War of 2042

The War of 2042 or gone by its more common names such as the Second Russian Revolution or the Continental War was a nine-month-long global wide conflict between various factions across Europe, Asia, and North America that was fought between March 8th, 2042 and November 19th, 2042. This conflict, the largest of its size since The Great Titan War was estimated to have caused the deaths of 12 million people across Europe and Asia and was the first time in history that the use of nuclear terrorism had ever been seen in an act of war.
For the first time since the Korean War, the United Nations was granted permission on an international stage to have a paramilitary force made up of volunteer soldiers and forces from multiple countries. The War of 2042 would also be the stepping stone for the newly formed Federation of the Americas to get on its feet, and it would also see the regime change in the new Russian Federation leading to the stages of what would eventually become the political alliances of the Federation-American War.
== Background ==
=== Tension in Russia ===
Russia, 2042. After the loss during the Great Titan War and a 10-year military occupation by the European Coalition and United Nations, Russia had found itself in substandard economic conditions. Since Vladimir Putin had died in office, Dmitry Medvedev had been he de factor permanent leader of Russia. However, he found himself ruled over a nation that was filled with tension from political opposition from several groups.
Within the Russian Government existed a faction that was ever growing more disconent with the Medvedev Government. This faction became known as "The Directorate" and included some of the most prominent officials such as Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and director of the FSB Natalia Poklonskaya. Together with a sizable part of the Russian Army, the Directorate planned to take control of the Russian Government whenever the oppertunity presented itself. 
=== Tension in the Middle East ===
Following the outcome of The Great Titan War and the Great Collapse, many states across the world found themselves struggling to maintain legitimacy. The Middle East in particular became a hot bed of Nationalist Fever. In the United Arab Emirates, a group called "The Peoples Liberation and Resistance" or "PLR" lead an insurgency against the UAE Government. The group was lead by a man known as Faruk Al-Bashir, who was a staunch fundamentalist and an outspoken supporter of protectionist policy. His feirce nationalism lead the United States Government and the Saudi Arabian Monarchy to label him and his group as an enemy. But over the course of the 2030s and up until 2042 the PLR grew to gain friends across Saudi Arabia, Qater, Oman, and Yemen. By the time of 2042, Bashir became somewhat of a celebrity in the Middle East, traveling to failing states all across the region to give arousing adresses. Al-Bashir became the fuel that would be needed to kickstart another Arab Spring, the only question was when.
== War of 2042 ==
=== The Coup ===
On March 8th, 2042, while Medvedev was planning to give a speech to the Duma, the members of The Directorate leaped into action. The Russian Army rolled into Moscow and St. Petersburgh, and captured several Russian Media Centers, Economic Centers, and Government. The leaders of the plot then surrounded the State Duma building, demanding that Medvedev resign from Government. Rather than Medvedev stepping down, several members of his security lead him out of the building and out of Moscow. Believing that Medvedev was simply refusing the demands, the plotters then turned to the Army who proceeded to storm the State Duma. With no choice, the Duma was forced to sign into legislation a new government called "The Directorate". 
=== Civil War in Russia ===
Rather than having the intended effect of bringing about National Unity, the Directorates actions is ultimately what began the triggering of Civil War within Russia. The coup brought about a sense of feeling that the Government was incompetent and unable to fix the economic conditions in Russia. With this, armed revolts soon broke out across Russia, with many in the Russian Army simply turning to the factions vying for power. With the Russian Army collapsing, the state itself followed with it and what it turned into was a Civil War. 
==== Factions ====
After the Directorate Government was formed, many factions across Russia rose and began an armed revolt against the Directorate. They not only fought against the Directorate, but began fighting with each other into who would become the leader of Russia. As if the situation weren't bad enough, Interventionist Forces operating under the banner of the United Nations began actively fighting in the war. These factions included...
===== The Directorate =====
The Government that started this whole thing, the Directorate mainly took control of Northern and Northwestern Russia. The United States of America and the European Coalition actively refused to recognize The Directorate, and had begun making preperations to directly intervene.
===== Red Banner Rebellion =====
The Red Banner Rebellion was a National Communist Movement in Russia that operated across Northern Kazahkstan, South Central Russia, and the Carcasus region. The largest of the rebel groups, the Red Banner Rebellion operated on the idea of plotting to dissolve the Russian Federation and planning to rebirth the il-faded Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and all of its former member states. Lead by a Russian Ultranationalist by the name of Katya Prugova, she and her grup were declared enemies by the United States and other Western Allies. 
===== The White Guard =====
The least popular of all the factions vying for power, the White Guard Operated in Northwest Russia and were a collection of monarchists who wanted to rebirth the Russian Empire. Not just the Russian Empire but include nations such as Poland and Finland just like the territories of the Russian Empire. The White Guard Operated on the il-faded idea that Russia was the Third Rome and successor to the Roman Empire, and wanted to install a new Tsarist Rule. 
===== The Cossack Host =====
The Cossack Host wasn't really a faction, but rather a collective group of remanents fighting for control over respective regions. These raiders would plauge the Directorate and the Red Banner Rebellion and aim to distribute necessary aid to the rural villages of Russia. However the Cossack Host would regularly engage in combat with the Interventionist Forces as well. Not much is known about the motivations of The Cossack Host, but they proved one heck of a fighting force. 
===== The Kostovian Independence Group =====
The Kostovian Independence Group was a band of rebels in Southwestern Russia guided by ideals from the long forgotten Chechen Rebellions. Led by a mysterious man known as "Hades" the Kostovian Independence Movement revolted against the directorate almost the minute it was installed. Its forced were mostly made up of militants organized into a faction called the "KVA". Their aim was to create a new state comprised of the Russian States of Dagestan, Chechnya, North Ossetia, and Kabardino-Balkarian as a new nation that would be called "Kostovia". The Kostovians were regularly forced into combat agaist the Directorate and the Reb Banner Rebellion. 
===== The Black Wolves =====
A collection of units from the now il-fade Russian Army, the Black Wolves were not really a rebel group but opposed the actions of basically any other group. Controlling areas in Eastern Siberia such as the city of Vladivostok, the Black Wolves consisted of many from the Russian Navy and Air Force. The Black Wolves were a heavily armed and disciplined organization that ultimately would help interventionist forces in distributing aid wherever possible. 
===== Medvedev Loyalists =====
The Medvedev Loyalists, as their name implies, were mostly a group of civilians and military officials who called for the restoration of Dmitri Medvedev as President of the Russian Federation.
===== Loyalist Militia =====
The Russian Loyalist Militias were the third largest of the many factions in the Russian Civil War. The Russian Loyalists were simply military and civilian forces who wanted to re-establish the Russian Federal Government and hopefully convert it to Western Democracy. However, as the name implies, the Loyalists were not a united force, and the term loyalist was often used by the United Nations to distinguish between their allied and enemy groups.
