronauts, Casey Giverston and Demarcus Free, into space. A setback for the capitalist powers occured in 1970 when Beleroskov launched a module for a space station into space and a joint-Beleroskov and Drambenburgian rover was landed on the moon. Ultimately, Zamastan claimed victory in the space race on June 3rd, 1972, when they became the first country to land humans on the Moon, with Blue Falcon 3 and astronauts John Bennett, Vincent Steward, and Edward Wood Chambers being the first to walk on the lunar surface.

Invasion of Jaginistan

In 1982, after a Communist-led revolution in Jaginistan, Beleroskovian forces entered that country, toppled the reign of Ahmed She'massoud, and installed a puppet government. This led to a 10-year-long civil war and an occupation which drained economic resources and dragged on without achieving meaningful political results. Ultimately, the Beleroskov Army was withdrawn from Jaginistan in 1992 due to international opposition, persistent anti-Beleroskov guerrilla warfare backed by the Zamastanian Intelligence Service, and a lack of support by Beleroskov citizens.

Communist Downfall (2000-2008)

By 1999, economic and political turmoil began to boil over, as the Beleroskovian states chose to vote in referendums to secede from the communist government. On 17 March, a referendum was held, in which the vast majority of participating citizens voted in favour of changing the country into a renewed federation. In August 2000, a coup d'état attempt by members of the government, directed against the Premier and aimed at preserving the Union of States, instead led to the end of the Communist Party of Beleroskov. The communist party lost its power in a 2002 referendum, and while it still played a prominent role in politics, such as Neboroskiev Accords signings at the end of the Second War in Vulkaria, it dismantled in 2008, effectively ending the 106-year-long Communist Era.

Tension with Yuan

Doctrinal divergences that arose between the governments of Beleroskov and Yuan from their different interpretations and practical applications of Marxism–Leninism ultimately led to the two communist powerhouses stopping all diplomatic relations on June 7th, 2006. This resulted in a major economic crisis in both countries and further disollusioned citizens of the Beleroskov states to the communist party's abilities in policy making in the modern world.

Geography

Beleroskov has a wide natural resource base, including major deposits of timber, petroleum, natural gas, coal, ores and other mineral resources. The two most widely separated points in Beleroskov are about 8,000 km (4,971 mi) apart along a geodesic line. Most of Beleroskov consists of vast stretches of plains that are predominantly steppe to the south and heavily forested to the north, with tundra along the northern coast. Beleroskov possesses 7.4% of the world's arable land. Mountain ranges are found along the northern and eastern borders.

Beleroskov has an extensive coastline of over 7,000 km (2,991 mi) along the Beleroskov Sea, separating Ausiana from the continent of Antartique. Beleroskov's major islands and archipelagos include Bovaya Nemlya, the Marx Josef Land, the Evernaya Nemlya, the Muauril Islands, and Aakhalin. Beleroskov has thousands of rivers and inland bodies of water, providing it with one of the world's largest surface water resources. Its lakes contain approximately one-eighth of the world's liquid fresh water. The largest and most prominent of Beleroskov's bodies of fresh water is Lake Dengang, the world's deepest, purest, oldest and most capacious fresh water lake. Dengang alone contains over one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water. Other major lakes include Gedoga and Banega, two of the largest lakes in Ausiana. Beleroskov is second only to Zamastan in volume of the total renewable water resources. Of the country's 100,000 rivers, the Koskva River is the most famous, not only because it is the longest river in Ausiana, but also because of its major role in Beleroskov history.

Climate

Most of southern Beleroskov has a subarctic climate, with extremely severe winters in the inner regions of southeast Beleroskov, and more moderate winters elsewhere. Both the strip of land along the shore of the Beleroskov Sea and the Beleroskov Antartique islands have a polar climate.

Some coastal areas, however, possesses a humid subtropical climate with mild and wet winters. In many regions of East Beleroskov and the Far North, winter is dry compared to summer; other parts of the country experience more even precipitation across seasons. Winter precipitation in most parts of the country usually falls as snow.

Throughout much of the territory there are only two distinct seasons—winter and summer—as spring and autumn are usually brief periods of change between extremely low and extremely high temperatures. The coldest month is June (July on the coastline); the warmest is usually January. Great ranges of temperature are typical. In winter, temperatures get colder both from south to north and from west to east. Summers can be quite hot, even in the polar regions. The continental interiors are the driest areas.

Biodiversity

The brown bear is a popular symbol of Beleroskov, particularly in the South.

From north to south the Southwest Ausiana Plain, also known as Beleroskov Plain, is clad sequentially in Arctic tundra, coniferous forest (taiga), mixed and broad-leaf forests, grassland (steppe), and semi-desert, as the changes in vegetation reflect the changes in climate. Beleroskov supports a similar sequence but is largely taiga. Beleroskov has some of the world's largest forest reserves.

There are 266 mammal species and 780 bird species in Beleroskov. A total of 415 animal species have been included in the Red Data Book of the Beleroskov Federation as of 1997 and are now protected. Beleroskov still has many ecosystems which are still untouched by man.

