Zemplen War
| Zemplen War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Clockwise from top: Syaran artillery during the initial invasion; A Syaran armored column passing through 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. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
Supported by:  Acrea |
 Syara | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Edviná Molnár |
Dragomir Zhelev | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
4.7 million |
4.1 million | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
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 1,045 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.