===== United Nations Interventionist Forces =====
The United Nations interventionist forces were essentially a military organization operating under the mandate of the United Nations. With forces from the People's Republic of China, the United States, Great Britain, India, South Korea, and the Federation of the Americas, the interventionist forces were there to depose the directorate, depose the Red Banner Rebellion, and establish a brand new united Russian Government.
=== Coup in Saudi Arabia ===
On March 12th, 2042, just days after the outbreak of Civil War in Russia, Faruk Al-Bashir decided to seize the initiative to secure power for the PLR. On the night of Wednesday March 12th, 2042, the PLR openly attacked the Saudi Arabian Capital of Riyadh, cutting down through Government forces and well as civilians who they deemed a threat to their new order. The morning then saw the PLR proceeding to storm the Al Yamamah Palace and capture King Mohammed bin Salman. With the Capital having been seized, the PLR then began the process of seizing vital military installations across Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. By March 13th the PLR successfully had managed to force the Saudi Arabian Monarchy to surrender to the coup leaders. With the establishment of this new military dictatorship, the PLR then proceeded to execute the Saudi Royal family on live TV. Almost immediately, the United States of America began preperations to mobilize for war. The United States Government having Al-Bashir in charge of one of their "allies" in the Middle East wasn't acceptable. 
=== April ===
==== Assault on South Ossetia ====
Beginning in April 2042 as war was ravaging Russia, the United Nations began operations inside of Russian territory. Their first priority target was in South Ossetia (Now part of the Russian Federation) in which the Russian Loyalist Militia had informed the UN about a poison gas factory in the region that was controlled by The Directorate. Unaware of what exactly they were dealing with, it was decided to deploy a task force into the area to gain intelligence. The force would be comprised of British S.A.S who would link up with the Loyalist Militia to raid this facility. 
Attacking at night, the UN teams slowly made their way into the vicinity with a United States Air Force drone overhead to provide cover for the assault. As the task force moved their way through the facility, they discovered multiple containers that appears to be labeled with Arabic markings. It soon was discovered that the containers were the property of the Peoples Liberation and Resistance in the Middle East. But that wasn't the only thing, the intelligence that this facility was owned by the Directorate was wrong, it was actually a facility that was owned by the Red Banner Rebellion.
However, the task force mission was cut short, when Russian Fighter jets and entered the picture and took out the American Drone in the vicinity. These jets belonged to The Directorate and they proceeded to attack the Gas Factory while the UN operatives were still inside. The ensuing battle soon went three ways as the UN forces and Loyalist Militia fought their way through the battle between the Red Banner Rebellion and The Directorate. Most of the Russian Loyalist forces were killed in the fight, but most of the UN operatives were able to escape. 
In response to the battle, the Directorate soon became outraged. The Directorate publicly accused Georgia was harboring Russian Rebel forces to launch raids into South Ossetia. Georgia vehemently denied these accusations, but it wouldn't be enough for The Directorate. Soon, this war would start crossing borders. 
==== Invasion of Saudi Arabia ====
The day after the Battle in South Ossetia came the real event that would define hostilities. The United Nations under a coalition led by the United States and the European Coalition launched a full on invasion of the PLR-controlled Saudi Arabia. Using Egypt, Jordan, and Israel as forwarding bases, the UN forces landed along the Saudi Arabian Coastal cities of Yanbu, Umluj, and Al Wajh. The aim was to capture these coastal towns, and then advance from thereon into the industrial center of the country.
Right off the bat, the United Nations encountered stiff resistance. The Peoples Liberation and Resistance were well equipped with arms from Russia and the United States. This influx of Russian arms, including the infamous T-72 and T-80 model tanks, was seen throughout the battlefield. However, these tanks were horribly outdated and outmatched compared to the new American M4 Wildcat Tanks. Despite then outdated vehicles, the PLR was still able to offer large amounts of armed resistance against the invading United Nations Forces.
==== PLR Expansion ====
The day after the United Nations invasion began, the Peoples Liberation and Resistance began their next move. Using their newfound military equipment the PLR launched an all-out invasion of the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. Kuwait was in not much of a position to defend against the overwhelming numbers that were attacking them, and they were quickly overrun. By April 9th, the Peoples Liberation and Resistance had captured the entirety of Kuwait and Qatar, but had invaded all the way to Oman and Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. The PLR also went North and attacked the Iraqi city of Basara and continued pushing North. 
To prevent Iraq from falling into the hands of the PLR, the United Nations began an assault down into the Arabian Desert to attack PLR supply lines. In a series of battles, a clear trend emerged. The United Nations was often finding itself rolling through towns and villages that didn't want PLR rule in their country, and thus many were willing to defect to their side or offer assistance. The United Nations also discovered that the PLR didn't really have much combat experience and didn't have the most idea of how to use the equipment they had obtained effectively.
==== Invasion of Kazakhstan ====
After learning that the Peoples Liberation and Resistance wasn't doing exactly well against the United Nations forces in Saudi Arabia, the Red Banner Rebellion and its supporters decided to launch a little war of their own. The Red Banner Rebellion using the Chemical Weapons they had collected from South Ossetia decided to launch a Chemical Attack on Almaty, Kazakhstan. A couple of weeks before the bombing, Katya Prugova with the assistance of Pakistani Warlords moved soldiers indiscreetly to Kyrgyzstan in preparation.
On April 15th, 2042, the Red Banner Rebellion launched its attack. The Red Banner Rebellion attacked the Kazakhstan Capital of Nur-Sultan. Local militia attempted to disrupt the Red Banner Rebellion attacks, but they were no good. The Red Banner Rebellion successfully launched their gas attack, killing an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Civilians in the process. After the bombing, the Red Banner Rebellion launched an all-out invasion of Kazakhstan, catching the Kazakh military completely off guard. To prevent the Red Banner Rebellion from seizing control of Kazakhstan, the United Nations decided to intervene directly.
===== Sino-American Intervention =====
The United Nations, specifically the United States and the Peoples Republic of China, for the first time in a very long time decided on a joint military opposition against the Red Banner Rebellion. However, the mission soon changed entirely when it was revealed that Katya Prugova seemed to be leading the operation herself. At this point, the mission changed entirely from just repealing the Red Banner Rebellion from Kazakhstan, but to taking out Katya Prugova herself and chopping the head off of the rebellion. To accomplish this, the United States Military sent Captain Chase Miller to capture or kill Prugova and eliminate her forces in the region. The United Nations was assigned to work with Kazakh Military Specialist Gregory Koslov takedown and expel the Red Banner Rebellion.
The first mission for the United Nations was to destroy an old Soviet military installation that the Red Banner Rebellion had captured from the Directorate a few years earlier. Clearing the villages near the base of enemy presence, and destroying many of the AA Guns that were guarding the place, the United Nations comprised of mostly soldiers from the Peoples Liberation Army successfully captured the base from Prugova's forces. Afterward, Mitchell and Peoples Liberation Army General Jingwei were tasked to travel to team kill one of Prugova's top commanders in a meeting at Karagandy.
