Winter Uprising
| Winter Uprising | ||||
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| Date | December 7th, 2008 - December 14th, 2008 | |||
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| Caused by | The provocation of separatist-leaning citizens by the militant group Nov'yusvit | |||
| Goals | Reignition of the separatist movement | |||
| Methods | Riots and protests | |||
| Resulted in |
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| Parties to the civil conflict | ||||
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| Lead figures | ||||
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| Casualties | ||||
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Summary
The Winter Uprising, also known as Týždeň bez Noci or "The Week with No Night", was a week-long period of anarchy in the city of Novada, Durnstaal. Originally a series of protests and minor crimes organized by the radical separatist group Nov'yusvit, the situation soon spiraled out of control when armed militants from the group incited several riots and and began attacking police forces as the city was plunged into a state of chaos.
Causes
Day by Day
Day One: Riots overwhelm the Novadan Police Department. Aid from the CIB and the Durnian Military is offered to then-mayor Artur Kovalchuk who refuses it as he believes the situation is still under control. Military checkpoints are set up on the roads leading to the city as part of the standard procedure for civil unrest.
Day Two: Rioters and looters continue to overwhelm the police and citizens begin forming militias to defend themselves. An arsonist sets fire to the Novada Plains Oil Refinery which the Novadan Fire Department struggles to contain.
Day Three: Police Precinct #13 is occupied by armed militants resulting in 3 officer deaths and 29 injuries of both police and civilians. An attempt to retake the police station later that day fails, resulting in a further 2 officer deaths. Stolen SIU equipment begins appearing on militants and rioters. The Novadan Fire Department can no longer operate within the city. The fire at the Novada Plains Oil Refinery has spread to two nearby warehouses and an office building.
Day Four: 5 apartment blocks housing refugees from Jaginistan are raided by armed militants and the occupants massacred. 182 men, women, and children die in what is now called "The Red Afternoon". Mayor Artur Kovalchuk declares martial law and gives emergency control of the city to the military. Lieutenant Colonel Tamara Novak is put in charge of resolving the situation. The fire has consumed 10% of the city's industrial area. The Schwanhilde Mall is converted into a stronghold by separatist forces.
Day Five: The first open combat between militants and the CFU occurs. The military struggles to make progress due to a lack of training in urban combat scenarios. 47 soldiers are wounded and a further 7 die by the end of the day. The Novadan Fire Department returns to duty under escort by military forces. The military demolishes 37 buildings at the request of the Novadan Fire Department to create a firebreak.
Day Six: Operation Creeping Thunder commences. Armored vehicles enter the city in large amounts and slowly begin expanding the military controlled areas. The downtown and industrial areas of the city are brought under full military control. Police Precinct #13 is taken over by government forces and used as the operation's headquarters. The fire has been brought under control and is no longer at risk of spreading. A group of militants attempt to escape the city by ramming a loaded 18-wheeler through a checkpoint but fail and are detained.
Day Seven: An extended battle occurs at Schwanhilde mall, killing 22 soldiers and over 50 militants and collapsing a large section of the structure. Many of the remaining militants attempt to escape the city, the majority of which are intercepted at military checkpoints or by police and DRAF helicopters patrolling the surrounding areas. Operation Creeping Thunder is declared a success. The main fire is finally put out, resulting in a total of 12 dead firefighters after burning for 6 days.
Aftermath
Minor skirmishes occurred around the city over the following weeks but the worst of the fighting ended on the 14th. Martial law was officially lifted on December 29th. 1% of the city had to be demolished and rebuilt following the uprising and the city's population was demographically negative the following year for the first time since 1853. Hundreds of militants were arrested following the uprising of which 43 were sentenced to death for their part in "The Red Afternoon" and a further 139 were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The atrocities committed by Nov'yusvit directly lead to a severe loss of prestige for the organization made worse by them being declared a terrorist group by the Durnian government less than a month after the uprising. The uprising also backfired in its original purpose as, instead of reigniting the separatist movement, it alienated many supporters of the idea and lead to government crackdowns on separatist organizations.
The brutality of the armed forces and the amount of collateral damage caused during Operation Creeping Thunder have made it a controversial subject. Videos showing CFU forces during the operation have led to accusations of incompetence on the part of those involved, especially when the scale of the collateral damage caused by the operation became clear over the following weeks. For her part in Operation Creeping Thunder, Lieutenant Colonel Tamara Novak was promoted to Colonel.
Mayor Artur Kovalchuk was investigated in the months following the uprising and cleared of wrongdoing. This did little to help his image, which suffered greatly from the uprising. During the 2010 mayoral election he received just 14% of the vote, the lowest for an incumbent mayor in the city's history. He retired from politics in 2016.