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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

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The culture of the Soviet Union passed through several stages during the 369-year existence of the Soviet Union. It has been moulded by people of various nationalities from every of one of the 18 former and 8 modern union republics, although a slight majority of them are Russians. The Soviet state has supported cultural institutions, but also has carried out strict censorship. The Russian bias is even evident in works of other culture groups in the Soviet Union, though this in and of itself has lead to unique fusions of culture.

There is now a certain acceptability in going against the norms that has led Soviet Culture to new avenues and frontiers. The Government itself has a "Myatezh" Arts group to which many famous Soviet Artists, Actors and other cultural icons belong and aspire to. All the same, Sedition that goes against the core of the Dialectic that is not carefully constructed and without considerable support is not tolerated, and many stars have ended up doing hard labour for their ideals.



Music
Soviet Music has, and continues to be a medium through which the "spirit" of communism is conveyed. While modern Soviet Society has embraced formerly forgotten or more modern or formerly forbidden areas, Music in the Soviet Union continues to be an orchestral affair - and a choir is never far away. These "union" pieces are at the heart of modern Soviet life, and the demonstrable propaganda value is clear to see in the continued popularity of these pieces. All the same, since the Exodus, Soviet Society has turnt to - and embraced, alongside these pieces, fusions of music ranging from the inspired to the mundane.

While outsiders may perceive this preponderance with orchestra and the power of the voice with some sort of cultural stagnation, the Soviet Union experiences the varied styles popular in other states. While the success of certain American or other particular acts in regard to music may sometimes be downplayed, both foreign and domestic popular music of the typical genres that have either continued through the ages or grown anew are not unknown.

Art
Art's have frequently been dominated by the whims of the Communist Party and their associated desire to allow or restrict methods of expression. Long forgotten, but not disrespected, are the ideas of Socialist realism - while there have been periods of repression and censorship, the new manifesto of the Soviet Union has offered protection to many Artists who would challenge the norm - albeit quietly. This quiet underground of unlimited expression has begun to gain traction, and a number of Soviet artists now find much success at home and abroad. Meanwhile, the Soviet Government continues to utilize "propaganda by monument" and the impressive architecture it gives birth to draw many visitors.

With many Soviet Cities planned from the ground up, there is often space for architectural expression in this vein, though it is no longer essentially blocky and realist. While some believe the Soviet Union to maintain a somewhat gritty or darker dystopian vibe to its urban centres, the planning of settlements that were intended largely, to be ecologically sustainable, if not friendly, is a common theme, and many cities are built around grand central park areas.

Literature
Much like other fields - literature in the Soviet Union has suffered or prospered according to the party line. While in later years the more liberal attitude has granted new avenues to inspired authors - it can be argued that even with the threat of censorship - Soviet authors have found great success and been challenged by these threats to innovate and imagine new and fantastic worlds to share with their readers. It is obvious from the late 20th century alone that the somewhat restrictive nature of Soviet Culture could still birth some of the greatest authors of the age with great works of non-fiction and fiction alike finding traction throughout the many nations of the world. Inspiration offered by the numerous colonized worlds has not slowed this down, and Soviet authors continue to dominate a number of areas in literature.

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The Soviet Union operates three primary organs of government in order to facilitate the smooth running of the state, Ostensibly reformed numerous times either to liberalize or provide new grounding for the Communist Party, the every guiding hand of the state, the Union has grown to encompass 66 star systems with vested interests throughout the region. The continued drive to spread ideology and "liberate" the working class rules political thinking and has lead to numerous conflicts - primarily ideological - with the regions denizens.

Soviet Governmental - and by proxy foreign policy is largely dictated by Communist ideology, that is the currently endorsed variant of Neo-Leninism. Unofficially adopted as the ideological foundation of the USSR after the founding of Novaya Rossiya, Neo-Leninism is the adaptation to the changing conditions of a new Interstellar Proletariat and the need for administration of a slowly building Soviet Union.

Its main tenets are:
Socialism in One Country
Aggravation of Class Struggle under Socialism
Unification through Central Dictatorship of the Interstellar Proletariat - Advocating centralization of all interstellar affairs to Leningrad.
Proletarian Colonisation.
NEW SOVIET MAN - an idea that the new generation of soviet citizens must aspire to the benefit of the whole rather than the self as an expression of the spirit of the soviet way of life.
Russification of the Union - The belief that Soviet Russia is the true vanguard of the proletariat and thus Russian is the true unified language of the Union.

Proletarian Colonisation itself was a concept developed by the Soviet Communist Party, to explain the need for the workers' states to colonise space. It was written out in a booklet by a committee of Marxists funded by the Soviet Union in the year 2075, under the title of "The Great Task of Intergalactic Colonisation by the Proletariat". From its publication, this was a required reading for any Soviet official or holder of a military rank. This was hailed by Soviet propaganda as the "Second Communist Manifesto," but was panned negatively by all anti-communist groups and nations.

As such, Proletarian Colonisation entails that all colonization efforts with the USSR involve extensive pre-planning and development of natural resources for use by the entire Union. Landing sites are mapped, potential spaceports sighted, water supplies tested and settlements designed to enhance Soviet architecture and resist natural environmental conditions.

Importantly on an ideological and policy basis, Proletarian Colonisation states that the human race is the most progressive and therefore will inevitably triumph, and the working class, having (inevitably) taken control of the means of production and the state, and defeated rival ideologies and classes, will become the supreme power in the universe. This is described as the "final and greatest stage of Marxism". Aliens are, by definition, not human, and therefore do not posses human modes of production and structures of society, and can, in theory, then never reach Socialism or Communism. They are therefore reactionary and must be totally destroyed. But the need to "once and for all crush the horrific monster of Fascism - in all its guises - forever in the peoples vengeance," is placed above the need to combat Alien threats.



The Secretariat combines the former leading offices of the Soviet Union into one encompassing office with the majority of its legislative power and oversight vested into the General Secretary of the Communist Party, whom also serves as the Premier of the Soviet Union. The Secretariat is not unbound - with the Supreme Soviet able to challenge through vote his or her decisions or force an ousting of the Premier from the Communist Party's commanding heights, however, for all intents and purposes the Secretariat, serving as the Head of State, pursues most elements of Foreign Policy and traditionally serves to approve legislation passed by the Supreme Soviet.

The Premier himself is selected by the Politburo as the Premier also serves as head of the Communist Party, as stated, though the Politburo itself must select a candidate that has been duly elected to high office within the Soviet Union, either in a respective SSR or within the confines of the Supreme Soviet, such as Prime Minister or a Politburo position.



The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union is currently the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. It, prior to reformation, elected the Presidium, formed the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Court, and appointed the Procurator General of the USSR - however, with the dissolution of a number of these offices and the spread or concentration of power to other areas of government, the Supreme Soviet, through its two main constituent parts, maintains the general stewardship of the Soviet Union. The Supreme Court however, remains in the Supreme Soviet's remit.

These constituent parts, The Upper House/The Soviet of the Union and the The Lower House/The Soviet of Republics deal with most of the affairs not considered the exclusive domain of the constituent Republic's or under the remit of The Secretariat.

The Supreme Soviet of the Union is elected every six years and the Supreme Soviet of the Republic's is elected every four years. Local SSR Governments are elected every five years. All candidates must be aligned to a political party, and while the Soviet Union now has numerous different parties they are all in some way tied into the central Communist Party. Essentially, the Soviet Union is a one-party state, though its elections are no longer beholden entirely to the will of the Politburo or the Communist Parties upper echelons, and elections are secret and free within those confines.

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Notable Officials:

WIP

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The Soviet Union is located in the south south-west region of the Orion Arm that humanity inhabits and constitutes the largest state therein - The Soviet Union is administered as a series of Soviet Republics, the largest of which being The Russian Republic which constitutes the largest single administrative region. The Soviet Union's Secretariat directly handles administration of non-incorporated border worlds under the Commissariat for Colonial Affairs. Contained within the USSR's space are several distinct, independent nations that for all intents and purposes are only nominally recognised by the USSR, though they, by and large, have subsumed themselves within the USSR's framework.