At the dead of night, Chinese and American Special forces snuck into the occupied city of Karagandy, in hopes of observing the meeting between Katya Prugova and a supposed top commander of hers. The teams took up positions surrounding the meeting and waited for the arrival of the envoys. However, when the meeting took place, soon everything went south. It turned out that Katya Prugovas's top commander was none other than Faruk Al-Bashir, the leader of the Peoples Liberation and Resistance. At this point, the sniping mission was called off, and they were gonna have to report back to base.
===== Attack on the Karagandy =====
Eventually, the United Nations decided to attack the Karagandy directly in an attempt to throw the Red Banner Rebellion back into Russia and prevent the fall of Nur-Sultan to the Red Banner Army, which would most likely end one way. Together, the combined US and Peoples Liberation Air Force worked together to eliminate enemy targets in Karagandy. Many of the targets included vehicle depots, armor columns, and S.A.M sites in and around the city. With these attacks, the United Nations troops and what was left of the Kazakhstan Military began their full-scale assault on preparing a full-scale assault of the city.
The United Nations first started out by capturing or destroying enemy bunkers and positions outside the city, as well as blocking off roadways to prevent Red Banner Rebellion reinforcements from sending reinforcements to the city. Unaware if Katya Prugova or Faruk Al Bashir were still there, the United Nations Soldiers were ordered to search many key points for possible locations on the HVTs. In an attempt to capture the city, the Red Banner Rebellion used outright cruel methods against the Civilian Population caught up in the crossfire. However, despite all of this, the HVTs were gone.
After taking back Karagandy, the entire focus of what was happening in the Middle East and Russia had changed. These were not two separate wars, they were interconnected. Captain Chase Miller and PLA General Jingwei were reported back out of Kazahkstan to hopefully gain more intel on the relationship between the Red Banner Army and the Peoples Liberation and Resistance. However, the United Nations wasn't going to get much of an answer, as soon everything was gonna be delayed.
=== May ===
==== Russian Invasion of Caucasus ====
On May 1st, 2042, the Russian Military rolled into the separatist region of Georgia known as Abkhazia. From there, the Russians (Under direct orders from the directorate) launched multiple rockets and firebombing campaigns of the cities of Iphki, Dzhvari, and Senaki before rolling head on into the country. The Directorate claimed that Georgian troops in South Ossetia was an invasion of its own right and was a direct act of war. The Russians proceeded to use Poison gas against multiple civilian populations and gave orders to shoot anybody who they deemed prone to resistance.
On May 5th, 2042, the Russians captured the city of Poti and began moving along the Rioni River towards the city of Kutaisi. The Georgians (Directly supported by the Kostovians) desperately appealed to the outside world for help. The United States Military quickly responded to the frantic call by dispatching its forces from Turkey to stop the Russian advancement. Knowing that the directorate was going to respond, the United Nations Interventionist Forces quickly shifted their focus away from the developing crises between the Red Banner Rebellion and the PLR to focus on the Georgian theatre of war.
By May 10th, the Russians had reached what they called their "Rightful claim to territory" by illegally incorporating the territory of Abkhazia, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, the city of Kutaisi, and up towards South Ossetia. From there, the Directorate ordered its armed forces to begin rocket attacks against the Georgian Capital city of Tbilisi. The Directorate claimed that these states were rightful breakaway states from Georgia and were a rightful part of the Russian Federation.
===== United Nations Intervention =====
On May 14th, 2042, a Russian rocket attack on the Georgian city of Tbilisi hit the US Embassy in Georgia, killing 30 and injuring 72 more. As a result of the bombing, the United Nations Interventionist Forces declared that The Directorate and the Red Banner Rebellion were at the top of the priority list of enemies. The United Nations responded to this by sending units from Turkey and Israel from the main Arabian Desert campaign against the PLR to the Georgian Theatre of War.
==== Offensive on Al Qunfudhah ====
As the end of May approached, the United Nations was making good time on its war against the Peoples Liberation and Resistance in Saudi Arabia. The PLR was too ill-equipped to handle the forces that were attacking them. Although most of the air forces had been eliminated by this point, the PLR ground forces were still posing a large threat to the United Nations in Saudi Arabia. Worst of all, the Saudi Arabian economy had near completely collapsed, so the PLR was essentially unable to offer much of a counterattack.
On May 18th, 2042, the United Nations ran a large-scale amphibious assault against the city of Al Qunfudhah. The United Nations had dispatched a rather large force to deal with the situation, so the PLR resorted to the use of old-style warfare tactics. The PLR hid inside the buildings and launched ambush attacks on the invading UN Forces wherever they could. At the same time, the PLR hid anti-tank traps throughout the city, but it provided very little defense due to the superior armor abilities of the United Nations.
After fighting their way through markets, back alleyways, and civilian homes, the United Nations Force eventually split its force into two. One Force would move North to link up with the UN troops coming in from the North, the other would move due East towards the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. However, as the United Nations Forces secured the city of Al Qunfudhah, a company of United States Marines seemed to have discovered something, odd. Hidden in a bank vault near downtown Al Qunfudhah, was what appeared to be papers and containers with Russian addresses on the boxes. This seemed to further confirm the suspicion that the Peoples Liberation and Resistance were working together.
==== Assault on Riyadh ====
Eventually, the United Nations forces in Saudi Arabia decided to launch a massive assault on the Saudi Arabian Capital City of Riyadh and remove the Peoples Liberation and Resistance from power. Intelligence had suggested that Faruk Al Bashir had fled from Kazakhstan, but where he went was a different story. Nonetheless, the United States and the UN Forces decided to continue with their assault on Riyadh and hopefully end the war against the PLR.
Before the ground assault could begin, the UN needed to take out the city's heavy anti-Aircraft defenses. The target was King Khalid International Airport where a large amount of enemy aircraft and supplies were located. Launching from the Red Sea, the United States Navy began launching multiple H.A.W.X Cruise Missiles in and around the city of Riyadh, targeting PLR industrial centers and military facilities. At the same time, fighter jets launched from the US Gerald Ford and George H.W Bush Aircraft Carriers flew into Saudi Arabian Airspace. Although the PLR was able to use its fighter jets to offer some resistance, the US Air Force managed to reach their target of King Khalid International Airport and eliminated most of the PLR's air capabilities.
thumb|US M5A2 Spartan Tanks fighting in Saudi Arabia 
Later on, after the missile and airstrikes concluded over Riyadh, the coalition forces proceeded to send three armor columns from Rumah, Al Hefnah, and Al Majma'ah comprising mostly American, European, and Israeli Soldier's tanks. While on the way towards Riyadh, the United Nations armored column from Rumah encountered multiple PLR rocket battery encampments that were positioned outside the city. As the group continued their way toward the Capital City, the PLR attempted a counterattack using armored divisions of their own. However, the outdated Chinese, American, French, and Russian equipment they were using were almost not effective against the Coalition tanks attacking them. Eventually, though, the coalition forces linked up on the three main highways that connected to Riyadh. After AC-135 gunships destroyed multiple PLR military convoys in front of the invasion force, the coalition forces moved steadily towards Riyadh with a force over 40,000 strong.
