Zemplen War
| Zemplen War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Clockwise from top: Syaran artillery during the initial invasion; A Syaran tank on the outskirts of 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. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Supported by:  Acrea |
 Syara | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Edviná Molnár |
Dragomir Zhelev | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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4.7 million |
4.1 million | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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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 major conflict fought between Ruvelka and Syara over the long-disputed territory of Zemplen. The war took place between 23 May 2008 to 19 July 2009 following a period of heightened tensions between the two nations over the Zemplen territory, a border province that was populated primarily by ethnic Ruvelkans but controlled by Syara. After a period of escalation, conventional hostilities broke out that pitted largely two equal powers against one another in what would be one of the bloodiest conflicts in Tyran of the 21st Century.
Syara and Ruvelka had long fought over disputed territory following the collapse of the Arkoennite Empire. During the Ruvelkan Civil War, Syara had invaded and occupied several regions of western Ruvelka and maintained a number of these territories even in the era following the end of the Siduri War, the Zemplen area being the largest in terms of size and population. Per an agreement between the Syaran and Ruvelkan governments, both sides had deployed peacekeepers to the area in an attempt to reduce tensions. In 2003 the two nations came to blows in the Imerti Conflict, a brief five day war that further soured relations between Ruvelka and Syara. After a rise in nationalist activity, however, the Syarans doubled the size of their peacekeeping force. While this increase in military presence was within the parameters of the agreement, the build-up was heavily armed and included tanks and artillery. Ruvelka protested and responded with an increase in its own forces. A series of unresolved standoffs followed and eventually broke out into fighting between the two sides, prompting both nations to mobilize their armed forces. Attempts to mediate the conflict failed after neither side was able to come to an agreement.
Syaran and Ruvelkan forces were largely evenly matched in terms of numbers, technology, and training. As a result, many of the early major battles in the early months of the were were largely inconclusive. In August 2008, the Syarans had pushed the Ruvelkans back to the Kurilla Mountains but were halted by rough terrain and adverse weather. A winter counteroffensive by the Ruvelkans regained some lost territory, but by the spring of 2009 the Syarans had once again forced back the Ruvelkans. Syaran forces, whose original goal of reconquering lost territory had been shifted to inflicting long-term damage to the Ruvelkan military, continued to attempt to force the Ruvelkan armed forces into a decisive battle that would break the Ruvelkan's capacity to wage war. 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 19 July.
The peace talks were mediated by Shalum and resulted in the Treaty of Aragon. 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. Although the terms of the treaty exchanged ethnic territories, it was largely seen to have favored Ruvelka as Syara lost 8,045 square kilometers of territory. Diplomatic relations between the two nations were eventually re-established in 2011.
Fought between two modernized and industrialized nations on par with one another in terms of technology and organization, the war has sometimes been referred to as the Digital War due to the high amount of 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.
Background
The territory of Zemplen had been contested between Ruvelka and Syara for much of modern history. Tensions between the two sides increased following the dissolution of the Ruvelkan Imperium and the outbreak of the Ruvelkan Civil War. Before becoming distracted by the Divide War, Syaran forces intervened in the fighting by seizing control of Zemplen. None of the Ruvelkan factions were in a position to stop the seizure, and Zemplen was annexed by Syara following the war.
Despite Syaran efforts to encourage Ruvelkan emigration from Zemplen, a sizeable Ruvelkan population remained within the territory in the years leading up to the Siduri War. Zemplen was used as a staging point for the Syaran invasion, and remained under Syaran control after the end of the war, as the Commom Axis felt that pre-war borders needed to be restored. Syaran control over Ruvelka remained a sore spot for Ruvelka, but in the post-war reconstruction there was little desire to force another conflict. In the 1980s both sides had undergone radical domestic changes, with Syara sliding into the Refusal War. Despite the ongoing civil war, the Ruvelkan government elected to avoid any attempt at recapturing Zemplen, fearing the possibility of getting dragged into the conflict. The Wardens rise to power in Syara prompted concern within Ruvelka, which was fearful of a nationalist, revolutionary Syara. Relations between the two powers managed to remain largely cordial despite comments made by public officials on both sides. Beginning in the 21st century however relations began to sour considerably. In 2003 Syara and Ruvelka clashed in the Imerti Conflict, a brief five day undeclared war in which Ruvelkan military forces attempted to seize control of strategic areas within the Imerti territory. Ruvelkan forces however were unable to force out Syaran garrison troops, and a ceasefire was brokered by Acrea.
The brief fighting over Imerti set the tone for Ruvelkan-Syaran relations over the next several years, with both sides viewing each other with suspicion and accusing the other of fostering and promoting instability. Both nations began extensive military buildups, increasing productions of weaponry and armaments while expanding the size of their armed forces. As part of the Imerti ceasefire, both Ruvelka and Syara had agreed to deploy peacekeepers to disputed territories to prevent the outbreak of nationalist inspired acts of violence. In Zemplen, both sides were authorized to deploy peacekeeping contingents of 2,000 personnel, though in practice nominal levels were roughly 1,200 on each side. Tensions remained high between 2003-2008, eventually coming to a head in the spring of 2008.