Much of Soviet Industry and population is centered on ten major worlds, though significant population and industrial bases exist elsewhere, with some of the latter in orbit of "non core" worlds. These worlds are considered "Pobedy Planeta" - and critical to the continued existence of the Soviet Union with which all means must be used to defend them, these worlds and their systems are:

Novaya Rossiya, Leningrad System
Pamyat' Soyuza, Stalingrad System
Novaya Ukraniya, Kiev System
Rabochiye, Baltika System
Volya Naroda, Novgorod System
Promysnoy Mosh, Saratov System
Vodnyy Mir, Sevastopol System
Belyy, Minsk System
Yedinstvo, Grozny System
Soobshchestvo, Astana System

However, Overall Soviet territories are herein described on a system and population basis, with population figures provided on a rounded basis.


Population as of 2290 Census: 15,046,728,963
Systems Administered: 13
Regional Capital: Moskva, Novaya Rossiya, Leningrad System
Inhabited Systems: Leningrad (8bn), Vladimir (100m), Smolensk (300m), Voronezh (250m), Omsk (150m), Novgorod (1bn), Novosibirsk (400m), Stalingrad (3bn), Kaliningrad (50m), Zhukovsky (200m), Saratov (1bn), Khabarovsk (500m), Irkutsk (50m).

The Leningrad System was the primary destination for Soviet Citizens fleeing during the Exodus. A barely habitable world at the time - it was the most habitable in the Zone Soviet Charters had been able to reliably uncover. The resulting use of terra-forming technology utterly transformed the planet, providing a stable seat for the Russian Soviet Republic, Soviet Union itself and a staging ground for the greater colonization of the region.

The Russian Soviet Socialist Republic itself is the most densely populated and industrially developed of the Soviet Republics. The dominance of Russian influence in the Soviet Union is hardly strange however, and the Republic continues to provide a stable seat of power and stabilizing influence on the other constituent republics of the Soviet Union. The Republic has remained instrumental in the development of the other republics - regardless of their dominant ethnicity.

The Admiralty Shipyards in the Leningrad system constitute the primary shipbuilding centre in the Soviet Union, and is the only one capable of producing the hulls laid down for the Odessa Class Battleship. In addition, significant shipyards at the complex known as Zhdanov Shipyard in Novgorod, as well as Stalingrad's own Stalinov Complex provide another greater element of Soviet Naval Production. Smaller shipyards capable of producing up to cruiser class specifications are located at the Almaz Shipyards in Zhukovsky and the Zvezda shipyard in Saratov.


Population as of 2290 Census: 6,641,246,114
Systems Administered: 9
Regional Capital: Khruschevgrad, Novaya Ukraniya, Kiev System.
Inhabited Systems: Kiev (4bn), Kharkov (200m), Odessa (700m), Sevastopol (1bn), Kherson (50m), Chisinau (100m), Lviv (400m), Ternopil (50m), Poltava (100m).

The Ukranian SSR, incorporating the Moldovan SSR, formed the earliest segment of resettlement undertaken by the Bureau for Resettlement in the 2100's once colonization was possible. Charting of worlds had found a number of - while not ideally habitable worlds, ones rich in resources and fertility. Much like the Ukraine of old, the Ukrainian SSR was reformed and settled amongst these worlds to become, once again, a breadbasket and ultimately the second most formidable industrial juggernaut in the Soviet Union.

The Ukrainian SSR is consequently a hub of shipbuilding and economic activity, primarily with Shipyards centered in Kiev, Sevastopol, Odessa and Lviv. The SSR remains a net exporter of foodstuffs, particularly to other SSR's whose own worlds are not particularly fertile.


Population as of 2290 Census: 3,040,286,314
Systems Administered: 6
Regional Capital: Livoniyagrad, Rabochiye, Baltika System.
Inhabited Systems: Baltika (2.1bn), Talinn (200m), Riga (400m), Vilnius (300m), Cesis (30m), Tartu (10m).

The Baltic Republic was formed out of the merging of the surviving Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian populations and SSR's. The Baltic SSR, Formed in 2125 after the re-integration and settlement of the Ukrainian SSR, was settled in the then-fringe systems to provide a stable resettlement and expansion of the Soviet Union. The Baltic SSR would become home to the majority of the major financial mechanisms of the Soviet Union, this lead to the Baltic SSR gaining a near monopoly over the value of the Ruble within the Soviet Union until the currency reform of 2221, all the same, the Baltic SSR remains wealthy and its citizens affluent.

A reasonable shipbuilding industry is present in Baltika.


Population as of 2290 Census: 2,141,712,509
Systems Administered: 4
Regional Capital: Korosteleva, Belyy, Minsk System.
Inhabited Systems: Minsk (1.7bn), Polotsk (100m), Vitebsk (140m), Orsha (200m).

Reconstituted in 2126, a mere year after the Baltic Republic laid its foundations, the SSR of Belarus was reformed in order to settle newly discovered worlds bordering the eastern edge of the Ukrainian SSR. The resettlement proceeded to enlarge Soviet Territory and added a new representative republic to the Union, as well as providing a number of new resource deposits and areas of scientific interest. The area has since become a hotbed of academic activity with a simmering liberal undercurrent - and the Minsk system is home to the most influential universities outside of the Russian SSR.

Minsk itself holds modest shipbuilding orbital infrastructure.


Population as of 2290 Census: 4,002,142,314
Systems Administered: 7
Regional Capital: Besarionis, Yedinstvo, Grozny System.
Inhabited Systems: Grozny (2bn), Tblisi (400m), Yerevan (575m), Baku (750m), Makhachkala (100m), Nalchik (75m), Ingushetia (150m).

Reformed in 2130, the Caucasian Soviet Republic - a union of the three major republics of the area, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia alongside a number of minor republics, marked a break from traditional resettlement. The Bureau took a largely hands off approach - merely providing the funding and logistics to the SSR to resettle on the northern fringe. The non-interventionist approach to a Republic formed out of disparate groups - many at odds with each other, went surprisingly well. Without interference in the situation, the Caucasian SSR was largely able to solve ethnic disputes that served no purpose without territorial disputes, now long gone. With the opening of trade with China, the Caucasian Soviet Republic became the prosperous bridge.

Much of the Fifth Fleet, barring its capitals, are produced in the expansive yards in Grozny - backed up by smaller concerns in Tblisi, Yerevan and Baku.


Population as of 2290 Census: 1,020,201,067
Systems Administered: 4
Regional Capital: Hekmatgrad, Novaya Persiya, Tehran System.
Inhabited Systems: Tehran (600m), Esfahan (200m), Mashdad (50m), Shiraz (150m).

The incorporation of Iran as a Soviet Republic following the disintegration of its government in the 2030's was an interesting footnote in the incursion wars - its reincorporation as a SSR in the 2140's alongside Mongolia was much more interesting - nothing the Soviet's desire to restore its incorporated countries into situations better befitting the situation of the Union. The resettlement was begun largely without protest and Iranian representatives once more entered the Soviet Government. The Iranian SSR remains a somewhat paradoxical area - relatively well developed, many of its citizens retain elements of their earth-bound culture that keep them somewhat distinct from the typical overarching Russian dominated, communist orientated norm.

The small local Iranian Peoples Defense Forces host a minor shipyard in the Tehran System.


Population as of 2290 Census: 4,941,914,564
Systems Administered: 10
Regional Capital: Konayevgrad, Soobshchestvo, Astana System.
Inhabited Systems: Astana (2.6bn), Kabul (400m), Karachi (600m), Almaty (100m), Tashkent (400m), Ashgabat (200m), Dushanbe (300m), Bishkek (200m), Pavlodar (140m), Baikonur (100m).

The Kazakh Soviet Republic - incorporating the non-russofied populations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan marked the final formation of an SSR. Conducted in 2170's - years after the resettlements of these populations, this SSR marked the most ethnically diverse region in the Union. The Inclusion of the Afghanistan SSR and the remaining non-assimilated Pakistani refugees marked the final expansion of the Soviet Union towards Yugoslavia, and ended the debate over the sizable minorities in the Union. With ethnic Kazakh's numbering 40% of the population in the region however, the resulting SSR was largely formed for their benefit, though it has come to serve the needs of the many over time.

As the eastern bulwark of the Soviet State, Shipyards of varying sizes are found throughout the SSR, though primarily in Astana, Karachi, Tashkent and Dushanbe.


