Chernarussian Crisis Intensifies

SOUTH ZAGORIA, Chernarus (AAN) – Violence increases as U.S. task force arrive in region.

There can be little doubt that Chernarus is on the brink of a second civil war. Separatist milita controlling parts of the South Zagoria region – under the command of former Chernarussian Movement of the Red Star (ChDKZ) leader, Andrej Lopotev – have repelled government forces who yesterday attempted to retake the South Zagorian capital, Chernagorsk.

The failure comes after Chernarussian PM Alexander Baranov and members of his cabinet were assassinated by the rebels last friday and amid the arrival of a U.S Marine task force in the region.

Experts are seeing the defeat as the death-knell of a mortally wounded and leaderless Chernarussian government. The Chernarussian Defence Force were able to retake a small area of the capital but are now cut off from the Chernarussian hinterland by an increasingly confident ChDKZ army.

Leaked communiques, allegedly from the Russian embassy, have suggested that PM Baranov’s assassination came after the Russian Federation again refused talks with members of the ChDKZ leadership. Experts point to the former political party’s long-standing goal of reunification with Russia as the obvious motive. Russian officials have refused to comment on the leaked documents and there are signs that the Federation is gearing up to engage the situation developing on her border as the 321st Tank Battalion and 1st Company ‘Kazaki’ (‘The Cossacks’) are sent south. “Our stance is still that we will not enter Chernarussian territory except in the defence of the Federation, or under UN mandate.” An embassy official said, refusing to be drawn on the subject of leaked messages.

The besieged CDF inside Chernogorsk are now the only government force inside South Zagoria. With the Chernarussian government in chaos and 2,000 US Marines somewhere in the Green Sea to the south the region is braced for more bloodshed.