===== Confirmed Nuclear Threat =====
At O3:00 hours on May 31st, 2042, the first shots of the Battle of Riyadh were fired. The assault led by United States Marines first kicked off with coalition forces entering the city from the At-Turaif District. The assault was hampered by artillery fire from PLR positions, however, the PLR's air capabilities had been virtually decimated. Eventually, though, full urban combat fighting occurred with PLR machine gun nests positioned in multiple buildings. This forces coalition forces to have to resort to brutal urban combat, being forced to go mostly building by building to clear out PLR forces from the structures.
Eventually, though, the first vehicle units arrived in the city. Most of the vehicle units were directed to the Al-Yamama Palace, where it was believed that Faruk Al-Bashir was held up at waiting to face his fate. However, the PLR wasn't going to let that happen easily, with multiple ambush positions set up across the city. Eventually, though, coalition forces comprising mostly British S.A.S arrived at the Al-Yamama Palace, where a firefight began for the Royal Palace. It was thought the intense PLR Resistance defending the palace concluded the Faruk Al Bashir was held up inside. However, instead of that, what they instead found was what appeared to be a WMD.
At 09:15 AM, the first armored battalions arrived, followed by air support from several different nations. The armored divisions slowly traversed through downtown Riyadh, being forced to go through going through open streets and tight alleys. The PLR ground forces ambushed the armored columns at any opportunity they could fire, and as a result, some armored vehicles were lost in the fighting. At the same time, however, the WMD threat was reported to high command, changing the entire attitude of the situation.
Command immediately once they heard about the possible Nuclear Threat ordered all forces to extract from the city and fall back to the North. The UN forces also sent Nuclear Emergency Search Teams into the Al-Yamama Palace in an attempt to verify the device. As the order was given, the PLR suddenly came in with a counterattack from the North in an attempt to retake the city causing issues with the evacuation. As the PLR counterattack occurred, it was confirmed that they had a Nuclear Weapon in the Al-Yamama Palace. But it was simply too late.
At 09:30 AM, in what was believed to be a suicide mission by Faruk Al-Bashir, the nuclear device went off. The bomb killed the remaining Peoples Liberation and Resistance defenders in the city, the remaining civilian population, and the attack force of 40,000 strong. Destruction from the weapon spread out over a radius of 7.4 miles, the fallout from the blast was expected at 12 miles. This was the first use of a nuclear weapon in an act of war since the Great Titan War 20 years before it, and it changed the meaning of the War of 2042 on its head.
=== June ===
==== Russian Invasion of the Baltics ====
After the nuclear detonation in Riyadh, the United Nations Interventionist Forces shifted their focus away from the war against the PLR and shifted focus to Russia. The United States, Great Britain, and the European Coalition had condemned the Russian Invasion of Georgia, citing that South Ossetia and Abkhazia were rightfully a part of Georgia. They also denounced that the Directorate was the illegitimate leader of the Russian Federation, and declared Dmitri Medvedev as the true leader. The Directorate protested, citing the "Victory" in the Russo-Georgian War and that Abkhazia had declared its independence from Georgia long ago.
On June 10th, 2042, NATO got a very rude awakening when bombs started raining over the Baltic cities of Tallinn, Riga, and Venta under the pretext of "Eliminating the White Guard" (One of the Russian Rebel groups). However, the real reason for the military operation was not to eliminate the White Guard but to actually eliminate NATO soldiers there that were supplying the Russian Loyalists. Immediately, the European Coalition and the United States declared the invasion to be a declaration of war on the European Coalition, and soon the west declared that the removal of the Directorate was in order.
==== Hunt for Al-Bashir in Azerbaijan ====
After the explosion in Riyadh, the British S.A.S had received intelligence from the Black Wolves (An ally in the Russian Civil War) that Faruk Al-Bashir didn't actually commit suicide in Saudi Arabia. Instead, it was presumed that he escaped the Coalition assault prior to the Nuclear Detonation and detonated the bomb remotely. Supposedly, Al-Bashir was located in a small farming village on the Azerbaijan-Russian Border that was controlled by the Red Banner Rebellion.
Using support from the Kostovian Rebels, a British S.A.S team with permission from the Azerbaijani Government was sent to the Russian Rebel-controlled village. What they stumbled upon was simply a massacre. The villagers were killed in a mass execution style, and bodies were lying everywhere. The Red Banner Rebellion simply had turned the village into a fortress. As a result, the Azerbaijani Military ordered a full-scale military assault on the village. Soon, a six-hour-long firefight broke out between the Red Banner Rebellion and joint British, Russian Loyalist, and Azerbaijani Military. As they proceeded through the village, they eventually came to a farmhouse outside the village, that was guarded entirely by PLR personnel. Upon breaching the building, they got what they came for, Faruk Al-Bashir.
Faruk Al-Bashir was captured by the combined military force. While in the safehouse, they discovered four maps of the Berlin, Tehran, Shanghai, and New York City, as well as two detailed plans for what appeared to be a weapon of sorts. The plans were labeled in Russian and Arabic and seemed to point to a motive of sorts. However, the biggest clue was the electronic emails and papers signed by only one person. The leader of the Red Banner Rebellion, Katya Prugova. However, among the other contacts, included an arms dealer in Bolivia named Paez.
Eight hours later, the combined arms forces in Azerbaijan came under attack from forces from The Directorate, supposedly looking for the Red Banner Rebellion. The Azerbaijani Military, fearing that the Directorate had ordered an invasion of the country, sent a counterattack force, and soon an intense firefight broke out between the Azerbaijani Military and Russian Military forces of The Directorate. The Russian offensive however was ultimately turned back when the United States Air Force sent an AC-130 and USMC Helicopters to extract the British S.A.S Commandos and Faruk Al-Bashir. From this point, an international coalition effort would begin against both the Directorate and the Red Banner Rebellion.
==== United Nations Counterattack in the Baltics ====
Beginning on July 17th, 2042, the United States, European Coalition, and other forces under the banner of the United Nations began an armed counterattack against the Russian Military in the Baltics. The first military operations began in both Klaipėda, Lithuania. The Russian Loyalists that controlled Kaliningrad decided to fight alongside the UN in the counterattack against the Russians.
The United Nations forces began their assault against the city of Klaipėda learning that a NATO Delegation was there being held hostage. The invasion of Klaipėda was the largest seaborne military operation since D-Day in 1944, with over 300,000 US, German, British, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, and other troops from both the European Coalition, the UK, and the United States attacking on LVTs and on helicopters. The UN invasion force pushed forwards on the beaches, using mortars and artillery to clear the beachhead of enemy tanks. The UN then proceeded in large street-to-street fighting against the Russian Military.
