Fifth Kyrossic War

The Fifth Kyrossic War, sometimes called the Norasian War, is an armed conflict centered in the Kyrossic province of Norasia, the latest in an ongoing series of Kyrossic Wars and part of the wider Amphian and Continental Divides.

Ethnic violence rocked Kyrossia following the 2000 Treaty of Aven, and escalated after the 2010 Peace Law, which allowed hate crimes by Kyrossic citizens to be prosecuted in the Amphian Common Court, an organ of the Amphian Compact. Another source of controversy was the government’s Unity Program, an attempt to keep ethnically diverse municipalities from self-segregating. Tensions reached their peak after the April 14th Incident, in which ethnic Kyrossi militiamen killed four Zusian citizens, along with sixteen Kyrossi. Outrage in Zusea prompted the Zusian government to demand that the perpetrators be prosecuted by the Common Court, and moreover that those responsible for the Zusian deaths should be held in Zusian prisons if found guilty. Mass demonstrations, largely peaceful, erupted across Kyrossia in response, calling for the abolition of the Peace Law and the end of ethnic violence generally.

The war itself began on 21 August 2014 when the Kyrossic Vanguard (EKP), the largest ethnic Kyrossi militia, overthrew the Norasian provincial government amidst the protests. They demanded the release of the perpetrators, the abolition of the Peace Law, and the end of the Unity Program. Most Norasian police and military units defected to the Vanguard and cooperated with the new government. Though they offered to hold peaceful negotiations, the EKP's ties to Arshavat led the federal government to refuse negotiations and launch an invasion of the “rebel-held territory.” Fierce but inconclusive fighting persisted for months, and ethnic paramilitaries began to join the conflict on both sides. Arshavati support to Norasia expanded exponentially, eventually including volunteer forces (so-called ""), eliciting condemnation from the Amphian Compact. Throughout October, Zusian and Redonian forces were mobilized to the Kyrossic border. Compact peacekeepers, present in Kyrossia since the Treaty of Aven, avoided involving themselves in the conflict.

The Kyrossic government formally triggered Article One of the Treaty of Isola on 6 November 2014, labeling the Norasian insurrection as a “foreign invasion” and thereby obligating its Compact allies to intervene in its defense. A joint Zusso-Redonian “police gesture” (Zusian: ᛈᚬᛚᛁᛉᛂᛁᚷᛂᛊᛏᚨ polizaigesta, Redonian: geste policier) commenced the next day as the regular armed forces of both nations began combat operations in Kyrossia. The effect was devastating: in three weeks the Norasian government lost over 90% of its territory, and the Kyrossic Vanguard faced imminent defeat. In response, forces of the Arshavati XX Army crossed the border in the morning of December 1st, escalating the conflict dramatically and leading to the so-called Christmas Blitz, the first direct armed conflict between great powers in Amphia since the Third Kyrossic War. Unprepared for the invasion, Compact forces were forced out of Norasian territory, and collectivist forces took thousands of prisoners. Arshavat claimed its invasion was necessary to protect the Kyrossic peoples' rights to self-determination, as well as to halt the "ethnic violence and bloodshed which is tacitly incited by Compact nations and carried out by Compact surrogates." Reports of ethnic cleansing and proliferated during the war and the blitz on both sides, usually perpetrated by paramilitaries and guerillas rather than professional soldiers.

With Amphia on the edge of war, the Zusian 2nd Jaguar Division entered Kyrossia on 15 January 2015 to provide an armored spearhead for the Compact counterattack, Operation Stormbreaker. The assault wiped out most of the regular Norasian army and inflicted severe casualties on Arshavati troops. Collectivist forces quickly withdrew to the mountainous Zakharias Line, which in some places was only a few miles from the Arshavati border. Meanwhile, the besieged Norasian capital of Koskina saw some of the bloodiest fighting in Amphia since the Endwar, suffering nonstop shelling by Compact forces and thousands of civilian deaths. The violence peaked in February, and declined steadily until the Koskina Protocol, signed in March between the governments of Zusea, Redon, and Arshavat, which provided for the withdrawal of most of their troops from the frontlines, though unofficial "volunteers" and PMCs from each country continued to fight on both sides. The next summer, the Kyrossic government launched Operation Empress, successfully taking a few cities but failing to expel collectivist forces from most of the Zakharias Line. Since then, sporadic fighting and stagnant front lines have led to the war being labeled a.

There have been more than 28 ceasefires and 20,000 military and civilian casualties since the start of the war in 2014. The Christmas Blitz helped to provoke a brief global recession in 2015 as fears of another Endwar abounded across Amphia, and the broader war sparked an ongoing refugee crisis as millions of Kyrossi fled the violence into neighboring Arshavat, Valourium, Zusea, and Redon. The latest ceasefire took effect on 5 July 2020, the so-called July Protocol, which reduced the intensity of the fighting and provided for the withdrawal of some Compact forces from the border region.

Course of the War
Just after 05:00 local time on 21 August 2014, elements of the Kyrossic IV Army Corps occupied the provincial capital building in Koskina, Norasia, and demanded an immediate independence referendum. At the same time, militia groups of the Kyrossic Vanguard flooded the streets of the capital and occupied government buildings in Tsigarovon, issuing demands for the end of the Peace Law and Unity Program. Though the coup appeared coordinated, the conflicting demands from the two groups initially created confusion as to the true source of the chaos. Nevertheless, an hour later, General Iakovos Parios proclaimed himself governor of Norasia and chief of an "emergency committee," with the head of the Kyrossic Vanguard Damian Lazakis as his vice-governor. Police and security forces across the province all swore allegiance to the new government in the next several hours. Fighting was reported between loyalist and rebel soldiers, but the vast majority of the Corps sided with Parios. Police and soldiers accused of firing on protestors were publicly hanged in Koskina, Tsigarovon, and Vardhári.