In January 2008 Telev Mining Consortium, the second largest employer in all of Zemplen, filed for bankruptcy and laid off it's entire workforce within the region. Unemployment skyrocketed, and Zemplen's economy, long dependent on the mining industry, began to collapse. In Feburary after extensive lobbying the Syaran government agreed to implement a stimulus program aimed at revitalizing Zemplen's economic fortunes. However in the midst of a general economic downturn caused by a recession in Azurlavai, Syara's largest trading partner, the Syaran government limited it's stimulus package to focus on urban areas populated predominantly by ethnic Syarans. While not officially excluding Ruvelkans, the prioritization of Syaran neighborhoods had clear effects on Zemplen. By March revitalization efforts had largely stabilized wages and unemployment numbers for Syaran towns, while Ruvelkans living in Zemplen struggled with rabid unemployment, food shortages, and rolling blackouts. On 11 March the Ruvelkan government announced its intentions to start aid deliveries to ethnic Ruvelkan enclaves in Zemplen, which Syara refused to allow out of fear that the Ruvelkan government would attempt to smuggle in weapons, as had happened in Imteri five years prior.
Riots soon broke out in ethnic Ruvelkan population centers, leading Syara to increase its peacekeeping force to the maximum limit of 2,000 troops. Debrecen condemned the act, pointing out that Syaran peacekeepers were being reinforced with main battle tanks and heavy artillery, and not further law enforcement or riot police. In response Ruvelka deployed additional peacekeepers, a move that Zovahr denounced as a "flagrant attempt at intimidation through escalation". Through April 2008 there were more than 50 reported clashes between peacekeeping forces and rioters, resulting in 27 deaths and hundreds of injuries, along with hundreds of arrests. On 13 April Ruvelkan peacekeepers operating near the border town of Siratz were shelled, resulting in the death of two Ruvelkan soldiers. Syara denied responsibility, blaming the attack on Ruvelkan nationalists within Zemplen.
On 25 April riots broke out in Sopron as over 15,000 ethnic Ruvelkans occupied the city center, demanding a withdrawal of Syaran peacekeepers and allowance of aid from the Principality. The protestors remained in Sopron until 14 May, when they were finally forced to disperse by Syaran riot and military police in clashes that killed 17 people and left more than 500 wounded. Ruvelka urged the Organization of Tyrannic States to officially condemn Syara, which the Commonality responded by accusing Ruvelka of inciting ethnic violence within Zemplen. Tensions finally came to a head on 20 May when Ruvelkan nationalists seized control of a radio station on the outskirts of Szellő and began broadcasting anti-Syaran messages. A Syaran peacekeeping force was dispatched to take control of the radio station and arrest the Ruvelkans, all of this just 2 kilometers from a Ruvelkan peacekeeping outpost. According to Syara, when Syaran peacekeepers approached the radio station they were fired upon by the inhabitants, forcing them to level the building. Ruvelka maintains that Syaran forces purposefully destroyed the building before attempting any kind of take over. A nearby Ruvelkan patrol, which was attempting to respond to a distress call issued by the radio station, arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. Both sides reacted negatively to the other's presence, and a firefight broke out between the two forces. Syara and Ruvelka to this day maintain the other side fired first, but by 16 May clashes between the two peacekeeping forces had broken out across Zemplen.
Although both sides made efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, neither was able to come to terms. Syara refused to remove it's peacekeepers until Ruvelka did so, and Ruvelka was unwilling to remove their protection of ethnic Ruvelkans in Zemplen. Both sides hastily mobilized nearby military forces and deployed them to Zemplen, resulting in a series of engagements that began on 23 May, which is generally considered to mark the beginning of the war.
Build up and deployed forces
Prior to the outbreak of hostilities between the two sides both Ruvelka and Syara had mobilized military forces and placed units near the border on high alert, but the rapid unfolding of the conflict meant that both sides were largely caught unprepared for the scale of the fighting. The months of June and July 2008 saw frequent but disorganizing engagements between Syara and Ruvelkan forces as military units were committed piecemeal, responding to tactical developments rather than any greater operational or strategic planning. By late July however the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces had been organized enough to launch a series of general offensives across the entirety of the border, resulting in heavy Ruvelkan losses.
Both sides would go on to mobilize large conscript armies and produce large amounts of military hardware and ammunition over the course of the war. Ruvelka enjoyed a slightly numerical advantage during most of the war due to it's larger population and deeper reserve system, namely the Territorial Forces.
| Date | Ruvelka | Syara |
|---|---|---|
| 25 July 2008 | 400,000 deployed; 700,000 mobilizing Total: 1,100,000 |
550,000 deployed; 400,000 mobilizing Total: 950,000 |
| 10 October 2008 | 750,000 front line; 530,000 reserves Total: 1,280,000 |
640,000 front line; 350,000 reserves Total: 990,000 |
| 13 November 2008 | 1,500,000 front line; 400,000 reserves Total: 1,900,000 at the front |
750,000 front line; 460,000 reserves ; Total: 1,210,000 |
| 1 January 2009 | 1,200,000 front line; 300,000 reserves Total: 1,500,000 |
850,000 front line; 200,000 reserves 1,050,000 |
| 1 June 2009 | 1,500,000 front line; 500,000 reserve Total: 2,000,000 |
900,000 front line; 125,000 reserves 1,025,000 |
| 15 July 2009 | 1,250,000 front line; 400,000 reserves Total: 1,650,000 |
900,000 front line; no reserves available 900,000 |