Population as of 2290 Census: 1,241,914,564
Systems Administered: 6
Regional Capital: Dukh loshadi, Ogromnyy Ravniny, Ulaanbaatar System.
Inhabited Systems: Ulaanbaatar (700m), Hovd (100m), Saynshand (240m), Altay (50m), Onon (100m), Darhaan (50m).

The reincorporation in full of the Mongolian SSR in the 2140's - alongside the Iranian SSR - was a mark in the near restoration of the Soviet Union under its new manifesto. Unlike the Iranian SSR, the Mongolian SSR was incorporated without the need for resettlement, as ethnic mongols and related peoples of the Soviet Union had already spread themselves over a number of systems within the Union's Sphere of Influence, the inclusion of these colonies and the incorporation of the SSR marked, by and large, an end in Soviet expansion North and Westwards. The Mongolian Soviet Republic is also sometimes referred to jokingly as the Chinese Soviet Socialist Republic - in particular a reference to the number of Chinese that came to be settled there in the Exodus.

The Fleet Yards in Ulaanbaatar maintain most of the soviet vessels in the SSR, providing some construction capacity but primarily concerned with repair and overhaul.


Population Figures, 2290 Census: 1,095,194,317
Systems Administered: 5
Regional Capital: Miklovgrad, Dal'niy Zapad, Vladivostok System.
Inhabited Systems: Vladivostok (400m), Kamchatka (50m), Murmansk (150m), Perm (170m), Archangelsk (170m), Krasnoyarsk (50m), Tomsk (20m), Tyumen, (50m), Okhotsk (20m).

Recently incorporated, the Siberian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is a predominantly ethnically Russian region located on the border with the exclusion zone, south of the Mongolian SSR. Formerly the most recently colonised worlds in Soviet Space, the Government incorporated a republic as a new frontier of growth and proof of the workers spirit to push the might of the Soviet Union ever forward. Some elements have quietly voiced discontent at a predominantly Russian republic being created separately from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, but given the presence of other ethnic groups and the importance of its bounty in Soviet economical projects, such concerns have been overruled.

Of note is the United People’s Republic of Korea located on the planet of Vladivostok. Recognised only by the Soviet Union, the small, ethnically Korean populace on the planet is a remnant of the former Northern Korean regimes ideological ambitions.

A minor repair yard and planetary ship building facilities are present on Vladivostok, which serves as the primary port of call for ships in the Southern Exclusion Zone.


Population Figures, 2290 Census: N/A, but below 10m.
Systems Administered: 11
Regional Capital: N/A
Inhabited Systems: Ulan-Ude, Ossetia, Abkhazia, Belogorsk, Svobodny, Krasnokamensk, Ussuriysk, Baltinava, Aktobe, Samarkand, Kandahar.

The Colonial Territories primarily consist of resourcing concerns, military posts and colonial attempts on the fringe worlds of systems recognized as falling into the Soviet Union's territory or sphere of influence.

The colonies in this fringe are administered as a self governing territory primarily accordant with the wishes of the local provisional administrations, and comprise a critical component of the Soviet Industrial machine. Outlying industries as such experience a greater degree of autonomy and regulation than on the inner worlds.

Most of these colonies, are, however, sparsely populated, and most administration is conducted on an ad hoc basis from Leningrad itself through local proxies.

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WIP: This deserves, and will perhaps get, much more depth when I am inspired.

Pre-Exodus:

The Soviet Union, prior to the first incident, was a wounded beast. Internal dissent, failed reform and hardliners alongside economic troubles spelled one clear word for the Union - doom. The advent of the First Incident and Korean War changed all that. A successful compromise of the government was agreed by necessity, preserving the essentialism inherent in glasnost and appeasing the hardliners by freeing them to act against internal dissent - and legislation began to the get the economy moving again. With attention elsewhere, things best kept in the dark could be conducted by the militant arms of the Politburo - things best forgotten and now far buried. Combined with the ability to present a credible threat to the ideals of the Soviet Union and her people - The United States, and then the Juhseungi, worked wonders for retooling the economy and focusing the attention of the populace on more important matters other than dissolving the Union. A careful reform here or there let the economy prosper, let people own more, spend more, "earn" more, and, of a sort, vote more - though for the Communist Party. The Real-politik approach to Eastern Europe - withdrawl, no matter how messy, and a recognition of these states new governments, lead to a relatively peaceful western front, even if it had grown closer to the Union proper.

Consequently, the Soviet Union spent much of the 90's, irrespective of events around the world to take stock, draw back and assess and reform itself. Emerging once again in the late nineties as a rejuvenated superpower, the Soviet Union became rich selling much of its rare resources, oil, gas and arms to the nations of the world as it partook in the varied events of the Juhseungi Incursion Wars, Colonial ambitions in the Solar System and the continued conflict that rocked the planet.

The chaos that pervaded throughout much of the 21st century lead to forms of profit for the Soviet Unio - far from the frontlines - but able to field test technologies, repurpose alien ones and even territorial expansion (Afghanistan Incorporated, Iranian Peacekeeping Operation, Resettlement of Pakistani Refugees) and led the Soviet Union to heights that, a mere few decades before had been the domain of the imagination. Humanities final loss and The Exodus, however, changed all that - The Soviet Union nonetheless used its time well, the evacuation, 70% complete when the Juhseungi finally overcame the defenses surrounding Moscow and Leningrad was one of the highest on record - and ultimately 80% of the Soviet Populace escaped during the Exodus, primarily bound for the Leningrad System.

Post-Exodus:

Despite its early successes in space development and relativistic exploration, as late as 2075 the Soviet Union had still not revealed any spacecraft capable of faster than light travel despite the advent of the oracle drive, and it seemed the Soviet state would be forever system-locked as other nations flagship spacecraft explored deeper and deeper into the Orion Region. However, in 2085 nearly 40 Soviet ships - most of them large colony ships - launched from bases all across the Soviet Union, and in short order engaged their FTL drives. Recordings made from satellites in orbit of Earth revealed the Soviet FTL drive was extraordinarly efficient, and were capable of in system hops far greater then their early American or Japanese counterparts, this “Sakharov” drive variant of the Oracle Drive was instrumental in creating an interstellar Soviet Union, allowing larger vessels to be constructed, as well as permitting them to operate for longer and further than had first been possible.

With the disastrous effort on Alpha Centauri leading to an independent colony, the Soviet Union was left without a waystation and with no immediate area for temporary settlement. While the Alpha Centauri colony had given the Soviet space program firsthand experience, as well as valuable information about interstellar logistics and communication, its independence left the Soviet Union no way to recoup its investment. With Juhseungi movements increasing and time running out, the Soviet leadership made the crucial decision to condense its colony fleet in one system as opposed to the 5 originally planned for settlement. It was hoped that by drastically decreasing the number of First Wave Colonies, the likely hood that the colony would fail decreased, as well as lessening the chance of encounters with the Juhseungi. This effort proved to be wise, and the smaller ad-hoc evacuations of the true Exodus conducted at the twilight of Earth formed the basis of numerous new colonies and reinforced the newly established ones with resources, citizens and morale.

With the foundation of the hub-colony on Novaya Rossiya, the development of the Interstellar USSR swiftend, dozens of new colonies were established each year as a means of preservation, and while less developed and advanced at first, the abundance of easily extractable minerals on newfound worlds allowed for near uncontrollable industrial development.

The Formation of a new Russian SSR in the Stars and the re-ordering of the Soviet Union, its guiding manifesto and documents lead to a new age of expansion for the Soviet Union - one that would lead to one of the largest human states in the Orion Arm humanity dominated. A Policy of largely aggressive, though not militarily driven expansion and industrial development served well, and the continued use of Soviet cultural norms - propaganda on a grand scale and mobilizations of vast amounts of workers has served to form a solid state built on the best of communist traditions.

Reintegration into the International Community, as well as the United Nations, has lead to renewed ideological conflict that could threaten the stability of the region, however. Past events - such as the realpolitik of the late 2100's has proved the Soviet Union's willingness to deal with any nation, Communist or otherwise, on a arguably fair basis - but has retained a certain air of hostility about itself towards non-communist nations.

The possession of a large populace, industrial capacity and a military supported by that, however, puts the Soviet ideological conflict with other powers into a more worrying light however - and the formation of organisations to challenge the American-led democracies threatens regional security once again - and in far more worrying ways than any potential Soviet border conflict.