The federal government in Lousikon declared the coup a mutiny and demanded all servicemen of the IV Corps stand down. The rest of the Kyrossic Grand Army was mobilized the next day, and clashes broke out along the border of Norasia as loyalist forces attempted to reach airbases in Norasian territory. Moreover, in a public address, the office of the Basileus accused Arshavat of organizing the coup and providing neutral liaisons between the Corps and the Vanguard. Meanwhile, pockets of loyalist resistance were eliminated in Norasia. Intermittent fighting persisted for a week as both sides exchanged demands and accusations. On 27 August, the federal government withdrew from an agreement to hold a conference in Prosilion, claiming to have found evidence of direct communication between the Vanguard and high-level authorities in Bahramabad. Norasia was declared to be "rebel-held territory" the next day, and Lousikon severed all communication with Koskina.

Operation Antiparasite
Kyrossic Grand Army (KMS) forces launched a broad invasion of the rebel province at 06:15 local time, 30 August 2014. General Tassos Roussopoulos was placed in charge of Operation Antiparasite (Kyrossic: Επιχείρηση Αντιπαρασιτικό) with the objective of reestablishing federal control over all of Norasia. Later the same day, the Norasian emergency committee declared independence as the People's Republic of Norasia, and accused the Kyrossic government of starting an illegal war. Arshavat recognized Norasia the next day, and most of its allies in CODEX followed suit in the ensuing weeks. The nations of the Amphian Compact, meanwhile, issued statements referring to Norasia as a rebel province, and the emergency committee as a "fascist insurrection." The IV Army Corps was restyled the Norasian Revolutionary Army (NES).

Antiparasite began with a coordinated volley of missile and artillery fire, striking a limited number of NES positions nearest the border and a few structures in the outskirts of Koskina. Reports indicated that the KMS expected a quick victory and wanted to avoid excessive damage to Norasian infrastructure. A state of emergency was declared across Norasia, and civilians began descending into basements and subway stations for shelter. The border crossings from Norasia into Zusea, Valourium, and Arshavat became clogged with traffic, and the Zusian Grenzipol requested assistance from local police to handle the overflow. Loyalist KMS forces retained control of the major routes into Redon, and were harshly criticized for blocking refugees from leaving.

Three KMS mechanized columns advanced along major highways towards the border cities of Platiana, Katafourkon, and Armenoi, but faced stiff resistance from NES forces, aided by local police and militias. Moreover, the Kyrossic Air Force lost nearly a dozen fixed-wing aircraft in the first few days of operations; despite its lack of an air force, the NES possessed an abundance of MANPADS and other anti-air weaponry. Kyrossic forces encircled Armenoi on 5 September and pressed onward to Tsigarovon, a stronghold of the Vanguard and symbolic heart of the revolt, alongside Koskina. However, all three advances were bogged down in the following weeks by intense Norasian resistance, and losses mounted for the KMS.

On 12 September, Zusea became the first foreign power to mobilize forces in response to the war. The Zusian 2nd Mountain Jäger Division began assembling near the Norasian border, the 4th Imperial Rifles Division began deploying to Kyrossia, and the Himmelkorps was reported to be relocating aircraft and personnel into Ossintoria. Redon was the second to act, mobilizing the 4e division cuirassée de la garde into Kyrossic territory on the 14th. Arshavat responded with its own mobilizations the next day, and accused the Compact of escalating tensions.

By 30 September, the entire frontline had settled into stalemate, with Kyrossic forces struggling to overcome massive fuel and munition shortages. Armenoi and Katafourkon had been encircled, but very little progress had been made otherwise into Norasian territory. Videos surfaced online of kilometer-long convoys of trucks crossing from Arshavat into Norasia. Two opposed combat drops were attempted near Koskina on 9 October. The KMS hoped to swiftly capture the capital and end the rebellion; both drops failed spectacularly.

By 25 October, amidst the stalemate, roughly 40,000 Zusian and 20,000 Redonian troops were arranged against Norasia, in addition to the nearly 50,000 Kyrossic servicemen already engaged in combat: a combined total of more than 110,000. Facing this force was fewer than 50,000 Norasian fighters, many of them militia conscripts. Large staging grounds of Zusian and Redonian infantry were captured in satellite photos, equipped with field hospitals. Arshavat and Valourium condemned the "aggressive actions of the Amphian Compact" and each offered to host peace talks between the Kyrossic and Norasian governments. In response, the Kyrossic federal government reiterated its stance that there was no legitimate Norasian state to negotiate with. Operation Antiparasite was officially declared a failure on 1 November, and General Roussopoulos was sacked. Arshavat warned on 2 November that any actions which "violate[d] the sovereignty of the Kyrossic and Norasian peoples" would not be tolerated. Both Zusea and Redon claimed their troops were assembled for policing purposes, and warned Arshavat and Valourium against "interfering in domestic Compact affairs."

Compact intervention
The Kyrossic government formally triggered Article One of the Treaty of Isola on 6 November 2014, labeling the Norasian insurrection as a "foreign invasion" and thereby obligating its Compact allies to intervene in its defense. An hour later, Zusian Basilikar Raphael VIII appeared in a rare televised address to announce the start of a "police gesture" (Zusian: ᛈᚬᛚᛁᛉᛂᛁᚷᛂᛊᛏᚨ polizaigesta) in Kyrossia. The Redonian President probably did the same I guess KOL. At noon, Zusian and Redonian artillery opened fire on Norasian positions. A combined Zusso-Redonian missile barrage, much more wide-ranging than its Kyrossic predecessors, began striking targets across Norasia. The Himmelkorps began SEAD operations.

By 29 November, the NES had been totally owned.