The Russians had a few tanks and other vehicles for support, but the US Air Force used its firepower to take these out and keep the Russian Air Force occupied for as long as possible. It was quickly discovered that the street warfare wasn't suited for tank warfare, and as a result tanks found themselves going through parking garages in some cases and entire buildings. As a result UN troops mostly were forced to leg it from onwards through the city.
As the street fighting continued, the UN forces discovered something that was, strange, to say the least. As the street fighting continued, the UN Soldiers discovered a garrison of Chinese Special Forces that were located in the destroyed city. According to the Chinese Soldiers, they were there on the same mission that the United Nations was, rescuing the NATO delegation. When asked why, it was stated that this delegation was going to be traded to an arms dealer named Dede Macaba in Nigeria, who was, in turn, supplying the Red Banner Rebellion with materials to fight the war in Russia and in Kazahkstan.
Realizing they were on the same mission, the UN Soldiers and the Chinese Special Forces agreed to fight together to achieve the same mission. Together, the joint force continued to fight through the streets of Klaipėda, before they eventually came to a building that was supposedly housing the NATO delegation to Lithuania. The building turned out to be a hotel, and as a result, they head to search room by room to find the delegation. However, as the UN Forces fought through the rooms against the Russian soldiers, they discovered that the delegation had been executed by the Russians, meaning that any intel on the situation was essentially useless.
==== Counterattack in Lithuania ====
After the UN invasion of Klaipėda, the United Nations proceeded outwards North and East towards the Lithuanian cities of Vilnius and Kaunas. The offensive on Klaipėda ultimately caught the directorate completely off-guard, and the Russians were being forced to fall back to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, which had been held under siege since the attack started.
The United Nations hit the Russians head-on at the city of Panevėžys, with United Nations Forces coming indirectly from the North and the South on the Russian-occupied city. The first battle began outside the city in a village known as Spirakiai, where Russian forces attempted to ambush a UN Convoy heading for Panevėžys. The ambush however was severely miscalculated, as the United Nations came up with the strategy of dividing the force into smaller elements so if one was attacked, the other could still achieve the objective. As a result, the Russian ambush against the United Nations forces lead to a failure. The United Nations however then proceeded onwards to attack a Russian Military camp southeast of the village. However, the advance on the camp was stalled when Russian SU-35s swept down and started attacking the UN Convoy. The Russian SU35s managed to take out the UN Gunships that were helping the UN Vehicles advance, however, the United Nations got support from an unlikely source.
As the battle raged on, air support from the Russian White Guard showed up and began attacking the Russian Forces from the Directorate. The United Nations forces were surprised by the support from one of the Russian Rebel groups that were not exactly their allies. Nonetheless, the UN Forces accepted the help from their unlikely allies and they then proceeded to attack and destroy the Russian Military encampment. The entire process saw many casualties. But it would pave the road for the future.
The Battle for Panevėžys began on June 24th, 2042, with United Nations units from the Japanese Self Defense Force attacking and securing the outskirts of Vynupė and Plukiai. With these areas secured, the United Nations Forces using the US Air Force began clearing the skies over Panevėžys. From there, the UN Paratroopers arrived and began deploying over the city as gunships did the best they good to eliminate enemy movement in the city. To prevent any Russian counterattack, the United Nations forces moved across the North and to the east towards the Russian-occupied city of Daugavpils, Latvia. With this encirclement tactic of sorts, the United Nations forces proceeded to storm Panevėžys outskirts before moving into the center of town, where the Russian defenders were desperate to make a final stand.
=== July ===
==== The Hunt for Red October ====
As July rolled around, the War of 2042 had reached nearly all corners of Asia and had expanded to envelop multiple fronts. The Red Banner Rebellion and the Directorate were not only fighting each other but were fighting the interventionist forces in Russia. After the Nuclear Detonation, Faruk Al-Bashir (Now in the custody of the United States) claimed he got the bombs from the Red Banner Rebellion. When asked what the maps in the safe house meant, all Al-Bashir claimed was a part of "Red October". When asked about the plan for Red October, Al-Bashir didn't have an answer as to what that was, but he did say that the Red Banner Rebellion had a safe house in Siberia that could give what the United Nations was looking for.
===== Action in Eastern Russia =====
The first action in the hunt for intel on Red October came on July 3rd, 2042, when the United States ran a counter-intelligence operation against the Red Banner Rebellion just outside of the territory claimed by the Black Wolves. The operation, codenamed "Operation Iceberg" was to locate a possible Red Banner Rebellion Arms Cache up in the mountains of Eastern Russia as provided by Faruk Al-Bashir. The US was chosen to lead the mission, using United States Navy Seals to accomplish the task.
As the US Navy Seals pushed inland through the mountains of Eastern Russia, they came across a Russian Village. However, the village was completely occupied by Red Banner Rebellion soldiers. The Seals were forced to fight their way through the village, ambushing multiple Red Banner Rebellion patrols. Afterward, the Seals used an abandoned vehicle to travel along the roadway toward the supposed Red Banner Rebellion Forward Operations Center.
As the Seals were making their way toward the Red Banner Rebellion's Forward Operations Base, they came under attack by members of the Cossack Host. After defeating the Cossack Host forces, the Seal Team proceeded to the rebel's F.O.B. It turned out that the rebel's F.O.B was a large cave system. As a result, the Seals were forced to call in some backup from their old friends, the Russian Loyalists. Together, the combined Russian Loyalist and US Navy Seal task force cleared out the cave one by one, destroying many Red Banner Army vehicles, and capturing multiple pieces of intel.
One of the pieces of intel suggested shipments of an unknown material originating from Bolivia, before moving into Nigeria. From there, the shipments of the material seemed to go cold. However, upon further inspection, they notice crates of weapons shipments, which could be traced back to a man named Gabriel Paez.
===== Paez Compound Assault =====
Gabriel Paez was a Bolivian Arms Cartel leader that had been put on a terrorism watch list by the United States Government, and on a kill capture order by the Federation of the Americas Government. Realizing what was at hand, the United States and the Federation of the Americas, despite not being exactly friends, agreed they could get some mutual benefit from this.
With permission from the Federation of the Americas and Bolivian Governments, the United States of America authorized "Operation: Green Leaf", a combined arms operation between the Federation of the Americas, Bolivian, and United States militaries. The target was a compound belonging to Gabriel Paez, the arms dealer who apparently was making quite the profit off of selling copycat arms to the Red Banner Rebellion. Initially, the Federation and the United States didn't agree on what should be done with Paez, and couldn't agree on an exact detailed plan of operation. However, the Federation and the US did agree that Paez was going to be taken into Federation custody if he was captured.