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The Soviet Armed Forces includes the Red Army, the Red Space Forces and the Red Air Force. The independent Red Strategic Forces consist of long-range nuclear and experimental weaponry, being under the direct command of the Stavka. The Armed Forces currently outnumber any other human national military, bar perhaps the Chinese, and are set to continue to do so with little fear of numerical rivals.

The Soviet Military is at its core a conscription based military - however, overlaid is an academy based, voluntary system which makes up the majority of peace-time troops. It consists of four official branches and their constituent subbranches, as well as independent elements - The Soviet Navy, referred to as the Red Space Force, the Soviet Army, referred to as the Red Army, and the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) under which intelligence services outside the KGB perform.

Traditionally, Former Soviet doctrine sacrificed tactical flexibility and adaptability for strategic and operational flexibility and adaptability; tactical personnel are trained as relatively inflexible executors of specific, detailed orders, while the operational-strategic level of Russian military doctrine is where most innovation takes place. Integration with other armed forces during the Incursion Wars and lessons learned during other operations around the globe including the Incursion Wars, lead to a rethink of Soviet Doctrine from the top to the bottom. While the latter strategic flexibility was retained and a certain expectation to follow specific, detailed orders remained, the Soviet military began a retraining and doctrinal programme to encourage a certain element of tactical innovation and acceptable sedition in the officer corps to challenge certain orders, though never outside of the frame of the Dialectic.

As such, the Soviet Union commits to war as a matter of mathematics enforced through brute force. The strength of the Soviet Military - despite its elite backbone - is its ability to conscript large numbers of citizens into military service - with the industrial capacity to replace ship losses during war time, this would lead to a replenishment of battle group sized forces and invasion capacity military groups at a pace far outstripping the means of other rival nations, though at current the Soviet Armed Forces prefer to utilize the brute force approach with the considerable assets on hand rather than employing conscription as a rule.

With a number of state controlled industries and a healthy economy - the Soviet Union maintains a policy of investing heavily in its Armed Forces and ensuring they remain well equipped and technologically developed.

The Soviet Army/Red Army
The Red Army's main function is to engage in ground combat with the enemies of the Soviet Union, whilst secondary functions include supporting revolutions across the galaxy. It is noted that it has a tendency towards war songs and its signature battle cry is shouted in a deep note three or two times.

From the depths of the darkest hours of Humankind, to the empire of the USSR, the Red Army has come far from its humble beginnings. Slowly gaining momentum as a competent Tank developer and with an unrivalled industrial capacity, the Red Army has maintained its battlefield ability that was born in the ashes of the Eastern Front of the Second World War. From the hordes of conscript infantry and light tank support has arisen a highly competent and massive armed force that, whilst continues to make use of conscripts, is highly mechanized and outfitted with weapons of war previously unimaginable before the Incursion Wars.

The Red Army revolves around two concepts of warfare: "Liberation by Great Patriotic War," and "Liberation by Proletarian Peoples War". The first referencing the war by tanks, artillery and infantry, waged over strongly defined fronts against an opposing army, the goal being to annihilate the enemies cities and armies and pave the way for "Proletarian Colonisation".

The second is far more cunning and complex. If high command regards the planetary Communist Party strong enough, the Red Army will begin a highly complicated and thoroughly planned guerrilla war against small military bases and law enforcement, while the planetary Communist Party starts riots, strikes and infiltrates the armed forces to encourage mutiny. This takes place over a period of months or even years, and can continue even when no Soviet fleets are present. The real blow comes when the planet falls to Soviet control, and nearly all of its industry, agriculture, government and population are still intact, but under Soviet control.

Every able man is viable for conscription and service within the Red Army and other military arms, serving two years before being able to return to their previous life. Professional soldiers can remain in the armed forces until retirement age, where they are honourably discharged. Volunteers join special academies for their chosen profession and take 6-8 month training courses, dependent on if it includes Officer training, before graduating their classes. They are then deployed to Category B or higher formations on a 36 month contract, with the option to extend their service until retirement age.

Conscripts serve 14 month service in low-readiness or category units, undergoing a basic training course of 6 weeks. 67% conclude their service with the Army's support to work in new or prestigious industries across the USSR, whilst 23% opt to continue professionally in the military.

The Communist Party, via the KGB, assigns to every unit of battalion or higher within the Red Army a political commissar, or politruk, who has the authority to override unit commanders' decisions if they run counter to the principles of the Communist Party. Although this sometimes resulted in inefficient command, the Party leadership considered political control over the military necessary, as the Army relied more and more on experienced officers from the pre-revolutionary Tsarist period. This system was abolished in 1925, as there were by that time enough trained Communist officers that counter-signing of all orders was no longer necessary. It was brought back in 2026 due to the fact that "the effects of space encourages individualism and lax behaviour". Modern commissars are formidably trained and equipped to deal with any forms of 'lax behaviour', with lethal force if necessary. In addition, these new Commissars are military trained, to prevent 'lax performance of the military-political forces of the USSR,' an attempt to prevent the repeat of a disastrous and costly 1941.

The Red Air Force
The Red Air Force is a direct continuation of the first volunteers formed into an air corps in the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It has undergone several major restructurings; first in the 1930s, second directly following the Second World War, the third following the outbreak of the Incursion Wars and the fourth in the wake of the Great Proletarian Colonization. It is officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or (in the Latin alphabet) Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily (literally, "Military Air Forces") and often abbreviated VVS (BBC in Cyrillic). It represents the primary defensive tool of Soviet worlds, and remains under seperate command than the Red Fleet's aviation.

Most Soviet planets maintains a considerable number of surface based squadrons, air defences, and orbital stations for aerospace squadrons and orbital artillery. They are responsible for orbital patrols, in-system reconnaissance, terrestrial patrols and aerospace defence. Thus, they conduct joint operations with orbital guards and security units within the intimidating Soviet security apparatus.

The Red Air Force primarily employs variants of the Red Fleet's aviation that can be adapted to atmospheric use.

The Soviet Navy/Red Space Force
The Red Space Forces (Russian: Космический Флот СССР, Kosmicheskij Flot SSSR, literally "Space Fleet of the USSR") are the primary military arm of the Soviet Union. It is the direct evolution of the water Navy of Earth, maintaining many of the traditions, organization and some of the original doctrinal thought. The components to the Red Space Forces include the massive fleets, space aviation, naval infantry and true power behind the colonization efforts across and beyond the interstellar Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

It has grown exponentially over the decades due to the industrialization of numerous Soviet-controlled worlds and the increasingly tenuous situation between the numerous Orion Powers and notably the Soviet's own relation with the Democratic Federation. The Naval forces of the have evolved greatly from an experimental military division to deserving its own recognized directorate in the Soviet military's high command and the acknowledgement as the symbolic fist of Communism. From its humble colony ship beginnings, the Red Space Forces have grown into an extensive and dominant military arm of the USSR.

The Red Space Forces is an honorary title, officially known by the names of the Soviet Space Navy, the Soviet Space Forces, the Interstellar Navy of the Soviet Union and, more politically and historically symbolic: the Red Fleet.

Current Soviet naval doctrine advocates massed firepower and mass produced warships to overwhelm enemies. Evolution of Deep Battle tactics and adaptation to space conflicts, the new Deep Space Operations emphasizes Soviet breakthroughs with heavy firepower and waves of expendable fighters to roll up an enemy's frontline.

On other operations, the Red Fleet will be tasked to guarding the vast troopships that convey Red Army divisions to their destined worlds, as well as conducting siege warfare against rival planets, bombarding them into socialist submission, allowing for Communism to prosper.

The Soviet Navy itself consists of 5 Fleets, 2 Battlegroups, 1 Elite Taskforce, and a Strategic Defense Flotilla. In the case of offensive operations, ships would and are expected to switch jurisdiction to the specific command which most required them. The Soviet Military has, largely, learned its lessons as per its doctrinal innovation - and particularly in the Navy, thinking on the fly and a large degree of flexibility is not only allowed, but expected.

The Soviet Navy is the main element of both the Soviet Offensive and Defensive Strategies in the Interstellar Age, and serving in the Soviet Navy is considered, not only an honour, but often a duty to the people of the Soviet Union. As a consequence, The Soviet Navy itself remains completely free of conscription regulation and is a academy based institution with a respected officer corps.