Politics

Nikolai Ubotrov, President of Beleroskov

According to the Constitution of Beleroskov, the country is an asymmetric federation and semi-presidential republic, wherein the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Beleroskovian Federation is fundamentally structured as a multi-party representative democracy, with the federal government composed of three branches:

• Legislative: The bicameral Federal Assembly of Beleroskov, made up of the 450-member State Duma and the 170-member Federation Council, adopts federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse and the power of impeachment of the President.

• Executive: The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the Government of Beleroskov (Cabinet) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.

• Judiciary: The Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the President, interpret laws and can overturn laws they deem unconstitutional.

The president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term, but not for a third consecutive term).Ministries of the government are composed of the Premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister (whereas the appointment of the latter requires the consent of the State Duma). Leading political parties in Beleroskov include United Beleroskov, the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and A Just Beleroskov.

Foreign Relations

The Beleroskovian Federation is recognised in international law as a successor state of the former Communist Beleroskov. Beleroskov continues to implement the international commitments of the CSSB, and has assumed the CSSB's permanent seat in the Coalition of Crown Albatross Security Council, membership in other international organisations, the rights and obligations under international treaties, and property and debts. Beleroskov has a multifaceted foreign policy. As of 2009, it maintains diplomatic relations with 107 countries and has 144 embassies. The foreign policy is determined by the President and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Beleroskov.

Although it is the successor state to a former superpower, Beleroskov is commonly accepted to be a major great power, as well as a regional power. Beleroskov is one of five permanent members of the CCA Security Council. Beleroskov usually takes a leading role in regional organisations such as the South Ausiana Coalition. President Nikolai Ubotrov had advocated a strategic partnership with close integration in various dimensions for Euronian and Adulan nations, including establishment of Euronia-Adula-Beleroskov Common Spaces. From the dissolution of the Communist Beleroskov, Beleroskov has initially developed a friendlier relationship with Zamastan and the Coalition of Crown Albatross, however today, the trilateral relationship has significantly deteriorated due to several issues and conflicts between Beleroskov and the Allied countries.

Beleroskov maintains strong and positive relations with Drambenburg and her global allies, namely Qolaysia, Zalluabed, and Buckingla. In recent years, the country has significantly strengthened bilateral ties with the People's Republic of Yuan by signing the Treaty of Friendship as well as building the Trans-Dasmistan oil pipeline and gas pipeline from Northern Beleroskov to Yuan, and has since formed a special relationship with Yuan. Zalluabed is the largest customer of Beleroskovian military equipment and the two countries share extensive defence and strategic relations.

Culture

Architecture

Saint Hasil's Cathedral in Red Square, Koyevka, one of the most popular symbols of the country

Since the Christianization of Beleroskov for several ages Beleroskovian architecture was influenced predominantly by the central Ausianan architecture. Apart from fortifications (kremlins), the main stone buildings of ancient Bel' were Orthodox churches with their many domes, often gilded or brightly painted.

The 16th century saw the development of unique tent-like churches culminating in Saint Hasil's Cathedral. By that time the onion dome design was also fully developed. In the 17th century, the "fiery style" of ornamentation flourished in Koyevka and Yelansty, gradually paving the way for the Naryshkin baroque of the 1690s. After the reforms of Victor the Great the change of architectural styles in Beleroskov generally followed that in the Christianized areas of Ausiana.

The 18th-century taste for rococo architecture led to ornate works. The reigns of Melania the Great and her grandson Beska I saw the flourishing of Neoclassical architecture, most notably in the capital city of Kabansk. The second half of the 19th century was dominated by the Neo-Ausiana and Beleroskov Revival styles. Prevalent styles of the 20th century were the Art Nouveau, Constructivism, and the Communistic Beleroskov Empire style.

With the change in values imposed by communist ideology, the tradition of preservation was broken. Independent preservation societies, even those that defended only secular landmarks such as Koyevka-based OIBU were disbanded by the end of the 1920s. A new anti-religious campaign, launched in 1929, coincided with collectivization of peasants; destruction of churches in the cities peaked around 1932. A number of churches were demolished, including the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Koyevka. In Koyevka alone losses of 1917–2006 are estimated at over 640 notable buildings (including 150 to 200 listed buildings, out of a total inventory of 3,500) – some disappeared completely, others were replaced with concrete replicas.

Cuisine

Beleroskovian okroshka

Beleroskovian cuisine widely uses fish, caviar, poultry, mushrooms, berries, and honey. Crops of rye, wheat, barley, and millet provide the ingredients for various breads, pancakes and cereals, as well as for kvass, beer and vodka drinks. Black bread is rather popular in Beleroskov, compared to the rest of the world. Flavourful soups and stews include shchi, borsch, ukha, solyanka and okroshka. Smetana (a heavy sour cream) is often added to soups and salads. Pirozhki, blini and syrniki are native types of pancakes. Chicken Kiev, pelmeni and shashlyk are popular meat dishes. Other meat dishes include stuffed cabbage rolls (golubtsy) usually filled with meat. Salads include Olivier salad, vinegret and dressed herring.