On July 18th, 2042, under the cover of darkness, the Federation and US Elite units surrounded the compound of Gabriel Paez. Then, using recently acquired MI-28 Havoc Attack Helicopters, the Federation and US forces began their assault on Gabriel Paez's arms compound. After an intense firefight between Paez and his men, the Federation and the United States militaries eventually secured the compound, but with one problem, Gabriel Paez wasn't there. Paez was attempting to flee the compound in a heavily armored convoy, leading to another intense firefight along with one of Bolivia's major roadways.
Eventually, though, Paez's vehicle was taken out by Federation Soldiers, and he was soon taken into interrogation. There, after a four-day interrogation, the United States Government and the Federation learned that Gabriel Paez had a contact named Dede Macaba that whom he did business. Dede Macaba was an African Arms Dealer and drug smuggler, apparently having an operation from Nigeria to Zambia, and up to Ethiopia and Eritrea. It turned out that Dede Macaba had also been on the CIA's watchlist of potential terrorism threats, and it was becoming more and more evident that the Red Banner Army was running a worldwide operation.
===== Hunt for Dede Macaba =====
Dede Macaba, one of Africa's most notorious Warlords. Running an Operation from Zambia to Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Morocco, Dede Macaba had been on the United States watchlist since the Great Titan War. Now, however, the tides had changed greatly. JSOC had to bring in Dede Macaba, and so they were gonna send in a team whether they had the permission to or not. Luckily enough for JSOC, they didn't have to worry about permission as the country they were going to didn't actually have a government, Somalia. JSOC and the US had a fixed location on Macaba to a compound in Bossaso, Somalia, apparently there to oversee the departure of a weapons shipment. JSOC and the UN Forces agreed on the same thing, that this shipment wouldn't leave port. Luckily enough for JSOC, the port and compound were guarded by a local triggerman and not any kind of formidable threat.
On July 28th, 2042, the British S.A.S and US Navy Seals landed in Bossaso and attacked Dede Macaba's forces. As was advertised, a local triggerman guarded the compound, and there wasn't much in the way of any formidable force. However, what caught the eye of many was the freighter that was parked at the Port being loaded, it had a Red Banner Rebellion flag. This changed everything about the mission, and it was now about what was on that freighter that was in the doc.
In the process, Dede Macaba revealed himself and tried to bolt. However, in the process of attempting to bolt, he was taken out by a United States Buzzard attack helicopter. The joint force interrogated Dede Macaba, before he finally decided to give up everything. They learned that the Katya Prugova, Dede Macaba, Gabriel Paez, and Faruk Al-Bashir were members of a smuggling operation known as "Fregata Industries". The operation included plots of terrorism, commercial piracy, human trafficking, arms dealing, illicit drug smuggling, and criminal homicide. Now it turned out that the biggest plot of all was being the backbone behind the Red Banner Rebellion and the Peoples Liberation and Resistance War in both Saudi Arabia and Russia.
When asked about what "Red October" was, Dede Macaba broke. He spilled word about a plot by the Red Banner Rebellion that would occur on November 7th, 2042 (The Celebration for the creation of the Soviet Union). As for what the plot was, Macaba didn't know, all he did know was that he and his freighter were tasked with carrying raw materials to Katya Prugova and her Red Banner Army, as for where the materials were going, he didn't know. When asked when was the plot for Red October, he stated that it was already set in motion and that it was too late to be stopped.
=== August ===
==== Hunt for Prugova ====
After discovering the links between the organizations, Katya Prugova was placed on an INTERPOL wanted list for a possible terrorism plot against The West. The problem was, where the hell was she? To get to her, the United Nations decided to go after her leaders one by one. The first person was Amir Kaffarov, the head of the Red Banner Rebellions arms suppliers. Kaffarov was the guy who was supplying the Red Banner Rebellion with serious military hardware, mil-spec technology, and possibly material relating to the creation of WMDs. The problem was, that he was right in the middle of a location they couldn't get to.
Peshwar, Pakistan. A hub for international trade flowing from Asia to the west, or what it used to be. Peshawar was now a shell of its former self, a ghost town if you will. With the collapse of the Chinese economy and the Silk Belt Road Initiative, as well as the political fallout between the United States and Pakistan, the United States wasn't able to go after him. However, there was one nation that could, and that was the Peoples' Republic of China. The Peoples Republic of China had an established military presence in Pakistan, and they could be allowed to go after Amir Kaffarov. After a secret negotiation between the Pakistani, Chinese, and American leaders about Amir Kaffarov, the Pakistani government eventually conceded to allowing Chinese forces to enter Peshwar and capture Kaffarov.
==== The capture of Amir Kaffarov ====
On August 9th, 2042, Chinese Special Forces Para dropped into Peshawar at O8:30 PM. The target was a villa up in the hills that were supposedly where Kaffarov was hiding out. However, when the Chinese Special Forces arrived there, they noticed that Kaffarov had a security detail larger than they previously realized. This created some "complications" that required special support. The Pakistani Air Force was called in to handle the situation, sending two Mil Mi-35MS Helicopters to assist the Chinese Special Forces in clearing out the enemy defenses to pave the way to Kaffarov's Villa.
As the Chinese fought their way through the woods surrounding the compound, they noticed that the people defending the Villa were soldiers from the Red Banner Rebellion. This didn't change much in the way of the mission, but it showed how much the Red Banner Rebellion was willing to go. However, as the Chinese Forces assaulted the villa, suddenly a Russian drone entered the airspace and began opening fire on the Red Banner Rebellion Soldiers. As a result, the Peoples Liberation Air Force was sent into the region to engage the Russian Drone while the Chinese Special Forces continued to assault the Villa.
Once reaching the Villa, the Chinese Special Forces entered, being forced to go room by room. They found Kaffarov hiding in a safe room, where they dragged him out and killed off the rest of his security. The Chinese Special Forces proceeded to extract Kaffarov via helicopter and took him back to China where he would be taken into interrogation. After many conferences and a little bit of torture, Kaffarov finally broke. Kaffarov stated that he was in charge of shipments of highly classified components from the Russian Federation for the Red Banner Rebellion, outsourced to a German Weapons Dealer named Karl Leitzig. When asked what the components were being used for Kaffarov had no answer, but he knew of somebody who did.
==== Hunt for the Prugova in the Atlay Mountains ====
Kaffarov gave intel to the Chinese that Katya's Sister, Vladlena Prugova, who happened to be the Second in Command of the entire Red Banner Rebellion movement, was the person to who he delivered the materials. Vladlena Prugova was a devout Communist and National Bolshevik. Known for her outspoken pro-genocide of Jewish and Americans, and as a former member of the Russian Spetznaz during the Great Titan War, Vladlena Prugova was known for orchestrating massacres of American civilians and soldiers during the war. However, she was ousted from the Russian Army after Russia surrendered, and she had since gone underground running a Russian Crime Syndicate with her sister, that would become the backbone of the Red Banner Rebellion. Now, she was on the United Nations Hit List.