Main Intelligence Directorate
The USSR's extensive security network includes the KGB, SVR and the NKVD, successors of the numerous incarnations of state security of the past two centuries. Each maintains extensive influence in the defense industries, colonization programs and the economy, as well as enormous political clout amongst the Party's upper echelons.

As Intelligence is paramount in any operation, the Soviet Union takes this to heart. Main Intelligence Directorate has ultimate control over all special forces within their respective branches, authority to re-task the state security services and may utilize any and all military resources in order to gain information, secure persons of interest and protect the integrity of the Soviet Union from threats both domestic and foreign. The GRU primarily utilizes Spetsnaz assets for its military operations and as such those Special Forces are now run directly by the GRU under authority of STAVKA.

The SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service) is known to clash with foreign agencies abroad and gather intelligence vital to the USSR's political and military leadership. It is also the parent organization for several information warfare agencies and direct action groups of Spetsnaz operatives. Despite its 'Foreign' title, it is also clandestinely responsible for interior intelligence operations and state information security, while the NKVD has evolved into an interstellar border guard, interior guard and controls the police across all USSR worlds, retaining the honorary 'People's Commissariat' title.

Main Intelligence Directorate as such constitutes the best special forces and intelligence operatives available to the Soviet Union, and are credited with numerous successful operations, not only in modern times, but throughout history. Their associated state security service, the KGB, also bears a similar, if more sinister reputation. The KGB currently maintains the political police, personal security of the USSR leadership, confidential communication networks, espionage and counter-espionage, as noted, separate from GRU control at the behest of the Politburo.

Independent Branches

The two primary independent branches operating in the Soviet Union are the Soviet Strategic Forces and the Soviet Orbital Shock Troops. The Soviet Strategic Forces operate under the command of the Premier and Stavka, and authorize the deployment of nuclear weaponry in non spatial battlefield situations. Second to this, the Soviet Strategic Forces organise the use of strategic weaponry in planetary environs as well as developing new weaponry for use by the Soviet State.

The Soviet Orbital Shock Troops, successors to the VDV, the KSV (Russian: Космическо-Штурмовые-Войска, Kosmos-Sturmoviye-Voyska; KSV, full translation: Space-Assault Troops) is an elite orbit-to-ground assault force attached at a Front-level for ground engagements. The VDV, or Air-Landing Troops, was originally formed in the mid 1930s and subsequently expanded dramatically during the Great Patriotic War. However, they were largely made obsolete doctrine-wise with the advent of spaceships capable of trans-atmospheric flight. Seeing the need to reshape the VDV into a new, more relevant image; the Red Army authorized on December 22, 2180, the formation and transfer of personnel to the KSV - Space-Assault Troops, who would be known as the Orbital Shock Troops.

The Chernyy Nesti - (Black Bears)

The Chernyy Nesti are a small task force assigned to the Chiefs of Staff and the Premier of the Soviet Union. An elite group of pilots and military crews, the Chernyy Nesti serve as the main elite group serving the Soviet Union in military matters. The presence of this Elite Squadron in any sector is treated with concern and its deployment in an active theatre would mark the escalation of the respective conflict therein. The task force and its parent carrier and escort group are rarely spotted, and their existence is even contested by a number of intelligence services.

Naming Conventions

Soviet naming conventions for the current generation of warships are based upon Soviet Geography, notable historical figures, ideological terms and abstract terms.

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Ranks:

-Navy

Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union
Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral
Vice Admiral
Counter Admiral
Captain
Captain Lieutenant
Senior Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Junior Lieutenant
Chief Starshina
Starshina, 1st class
Starshina, 2nd class
Senior Matrose
Matrose

-Army

Marshal of the Soviet Union
General of the Army
General-Polkovnik
Lieutenant General
Major General
Polkovnik
Podpolkovnik
Major
Captain
Senior Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Junior Lieutenant
Senior Praporshchik
Praporshchik
Starshina
Senior Sergeant
Sergeant
Junior Sergeant
Efreitor
Private

This Article Serves to provide a brief look at common Soviet Military Equipment, including vessels typically reserved for civilian duty but often found occupying military logistical roles.

Transport/Civil Duty/Logistics

Tu-402 Strategic Airlifter - "Otkatchik"

The Tupolev 402 is a multi-purpose transatmospheric strategic airlifter and dropship. The Tu-402 was originally designed for delivering heavy machinery and personnel to remote, poorly-serviced areas on Soviet colonies or hostile landing zones in war torn areas.

Civilian variants have seen extensive service as commercial freighters for ramp-delivered cargo, used as emergency response for civilian evacuations/humanitarian relief efforts, and been equipped with water tanks for firefighting efforts. Efforts by Aeroflot - the Soviet Civil Aviation Service, have also seen its use as a civilian transport, both in luxury or economic capacities. Consequently, The Tu-402 is the mainstay of Aeroflot.

However, the capacity of this vessel combined with easy refit see's it serve not only as a transport vessel for cargo or passengers, but also a transport vessel for military logistic purposes or for transporting persons of importance in style. The Oktatchik is noted for only requiring a crew as small as 7 individuals.

SNT Gagarin


The Gagarin is a class of auxiliary ship currently in service within the Soviet Union and its military. The Gagarin first entered service in 2219 with dozens of variants, making it one of the oldest and most widespread ship classes in active service.

It's primary function within the Soviet Armed Forces is that of a landing ship, capable of transporting a battalion of troops and associative vehicles, along with a small independent air arm, usually 4-12 aircraft. Other variants include a medium capacity cargo carrier, hospital ship, and refueling ship, making it the workhouse of Soviet logistics.

Up until the late 2160s the Soviet interstellar supply fleet was still comprised of repurposed colony ships and transports left over from the colonization programs and the evacuation of Earth. With its industrial base rebuilt in systems like Stalingrad and Kiev, the Soviet Union undertook a massive modernization program of its interstellar fleet. The Gagarin class was designed to be used as a multirole vessel based on a modular concept, using a standard hull with containerized hangers and launch bays. The goal was to produce a single vessel that could be adapted to fit dozens of different non-combat roles.

The first prototype was completed in 2216 and underwent 2 years of extensive testing. It proved to be a great success, able to adapt to a wide variety of situations. Its relatively simple design made a very favorable impression on Soviet leadership, as it could be massed produced very easily, even on worlds with lower industrial development. By 2230 over 4300 Gagarin class vessels had been built and were in service within the Soviet Union. Modernization refits were undertaken between 2249-2255 and 2270-2280, incorporating new electronics and adapting the hanger bays for modern military equipment.

Gagarin's employ crews numbering from 1400-1600 depending on cargo or variant, with a capacity for over 3400 Soldiers, including 36 Vehicles, 9 Dropships and 4-12 Fighters.

SNT Soyuznik


The Soyuznik is the primary logistics vessel serving Soviet Patrols and Naval movements currently in service with the Soviet military. The Soyuznik entered service in the 2210's and has served to surpass expectations in its capabilities as a logistics platform.

The Soyuznik's compact design is equipped with vast storage bays, workshops and refineries that assist the ship in battlefield resupply and re-armament of Soviet Vessels. The Soyuznik itself is home to a dozen smaller mining vessels and haulers to assist in its capacity as a logistics vessel. Whilst the Soyuznik boasts limited weaponry of its own, it is capable of deploying two fighter wings from its own hangar.

The Soyuznik, depending on its deployment, may have a crew of upto 1300.

Strike Craft:

MiG-51D "Nevskiy":

The Nevskiy is the most commonly used fightercraft in the Soviet Navy. Designed primarily for the space superiority role, the Nevskiy is a cost-efficient design that is inexpensive to produce and relatively easy to pilot. The Nevskiy maintains capacity for 8 Standard Missiles in two banks and utilizes a high-power 23mm Gatling cannon as its primary armament. The Nevskiy is capable of operating in a planetary atmosphere.

The majority of the Red Fleet's MiG-51s have been modernized to the MiG-51D standard, replacing electronics and upgrading its original airframe with more resistant armour coating and re-equipping its engines to the latest standards.

The Red Air Force operates the MiG-51S model, more suited for multiple environments and long range interdiction in atmospheres and low orbit.

