Nikifor Osipov

Nikifor Antonovich Osipov
Никифор Антонович Осипов
1st Vozhd of the Slavic Union
In office October 23, 1940 – April 18, 1953
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	Kodiak Zhukov
3rd Prime Minister of the Slavic State
In office June 16, 1933 – October 23, 1940
Preceded by	Sergei Devin
Succeeded by	Position Abolished
Minister of Defense
In office April 18, 1929 – June 16, 1933
Personal details
Born	March 31, 1875 Ivanovgrad, Slavic Empire
Died	Apirl 18, 1953 Osipovgrad, The Slavic Union
Nationality	Slavic
Political party	Slavic Union Party
Height	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Spouse	Rosa Osipov
Children	Vasily Osipov
Parent(s)	Anton Osipov, Lidiya Osipov
Nickname	The Great Bear
Military service
Allegiance	Slavic Empire, Slavic State
Branch/service	Grand Slavic Army
Years of service	1900-1933
Rank	Marshall of the Slavic State
Commands	Slavic Army (1920-1933)
Battles/wars	Ledanaya War Slavic Civil War
Awards	Order of St. Michael, Hero of the Slavic State, Order of Saint Ivan (Twice), Order of Victory

Nikifor Antonovich Osipov (Slavic: Никифор Антонович Осиповwas) was the first Vozhd of The Slavic Union, serving 12 years from October 23, 1940 until his death of a heart attack on April 18, 1953. He was a general in the Grand Slavic Army during the Slavic Civil War and was a major piece in the victory of anti-communist forces. He was a decorated war hero and was appointed Minister of Defense in 1929.

In 1933, with the Slavic State in chaos Osipov would be appointed Prime Minister, quickly suppressing revolts and revitalizing the Slavic nation, he would abolish the tsardom in 1940, declaring himself 'Vozhd of all Slavic Peoples'.

Osipov's writings, policies, and general philosophy would become the basis of Osipovism, the official ideology of the Slavic state that also holds some popularity outside the nation.

Early Life and Career

Osipov as a teenager

Osipov was born into a Slavic princely family in Ivanovgrad in the western Slavic Empire and was a distant cousin of Tsar Aleksei II. Osipov was well educated, finishing at the top of his class in most subjects. Growing up he was a staunch Slavic nationalist and tsarist, who viewed anyone with any sort of problem with the current system as a traitor. He entered military school in Adrikagorod (Modern day Osipovgrad) at the age of 15, this was also the year of the 1890 Slavic Revolt, to which Osipov could only watch in horror as significant reforms were made across the nation.

He went on to study at the Mikhailovsky Artillery School in Ivanovgorod. In 1897 he would be assigned as a lieutenant to the Ledyanaya Military District, which is known for it's mountains and generally inhospitable conditions. He would lead several exploration missions through the region, which was still mostly untrekked and would learn several dialects of the people who lived there, who were mainly untouched by society. Osipov would returnt to Ivanovgorod to attend the Mykolayiv General Staff Academy and graduate as a Colonel in 1901, shortly before the outbreak of the Ledanaya War

On June 21,1901 Parabocan forces invaded the Slavic Union, with the south quickly being overrun and the city of Khizny being taken. Osipov fought in the First Battle of Adrikagorod and recieved the Order of Saint Ivan for bravery and was promoted to colonel.

He'd be promoted to major general in 1905 and would be captured in June 1906 by Parabocan forces after his division was separated from the rest of the Slavic army. He'd eventually escape back to Slavic territory in August 1907.

Postwar Osipov would lead several expeditions through Ledanaya, learning the culture of the people there, who'd been in complete isolation for centuries.

Slavic Civil War

Osipov was stationed in Adrikagorod when the Slavic Civil War broke out in September 1917 when the Krasnyy executed the Tsar and his family and established the Slavic Socialist Republic (SSR) in the nations north, and the provisional Slavic State in the south, which was a constitutional monarchy lead by Tsar Aleksei II's uncle Aleksandr I.

Osipov stood out among Slavic commanders for his military doctrine, which utilized guerilla, deception, and speed based tactics compared to the average Slavic general who used pure shock tactics, leading to mass casualties. Osipov's distinguishing conduct and bravery would lead to him being promoted to major general in 1919.

Anti-Communist propaganda poster

By 1922 he'd been promoted even further, and given the daunting task of defending the Slavic State's capital of Adrikagorod from an SSR force of 300,000, outnumbered almost 2 to 1, after an almost 2 year siege the SSR would capture the city, but it was a pyrrhic victory that crippled the SSR.

While captured Osipov wrote The Power of the United Nation, a manifesto of his beliefs and the basis for Osipovism. This book would be published upon the cities liberation in January 1925, being a best seller in the nation and incredibly popular.

By 1928 the SSR was on their backfoot, and Osipov, now the commander in chief of the Slavic military, planned the killing blow in the Ledyanaya Offensive, Army A, a 150,000 man strong decoy force marched north into SSR territory, while Army B, 80,000 men went through the Ledyanaya region, which the SSR believed to be impassible by a force so large.

In July 1928 the SSR sent the bulk of their army to face head on Army A, meanwhile Army B went around enemy lines and captured the city of Noyalensk, giving them control of the strategically important Noya river, with this tens of thousands of SSR troops were captured. And in 1929 Bolotingrad would be captured, and Arseni Bolotin would be executed along with various SSR leaders in February 1929.