The United Nations tracked Vladlena Prugova down to the Omsk Oblast, Red Banner Rebellion-controlled territory, specifically along the Kazakhstan Russian Border that the Red Banner Rebellion controlled. With the Directorate still focused on the assault in Eastern Europe, the United Nations didn't expect much in the way of Russian retaliation. As the UN forces were preparing for an operation on how to find the girl, intel came down from the Loyalists in the region that Vladlena Prugova would be meeting with some of her top commanders in an abandoned village along the Kazakhstan-Russian Border. As a result, the United Nations changed its strategy and decided to follow the loyalists on their mission.
The Operation began on August 23rd, 2042, when United Nations Forces made up of British S.A.S, US Navy Seals, and Israeli Special Forces were para dropped into the Omsk-Oblast just to the north of the Kazakhstan border. The plan was to wait for Vladlena to arrive by convoy, then ambush her as she was in the middle of the meeting, and seal her in with no escape. The Loyalists were going to block off the roadways and any exit points around the abandoned village, while the UN Forces would move in. As was advertised, Vladlena Prugova arrived in a convoy protected by armor. Here, she would be meeting with her top commanders from the front, thus there would be a treasure trove of intelligence for the UN.
With Vladlena busy in her meetings, and with suppressors on, the American, British, Israeli, and Russian Strike forces attacked the meeting. The Red Banner Rebellion Soldiers desperately tried to hold back the UN, but closing in from four corners, left them with nowhere to escape. Vladlena Prugova attempted to bolt out of the abandoned village, but there was little to nowhere she could run. Eventually, though, she reached the rough of a building before coming to a dead end. As the UNSC forces closed in, rather than being captured, she took her 19MM Soviet Makarov Pistol, pointed it at her jaw, and pulled the trigger. The only lead that the UNSC had on Red October, was gone.
With the death of her sister Vladlena, Katya Prugova was infuriated. Her sister was the only remaining family that she had left, and her entire dream of rebuilding the new Soviet Union was getting less and less of a reality. With this crushing reality coming before her and knowing that she could possibly be put to death by the Directorate for an act of treason, she decided to speed up her project, one that would change the course of history forever. However, her lucky window to attempt this would happen to come in a short time.
=== September ===
By the beginning of September, the War of 2042 was entering its final stages. Across Russia and Asia, dwindling resources for both the Directorate and the Rebel Groups made any conventional escalation of the war impossible. Internally, public support for the Directorate had evaporated as they were unable to improve the situation. Soldiers returning home from the front helped spark a growing movement of protests, many of which were fired upon. As for the Red Banner Rebellion, their offensives across Southern Russia and Northern Kazakhstan were ultimately turned back, and the fighting was deteriorating despite the growing numbers who were trying to join their cause. As for in the Middle East, the Peoples Liberation and Resistance had virtually gone underground. Without the leadership of Faruk Al-Bashir, the PLR had become practically a militia with no near the military capabilities they had prior to the Coup. 
==== Battles of Utena and Rezekne ====
The Battles for Utena and Rezekne began on September 11th, 2042, with Russian Forces from the Directorate attempting to defend the incoming United Nations Interventionist Forces. The Russian Soldiers were demoralized and were starving as food rations were expired and outdated, as well as the lacking of much-needed equipment such as ammunition, fuel, and even soldiers. Most of the vehicles they had were not even combat-ready or prepared and were mostly outdated compared to the equipment of the Western World. Nonetheless, they still carried out what they were assigned to do. 
The battles commenced with, how do they say, throwing them the bomb. The United Nations, instead of directly attacking both cities at once, the UN forces captured the city of Daugavpils, Latvia, before cutting off the Utena from the main Russian force. The Russian Occupiers of Utena didn't know what to think as the UN launched a three-pronged attack from the Northwest, Southwest, and from the West. Most of the Russian occupiers simply surrendered, however some continued fighting, leading to the 14-hour-long battle of Utena coming out in a UN victory. 
After the fall of Utena, the United Nations Forces made a B line for the city of Rezekne. The Directorate firmly gave the order for their soldiers to hold, and anybody who refused to fight would be declared a traitor, and have their entire families punished. Naturally, this caused most of the Russians to fight the UN head-on despite starving. 
The Battle for Rezekne began on September 12th, 2042, with the United Nations dropping paratroopers over the city. The Russians retreated into the suburbs and buildings and soon began building to building combat to drive the Russians out. The Russians numbered about 50,000, while the UN numbered around 100,000. Although the Russians had the tank and air support, most of the planes, helicopters, and tanks were grounded in the water thanks to fuel and manpower shortages. Most of the vehicles that did go into the fighting on the Russian side were simply outdated and were unable to match the firepower from the UN Forces. As a result, the battle mostly resorted to ground infantry. 
As the battle continued on, the Russian occupiers of the city found themselves out of anti-Tank and Anti-Air Rounds and leading to blind panic as there was nothing they could do to oppose UN Tanks rolling into the city. Eventually, though, the Russian Ammunition storage scrapped rock bottom, and soon the Russians were forced to drop their assault rifles when running out of ammo, and sometimes resorting to hand-to-hand combat. Ultimately, the Battle ended on September 16th, 2042, when the United Nations captured the main Russian airbase, leading to total victory over the Russian occupiers. 
==== The collapse of the Front ====
On September 18th, 2042, the Directorate, realizing what had happened, ordered a full retreat of all Russian forces from the Baltic States. Things however only worsened when the UN launched an all-out attack on the Murmansk Naval Base, destroying several Russian Naval Vessels, including three nuclear-capable submarines. By September 22nd, the Russians had all forces out of the Baltic States and were retreating back to the safety of St. Petersburg. Naturally, the collapse of the Baltic Front would seal the fate of the Directorate. 
=== October ===
By October of 2042, the War of 2042 had entered a new phase. Most directorate-controlled areas were placed into martial law, and all of those who were suspected of actions against the government were sentenced to death. The Directorate supporters forced civilians to work at gunpoint and were often found working triple shifts in factories to produce machines for the war effort. Unfortunately, there were few resources available to keep up with production, and the Red Banner Rebellion was growing stronger day by day. 
Most importantly of these developments, was a man known as Viktor Karpin. A Russian General who was declared treasonous to the Directorate, he had begun building a network of contacts and had become rather popular with the people in directorate-controlled areas. He had soon made allies of the Black Wolves and the White Guard and had formed a progressive party under the slogan "United As One". He also secretly agreed that he wanted to make peace with the United States and the Western Powers to end the war. However, he wanted to depose the Red Banner Rebellion, and he soon began making ties with the United States and the European Coalition. 
