Imerti Conflict
| Imerti Conflict | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Syaran reinforcements arrive in Imerti | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ruvelka |
 Syara | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Dominik Veres |
Dragomir Zhelev | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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441 killed 1,913 wounded 212 captured |
189 killed 1,455 wounded 588 captured | ||||||
The Imerti Conflict was a war fought between Ruvelka and Syara. The war took place in August 2005 following a period of border clashes and heightened tensions between Syara and Ruvelka, both nations sharing an extensive history of conflict. The war took place almost entirely within the region of Imerti, a disputed territory claimed by both Syara and Ruvelka. It is often considered the first major Siduri conflict of the 21st Century.
The Imerti territory was one of several border regions claimed by both Syara and Ruvelka. Imerti had been under Syaran control since the Siduri War, but remained populated by ethnic Ruvelkans despite decades of Syaran occupation. Although Ruvelka attempted to instigate pro-secessionist elements within Imerti during the Refusal War, the region remained under Syaran control following the conclusion of the conflict and the dawn of the 21st Century. In accordance with the Commonality-Principality Border Agreement signed in 1992, both sides agreed to limit military forces in the region and other disputed territories, though neither side abandoned their claims of ownership. Following the election of the pro-Warden Dragomir Zhelev and an increase of nationalist sentiments within Syara and Ruvelka let to a deterioration of relations between the two states. Over the summer of 2005 a diplomatic crisis broke out as both sides accused the other of violating the 1992 Agreement. In late July and early August Syara suddenly reinforced it's garrison in Imerti; the act, although under the maximum personnel numbers outlined under the 1992 Agreement, alarmed Ruvelka whom considered the deployment a show of force and in turn increased its contingent of forces on the border.
Who fired first has been a source of contention since the war started and has never been officially been established. The Organization of Tyrannic States refused to lay the blame on either party in the post-conflict settlement. Syara maintains that Ruvelkan border patrols illegally crossed the border into Imerti, while Ruvelkan sources insist that their forces came under shellfire from Syaran forces in Imerti. On 9 August Ruvelkan Fusiliers crossed the border to capture or destroy Syaran artillery positions near the border. Ruvelkan troops rapidly seized several outposts across the border and on 10 August Imperial Fusiliers were inserted by helicopter to seize control of Krrashen. By 11 August Ruvelkan forces had driven off the Syaran garrison across most of eastern Imerti and were in control of the cities of Gotvri, Zapko, and Sonpek. On 12 August Syara launched a counter-offensive and captured the vital Iliniki Highway. Syaran reinforcements rapidly flooded into eastern Imerti and recaptured Gotvri and Sonpek on 13 August and surrounded Ruvelkan forces in Zapko. Outgunned by Syaran heavy artillery and armor, Ruvelkan forces were forced to rapidly withdraw by 14 August, and a ceasefire was agreed to on the same day. An OTN negotiated settlement resulted in a reaffirmation of pre-war borders.
The Imerti Conflict is widely seen as a forerunner to the much more destructive and longer Zemplen War that would occur three years later. Many of the lessons learned in the Imerti Conflict directly influenced both the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces and the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka. Æþurian analyst Iorek Jokinen argued that the Imerti Conflict demonstrated the tactical superiority of the SCAF over the Ruvelkan military, noting that while Ruvelka was able to react quickly and seize the initiative over Syara, heavily mechanized Syaran reinforcements proved too powerful for Ruvelka's light infantry task forces to handle, resulting in lopsided casualties in favor of Syara. Major Neasa Ní Baoill of the Ossorian Armed Forces noted that the "foundations of the outcome of the Zemplen War were laid down in Imerti", arguing that Syara's success "convinced Syaran leadership of their military supremacy over Ruvelka, thus making them more willing to fight over Zemplen three years later" while noting that the conflict also served as "a rude awakening to the Ruvelkan Imperial General Staff, who would rapidly, and mostly successfully, re-evaluate and redefine how they would fight a modern war".