The KGB and specialist military units outside the normal order of battle operate the MiG-51U, with advanced electronics, stealthier systems and a prototype run of new but expensive engines.

MiG-43R "Kharlamov":

The Kharlamov is a high-performance interception and strike platform currently operating both as an interceptor and recon scout. It is notable for its self enclosed Sakharov drive, which allows its to travel faster than light without a carrier. It's armament consists of a single 23mm Autocannon and Dual SSC-18 EDM Rocket Launchers.

The Red Air Force utilize the MiG-43U, which lacks the capacity for a subspace motivator, but enhanced engines for supersonic long range reconnaissance across planets, supplementing orbital satellite reconnaissance, which is more expensive.

IL-201 "Pavlov" Assault Fighter:

The Pavlov assault fighter is the mainstay gunship class of the Soviet Navy and the most indispensable element of its fighter corps. Heavy armour and a devastating frontal array of cannons makes the Pavlov the premier weapons platform against large, slow-moving targets. The Pavlov excels in various mission profiles ranging from airstrikes on ground targets to full-scale assaults against destroyer assets to heavy fighter or turret suppression. Whilst barely classed as a fighter and being as slow as the targets it is designed to destroy, the Pavlov fills the role it was designed for more than adequately.

Given its armament, many intelligence services erroneously class the Pavlov as a light corvette.

SU-85 Strike-Bomber "Chrezmernyy":

Lacking much more than a basic forward firing machine gun, the SU-85 operates as the premier bombing platform for the Soviet Union. As a weapons platform, it is more than capable of dispatching ships approaching cruiser-class specifications. Able to mount 10 Anti-Ship missiles and 2 "Tsar" Class Anti-Capital torpedoes, the SU-85 fills the niche of bomber comfortably, and then some. Variants of the Su-85 Replace the Tsar for greater anti-ship missile capacity, or are designed to operate with the Red Air Force on ground bombing operations.

Corvettes, Frigates, Destroyers, Cruisers and Battleships:

Suvorov Class Corvette


The Suvorov is a class of patrol corvette built for the Soviet Navy. The Suvorov, built upon the design principles of its smaller cousin, the Pavlov, and redesigned through several iterations was finally commissioned for the new generation of fleet refits and rebuilds. Suvorov's, Whilst nominally produced and maintained by the fleet - are not part of fleet formations and generally serve in patrol roles and orbital defence. The Suvorov is however, included in any simulated fleet maneuvers where they are expected to assist fleet movements in areas they are proficient, often acting as a screening element. They are capable of limited torpedo strikes against soft (or, when supported, hard) targets and have adequate point defenses to handle bomber attack, as well as providing a limited electronics countermeasure suite. Consequently, The Suvorov is capable of being deployed as an ad-hoc convoy harasser, screening element, and electronics warfare platform to anchor manoeuvres by other Fleet formations.

The Suvorov typically employs of a crew of 80, and reaches a length of 300m.

Konev Class Frigate:


Developed concurrently with the Vatutin Class, the Konev is one of the newest ships in the Red Fleet, replacing a number of older ship designs. The Konev is a multi-role frigate, able to engage a wide variety of combatants ranging from strikecraft to other frigates and destroyers. For this reason it is the backbone of most Soviet task forces, and a core part of the Soviet Fleet.

Originally developed as a dedicated anti-strikecraft platform, the original designs were criticized for being overly specialized. With the leadership of the Red Navy focusing more on flexible, multirole vessels, the Konev design was altered to include 4 KNL-2284 Naval guns. Able to fire a large variety of projectiles, including flak rounds and even custom two part missiles, the KNL-2284 gave the Konev much broader capabilities. Along with bow mounted torpedo bays, the Konev is the most versatile frigate currently in service within the Soviet Union.

The Konev typically employs a crew of 160, and reaches a length of 530m.

Silayev Class Torpedo Destroyer


The Silayev is the former backbone of the Soviet Fleet, and is a well known design both within the Soviet state and throughout the Orion powers. The Silayev, though no longer possessing magazines with the space capable of being equipped with standard variants of lighter soviet missile designs, still retains her torpedo complement - and has had much of the space freed up from removing light missile tubes to install more torpedo tubes, ordnance storage and infrastructure to support an additional bank of cannons and light point defense.

While the Silayev is nearing the end of its service life, it remains a stalwart defender of soviet principles.

The Silayev typically employs a crew of 320, and reaches a length of 890m.

Vatutin Class Destroyer:


The Vatutin is the Soviet Union's newest destroyer design, and one of the most modern warships in the fleet. Its primary role is providing long range guided missile support against medium and lightly armored targets. In groups, however, it can pose a serious threat to more heavily armed targets. Along with the Konev Frigate, the Vatutin is set to become one of the most prevalent ship designs in the fleet, replacing a number of older classes.

Designed, originally, to replace the aging fleet of Silayev Class Destroyers that were becoming too outdated to be fitted with the newest Soviet missile designs, the Vatutin was conceived completely from scratch. Borrowing design concepts from a number of sources, the Vatutin has completely redesigned targeting systems that allow it to engage enemy vessels from a much greater range. Its bridge is also of a new design, featuring a much more open layout with a greater emphasis on large tactical displays. This feature has led some Vatutins to be refitted as command and control ships in uncontested sectors.

The Vatutin typically employs a crew of 300 and reaches a length of 840m.

Avrora Class Siege Destroyer:

The Avrova is a simple ship designed for one purpose - long range support in the form of barrages of missiles and anti-ship torpedoes. While the Avrova possesses only limited weapon mounts primarily centered around point defence, her primary strength relies in maintaining her distance and using her numerous launcher tubes to bombard enemy battle lines with swarms of missiles and torpedoes. As a result, Avrova's are traditionally well guarded and tend to operate in kill-groups of 3.

With her main body holding 72 Vertical Launch tubes the Avrova is more than capable of delivering unprecedented amounts of anti-ship firepower while holding its own against enemy strike craft with her counter-missile and point defence fire. The Avrova is capable of being tasked with orbital bombardment as well as long range siege attacks on stationary installations, making the Avrova a critical component of Soviet fleet strategy.

The Avrova typically employs a crew of 390 and reaches a legnth of 860m.

Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carrier:

The Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carrier is the oldest Soviet sub-capital vessel in service and harkens back to the earlier days of utilitarian Soviet design and material innovation. Despite this, the Sozvezdiye has maintained its role as the escort carrier for the Soviet Fleet, having proven its capabilities as more than adequate for the role it is expected to fill. The Sozvezdiye, while featuring a limited destroyer-grade armament relies on its hangar bays and countermeasures suites to provide its fleet with support. The Sozvezdiye carries at least six fighter and interceptor wings, as well as a full bomber and assault fighter wing, making it a capable asset to fleet capacity.

The Sozvezdiye typically employs a crew of 590, including flight crew and attendants and reaches a length of 980m.

Capital Ships:

Slavnyy Class Light Cruiser


The Slavnyy Class is a type of warship currently in service with the Red Navy. First introduced in 2263, the class suffered from severe technical problems, and underwent a series of refits. It currently serves within the Red Navy Battlefleets specializing in both ship to ship combat and anti-strikecraft capabilities.

Throughout the early 2200s Soviet naval design doctrine underwent a dramatic shift. Simulations and testing in engagements with outlaw forces had confirmed the notion that anti-strikecraft weaponry became cripplingly useless during large scale fleet engagements; automated targeting systems were unable to distinguish large pieces of debris from smaller enemy targets on a level where efficient threat analysis could take place and as such could not provide a truly meaningful defense. The Slavnyy class, intended to replace the Ognevoy class cruiser and alleviate the need for large numbers of Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers, was designed to accommodate a fighter wing, while preserving its direct anti-ship capabilities.

During its first few years of operation however, a number of problems were discovered in the ships design. The ship had numerous electronic deficiencies, and the bridge was ill-equipped to manage both a fighter wing and ship to ship combat.

Over the next few decades the Slavnyy went through a series of retrofits and design changes, becoming a test bed for many of the designs later seen in the Retivvy Class Cruiser.

A massive refit was undertaken in 2273 introducing hundreds of newer elements and dramatically changing the appearance of the ship. The armour plating was completely replaced, runways and hangers underwent a second redesign, and the ships windows were replaced with a less reflective material. Further updates were undertaken in 2280 implementing designs that had proved their worth on the Retivvy class, as well as the newer Vatutin class destroyer and Konev class frigate. This was a critical update to the Slavny and is considered the "Mid-Life Update" revision. Approximately 75% of the Soviet inventory of cruisers was updated, with the remainder either scrapped for parts or exported to regional powers (with sensitive Soviet equipment removed.)

The main engine was replaced with a downsized variant of the engine developed for the Retivvy, while the 3 auxiliary thrusters were replaced with modified frigate engines. The frigate engines, all 3 normally encased in a single housing, were separated into 3 nacelles to ease the integration into the existing Slavny superstructure. Large Reaction Control System (or RCS) thrusters were added fore of the auxiliary thrusters to provide additional yaw capability, vital to the cruiser's ability to bring to bear its broadside weaponry.

The Slavnyy's bridge, originally an over-sized shell which contained mostly repurposed Yeremenko systems, was entirely gutted to make room for the targeting system technology pioneered on the Retivvy project. This included a full rebuild of the upper communications array, as well as the replacement of all computer systems. Following these revisions, the number of on-deck personnel required for active operation of the vessel was reduced by 8%. With a more robust communications and targeting suite on the bridge, the frontal radar array was now all but worthless. This structure was subsequently removed and, at the request of the majority of Slavnyy captains, replaced with a second medium-sized cannon battery.

The Slavnyy typically employs a crew of 820 and reaches a length of 1120m.

Krasnaya Class Cruiser

The Krasnaya replaced the ageing Makarov Class Cruiser in 2235, coming to complement the new line of Kiev's that had begun to propagate in the fleet. The Krasnaya was envisaged as a means of providing broad capital turret firing arcs alongside the capacity for numerous torpedo launchers, though lighter missile bays were ultimately cut from the design. The Krasnaya became the only ship to employ its now trademark ship design in the Soviet inventory, and became known as an agile ship capable of firing most of its capital weapons at the same time on the same location.

As such, in the Fleet overhauls of the late 2200's, the Krasnaya was retained alongside other notable ship lines of the Second Generation as a reasonably flexible multi-role cruiser for the Soviet fleet and upgraded in accordance with the new line of Retivyy prototypes and Slavnyy overhauls.

The Krasnaya typically employs a crew of 970 and reaches a length of 1100m.

Retivyy Class Heavy Cruiser

The Retivvy Class Cruisers are a type of military ship currently in service within the Red Space Forces. It serves as a key component of Soviet military strategy, with Retivvy class vessels a part of nearly every major combat line within the Soviet fleet. The Retivvy Class is in essence, the sum of all the lessons learned by the Soviet Navy between 2250 and 2270, in particular, the combat action of the 3rd Generation Slavnyy class, which served as a test bed for numerous systems onboard the Retivvy, and across the Red Fleet. It is what some consider a perfection of the cruiser/carrier hybrid design, favoured by the 3rd generation vessels of the Soviet Union.

Designed foremost for anti-cruiser warfare, the Retivvy class is built around 10 KN-983 dual barrelled deck guns, used in favour of large scale torpedoes, which at had at times proven ineffective against modern countermeasures. These deck guns, first used aboard the Slavnyy class, have gained a sort of reverence within the Soviet Navy, having demonstrated their effectiveness repeatedly in numerous engagements. Indeed, during the shakedown cruise of the Retivvy prototype, it managed to completely pierce the hull of a retired cruiser, from outside the range of the ships own weapons.

The Retivvy class is not completely without torpedoes however, with dual launchers within the ships prow. Other secondary armaments include three Makarov flak cannons and 4 KN-933 light deck guns. A further defining feature of the Retivvy is the cruisers air wing, unlike the Slavnyy class, the hangers are housed in the back of the ship, giving it greater protection against oncoming fire, and allowing fighters to return to the ship without sacrificing the firepower of the forward battery.

In a harbinger of the designs later found on the Odessa Class, the bridge of the Retivvy is built not only to coordinate the ships activities, but to also act as a command center for a Soviet line, division, or even battlegroup. It is also fully equipped to sync with Red Air Force and by extension Red Army networks, giving added strategic capabilities in planetary invasions and defense. The inclusion of sensor domes and 3rd Generation ECM/ECCM capacity also offer the Retivyy an expansive view of the battlefield and the capabilities to offer ECM/ECCM coverage to its local support vessels.

The Retivyy typically employs a crew of 1150, and reaches a length of 1250m.

Kiev Class Battlecruiser


The Kiev Class Battlecruiser is the oldest capital ship in Soviet Service. Extensively refitted throughout the 2200's, the Kiev originally entered service in 2220 as an Aviation Cruiser. The Kiev has consequently lost most of her strike craft capacity in order to provide more ordnance storage for her considerable array of torpedo and missile launchers. While limited in turret mounts, the Kiev is the only Soviet Vessel "built" or rather - refitted around a "spinal" MAC cannon that runs the length of the underside of the ship.

The Kiev, according to her refits and the reduction of her carrier capacity, was reclassified as a battlecruiser and re-assigned to frontline service following the continued fleet overhauls of the 2280's. As such, the Kiev comprises a key element of heavy brute force for fleet engagements while offering limited strike cover.

The Kiev typically employs a crew of 1350 and reaches a length of 1340m

Sevastopol Class Carrier:


The Sevastopol was designed as a compliment to the mighty Odessa Class Battleship and is an interesting break from traditional Soviet Design and of technical innovation. Boasting limited capital grade weaponry save a few heavy mass drivers, the Sevastopol's strength lies in her anti-fighter and anti-ordinance capabilities. While large and somewhat vulnerable to a concentrated attack, the Sevastopol's real strength shows when it deploys its fighter compliment. The ship is built around maintaining and actively deploying strike craft and assault wings and features a usable deck for quick en masse deployment of her compliment, as well as enabling the conduct of impromptu repairs on larger vessels on her main deck.

The Sevastopol typically employs a crew of 1620, including flight crew and attendants, and reaches a length of 1560m.

Moscow Class Command Ship


The Moscow Class Command Ship serves as a nexus of fleet communication and general sector wide co-ordination and theatre control. Tied into central communications networks, the entanglement communicators of the Moscow keep their respective fleets firmly in the Soviet UniSphere and provide direct data streams back and forth between important locations and as such allows greater utilization of fleet assets in fluid engagements. The Moscow itself is primarily utilized in engagements for ECM and ECCM coverage, fighter deployment and limited missile and torpedo launch capacity.

The Moscow also serves as a limited logistics ship, primarily to Avrova Class Destroyers and provides a considerable amount of defensive coverage through her point defense systems arrayed in flak cannon banks. The Moscow holds less strike craft than a Sevastopol, but offers much greater control of the battlefield as well as communication links that make her vital to fleet doctrine.

The Moscow typically employs a crew of 1700, including Flight Crew and attendants, and reaches a length of 1620m.

Odessa Class Battleship


Built as an expression of the worker's will to unite and create great works of engineering, the Odessa was commissioned as a front line battleship capable of inflicting the brute-force mentality the fleet demanded as well as take more than she could give out. The Odessa's were commissioned based on original concept alone and whilst serving to be a technical challenge, the fearsome might of the Odessa speaks for itself when it comes to combat.

Armed primarily with long range MAC grade weaponry as her primary fore armament in two massive "Borodin" class cannons, she also possesses a dozen torpedo and missile tubes, as well as a full range of capital grade mass drivers arranged in banks totalling 24 deck guns - the Odessa relies on her flotilla and impressive armour for defense, opting to deal long range, but deadly, offensive damage to the enemy before utilizing her shorter range broadside cannons and mass drivers. The Odessa is also home to at least four wings of fighters, offering further defensive capability and strike capacity.

The Odessa typically employs a crew of 1820, and reaches a length of 1960m.

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WIP

While a Soviet Conscript may be equipped with basic armour, uniform, and thrown the closest weapon from the nearest cache (provided they are not seconded to Vehicular training), standing Soviet Troops - namely the Marine Detachments that work with the Fleet, remain well trained and well equipped.

Motherland's Chosen:


Soviet Troops of the standing forces are heavily armoured.

While not yet employing employing the latest generation of directed plasma energy weaponry now being utilized by some of the regional powers and the Soviet Special Forces, Soviet Marines remain an armoured symbol of might and remain true to tried and tested means - lots and lots of bullets, regardless of how they may be propelled at an enemy. Soviet Marines and their non-conscripted colleagues endure many years of training on the harsh frontier worlds, many of which remain nameless and serve purely for this purpose, and must adhere to the highest levels of the dialectic, loyalty to the motherland and comradeship, as well as physical fitness and proficiency in their fields.

The nature of the conscript, however, is far different - though not enacted for decades, conscripts are only intended to receive basic training - though in harsh conditions - and the most basic of equipment, even if such equipment is plentiful and of proven capability. The act of conscription in and of itself would indicate a dedication to Total War by the Soviet Union, and it is unlikely to be utilized unless absolutely required.

Soviet Vehicles:

The Soviet Army employs two main ground assets - whilst using a number of lighter vehicles for transportation, including the Strategic Airlifter, the following two examples are the most extensively used.


The Hi-44Tr serves as the main "dropship/gunship" hybrid of the Soviet Armed Forces, independent of the Naval Air Arm.

The Hi-44Tr is a planetary limited dropship utilized by the Soviet Army for logistics, insertion, fire support, extraction and transport duties independent of the Naval Air Arm and the Logistics group. The Hi-44Tr possesses a formidable forward weapons array and can refit a number of additional pods such as missiles or jamming equipment, making it valuable support based from the Gagarin when orbital supremacy cannot be easily achieved. The Hi-44Tr therefore fills the limited niche it finds and has much traction amongst the Spetsnaz whom typically employ it.


The T-201 is capable of handling the toughest of terrain.

Employed near exclusively as the main driving force in a ground offensive (Infantry aside) the T-201 is capable of traversing large manners of terrain with little difficulty and possesses a main cannon that some lighter capital ships could be envious of. Requiring a crew of 3, The T-201 is also the latest ground vehicle to make use of a number of Artificial Intelligence innovations to improve efficiency and lower training times. The Vehicle itself remains relatively inexpensive to produce and is thus produced in extensive numbers.

Current Soviet Fleet Strength and Deployment:

Notes: Sevastopol Class Carriers carry around 100 Fighter Craft constituting 20 Wings, Eight Of These Wings Consist of MiG-51D, Five Consist of MiG-43R, Four Consist of IL-201's, with Three consisting of SU-85's. In terms of constituent parts, Fleets will normally be accompanied by anywhere from 30-60 Suvorov class Corvettes.

Fleet deployment pertains to the "Home Supply" areas of Fleets, and not to their permanent position, While many fleet assets may be being refitted, overhauled and such during peacetime at their port of call - they are also likely to be dispersed for peacetime patrol or other such affairs.

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First Red Banner Fleet Tsentral'nyy - "Sever", Stationed at Donetsk Fleet Complex, Kiev System:
Current Stength:
2 Odessa Class Battleships (SNS Donetsk, SNS Lviv)
1 Moscow Class Command Ship (SNS Ryazan)
4 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Sevastopol, SNS Kursk, SNS Staraya Rossiya, SNS Kharkiv)
4 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
7 Retivyy Class Cruisers
10 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
12 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
8 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
12 Avrova Class Destroyers
20 Vatutin Class Destroyers
18 Silayev Class Destroyers
28 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Kiev
CO: Vice Admiral Mikhail Petrovsky

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Second Red Banner Fleet Zapad - "Ssylka", Stationed at the Yuri Complex, Astana System:
Current Stength:
2 Odessa Class Battleships (SNS Odessa, SNS Astana)
1 Moscow Class Command Ship (SNS Tashkent)
4 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Omsk, SNS Irkutsk, SNS Shymkent, SNS Oral)
6 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
8 Retivyy Class Cruisers
12 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
14 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
8 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
12 Avrova Class Destroyers
20 Vatutin Class Destroyers
18 Silayev Class Destroyers
28 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Astana
CO: Admiral Nikolai Markova

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Third Red Banner Fleet Sibir' - "Vostok", Stationed at Port Vladivostok, Vladivostok System.
Current Stength:
2 Odessa Class Battleships (SNS Vladivostok, SNS Kaliningrad)
1 Moscow Class Command Ship (SNS Sakhalin)
3 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Murmansk, SNS Archangelsk, SNS Kem)
5 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
7 Retivyy Class Cruisers
9 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
11 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
6 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
12 Avrova Class Destroyers
23 Vatutin Class Destroyers
22 Silayev Class Destroyers
28 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Vladivostok
CO: Vice Admiral Vladimir Petrovich

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Fourth Red Banner Fleet Tsentr - "Zapadnyy", Stationed at Mogilev Station, Minsk System:
Current Stength:
1 Odessa Class Battleships (SNS Minsk)
1 Moscow Class Command Ship (SNS Mogilev)
3 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Orsha, SNS Kursk, SNS Orel)
3 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
5 Retivyy Class Cruisers
7 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
10 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
6 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
9 Avrova Class Destroyers
14 Vatutin Class Destroyers
16 Silayev Class Destroyers
20 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Minsk
CO: Vice Admiral Saskia Damovich

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Fifth Red Banner Fleet Severnaya - "Soyuz", Stationed at Asimov Station, Grozny System:
Current Stength:
3 Odessa Class Battleships (SNS Baku, SNS Tbilisi, SNS Yerevan)
1 Moscow Class Command Ship (SNS Ingushetia)
5 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Grozny, SNS Kursk, SNS Orel)
8 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
12 Retivyy Class Cruisers
16 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
18 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
10 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
14 Avrova Class Destroyers
22 Vatutin Class Destroyers
24 Silayev Class Destroyers
32 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Baku
CO: Admiral of the Fleet Dmitri Kirov

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Red Banner Battlegroup "Sozdaniye Otets", Stationed at the Petrozavodsk Complex, Novgorod System:
Current Stength:
2 Odessa Class Battleships (SNS Perm, SNS Magadan)
1 Moscow Class Command Ship (SNS Novgorod)
4 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Petrozavodsk, SNS Saratov, SNS Ivanova, SNS Rzhev)
4 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
8 Retivyy Class Cruisers
10 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
13 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
8 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
18 Avrova Class Destroyers
24 Vatutin Class Destroyers
20 Silayev Class Destroyers
32 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Perm
CO: Counter Admiral Gavril Tamarkin

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Red Banner Battlegroup "Zolotaya Orda", Stationed at the Genghis Fleet Yards, Ulaanbataar System:
Current Stength:
2 Odessa Class Battleships (SNS Saynshand, SNS Baikal)
1 Moscow Class Command Ship (SNS Irkutsk)
4 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Chita, SNS Krasnoyarsk, SNS Novosibirsk, SNS Onon)
4 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
8 Retivyy Class Cruisers
10 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
13 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
8 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
18 Avrova Class Destroyers
24 Vatutin Class Destroyers
20 Silayev Class Destroyers
32 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Saynshand
CO: Counter Admiral Arkady Medvedev

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Red Banner Task Force "Chernyy Nesti", Stationed at October Station, Stalingrad System:
Current Stength:
1 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Rostov)
1 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
2 Retivyy Class Cruisers
3 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
3 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
4 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
6 Avrova Class Destroyers
4 Vatutin Class Destroyers
4 Silayev Class Destroyers
8 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Rostov
CO: Counter Admiral Darya Yanukovich

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Red Banner Strategic Defense Fleet, Stationed at the Soyuz Fleet Shipyards, Leningrad System:
Current Stength:
3 Odessa Class Battleships (SNS Leningrad, SNS Stalingrad, SNS Moskva)
1 Moscow Class Command Ship (SNS Tver)
4 Sevastopol Class Carriers (SNS Chelyabinsk, SNS Vladimir, SNS Tula, SNS Kyubyshev)
6 Kiev Class Battlecruisers
8 Retivyy Class Cruisers
16 Krasnaya Class Cruisers
15 Slavnyy Class Light Cruisers
8 Sozvezdiye Class Escort Carriers
12 Avrova Class Destroyers
20 Vatutin Class Destroyers
20 Silayev Class Destroyers
30 Konev Class Frigates
Flagship: SNS Leningrad
CO: Counter Admiral Leonid Rurikid