==== Second October Revolution ====
On October 3rd, 2042, thousands of Russian Civilians within the Directorate-controlled areas revolted against the Directorate. The group, named the "Russian Guard Brigade" rose up in defiance of the Directorate and the Red Banner Rebellion. With assistance and resources from the Black Wolves and Russian Loyalists, the Russian Guard Brigade successfully took control of many areas and towns belonging to the Directorate. The United Nations supported this effort and began using its resources to fly into Russian Air Space and attack the Directorates forces. To keep the Red Banner Rebellion at bay, and with permission from Kazakhstan, the UN began bombing Red Banner Rebellion targets. 
On October 10th, 2042, UN Forces were given permission from the Russian Guard Brigade to enter Russian territory. The Russian Guard Brigade with their Black and Red Banner rode on United Nations marked vehicles, and the march toward Moscow began. Behind the scenes, the Directorate began to panic as the United Nations and the Russian Guard Brigade entered Russian territory, losing control over the city after city. The Directorate attempted to order a general counterattack, but most of their army simply defected over to the other side. As a result, the Directorate ordered a scorched Earth to make the United Nations advance into Russia not worth their time. This only would further quicken their downfall.
On October 23rd, 2042, Mikhail Mishustin and Natalia Poklonskaya, the President and Vice President of the Directorate, were ousted from power in a coup, and soon the battle for Moscow began between the factions of the Directorate. This allowed the Russian Guard Brigade the opportunity to speed up their advance into the Capital City. Mikhail Mishustin opted to flee Moscow, while Natalia Poklonskaya tried to quell the violence within the capital city and restore her way back into power. 
On October 31st, 2042, United Nations Forces and forces from the Russian Guard Brigade entered the war-rorn city of Moscow, and the fight for the capital began. The Directorate defenders desperately tried to put up a good fight against the rebelling and United Nations forces, fighting street to street in most cases, but it was simply no good, the tide had turned against them too much. By the end of October, the "The Day of the Devils Glare" as the Directorate supporters called it, was over. November 1st arose, and the Russian Tricolate over the Kremlin was replaced by a Red and Black Banner, and a new government was in charge. 
=== November ===
On November 2nd, 2042, Viktor Karpin arrived at the war-torn city of Moscow. He truly was heartbroken. The dead bodies of civilians from mass executions to the Directorates Authority were lining the streets. Symbols of Russia were trashed, and people who survived were simply starving. Eventually, he arrived at the Presidential Office of the Kremlin and made a speech on live TV in front of the world. He stated..."Compatriots. It was nine months ago, that the Russian state, one of the oldest civilizations in the history of the world, was fractured under the weight of nationals. They didn't wish for peace, they wished for power and destruction. They took Russia down the path of another Great War, but this time on our soil. Well, as I sit here in the Presidential Chair, I announce to the Russian Citizens that this crisis is now over."After announcing the end of hostilities, Viktor Karpin announced the process of rebuilding. He outlawed the Directorate and requested peace negotiations with the United States and the UN Forces. He also announced that he wished to make peace with the Red Banner Rebellion and the Kostovians for peaceful reunification. He then began the process of withdrawing Russian Soldiers from South Ossetia and Abkhazia and bringing them back home to Russia. 
The Red Banner Rebellion rather than be happy at the overthrow of the Directorate was instead infuriated. They declared Viktor Karpin and the Russian Federation to be illegitimate leaders of Russia. They further went onto say that desire that the new governments desire to coexist and cooperate with the the West was a betrayal on Russian Identity and culture. The Red Banner Rebellion further went onto declare that they had no intention of backing down, and would not stop the fight until Russia was replaced with a new Communist Republic, aka reforming the Soviet Union. Viktor Karpin outright refused this demand, claiming that it was the Soviet Union who got themselves into this mess in the first place, and vowed to expel the Red Banner Rebellion from there borders. As a result, the War of 2042 would continue on, and not for the better. 
=== Nuclear November ===
On November 12th, 2042, the Red Banner Rebellion hijacked the CNN and BBC Broadcasting Networks signal. The Red Banner Rebellion leader Katya Prugova appeared on live TV from an undisclosed location surrounded by her followers. She produced what was called "The List of Demands", beginning with demanding that the new Russian Government concede to the "New Soviet Union", and that all foreign soldiers would leave Russian Borders immediately, or they would "Suffer the Consequences". 
==== Battle for London ====
On November 12th, 2042, gunfire erupted at the London Stock Exchange. Soldiers from the Red Banner Rebellion and the Peoples Liberation and Resistance laid siege to the exchange, before taking over the building entirely. The London Police attempted to storm the building, but the combined PLR and Red Banner Rebellion force outnumbered them entirely. After two more tries to take back the under siege building, eventually they called in the British S.A.S. The S.A.S attempted to establish communication for the release of the hostages, but there were no demands made by the PLR and the Red Banner Rebellion. Instead, however, it would be worse, a lot worse. 
At 14:00 Greenwich Mean Time, the Peoples Liberation and Resistance and the Red Banner Rebellion Soldiers held up in the building detonated a Nuclear Weapon from the exchange, sacrificing themselves in the process. Without any warning or any evacuation in place, the Nuclear Bomb destroyed London and wiped it completely off the map. The attack was broadcasted live across the world, and when it was reported, everybody indeed was shocked. 
The Nuclear Blast coincided with the Red Banner Rebellion hijack of the CNN and BBC news networks. Now everyone knew what was going on. The Red Banner Rebellion declared responsibility for the nuclear bombing in Riyadh and in London, and set the world into a frenzy panic. She demanded that all United Nations Forces leave Russia immediately by November 14th, 2042, and that the Russian Government hand over all power the Red Banner Rebellion and the Soviet Union. However, in the exact opposite, the Russian Government declared Katya Prugova an outlaw, and signed her death warrants if she was found. 
After the nuclear blast in London, the United States, Russian, and Chinese Governments interviewed their captive prisoners Faruk Al-Bashir, Amir Kaffarov, and Dede Maceda. Initially, all of them refused to talk, but after a few intense words, and a little bit of torture, Kaffarov finally gave in. Amir Kaffarov told the Chinese Interrogators that the Red Banner Rebellion and the Peoples Liberation and Resistance had built four nuclear devices that were put together by an arms dealer from Germany known as Karl Leitzig. When asked what the targets were, Kaffarov only answered that Riyadh was the test target. He claimed that London, New York, and Shanghai were next. 
Immediately, the Chinese Minister of National Defense called the United States Secretary of Defense, stating that they had an imminent nuclear threat on US soil. Immediately, the United States Government acted upon the threat and brought in Faruk Al-Bashir for questioning. After getting no answers from the Al-Bashir, the FBI and CIA decided to interrogate Dade Maceba. Dade Maceba having already been on the USA's watch list gave the location of the nuclear device that he had delivered to Munich. 
==== Nuclear Bomb in Munich ====
On November 13th, 2042, three Russian GRU Agents alongside soldiers from the European Coalition arrived at an abandoned PLR Warehouse in Munich. The GRU Agents and the European Coalition fighters breached the abandoned warehouse complex and began searching for the custom-built nuclear bombs. However, the warehouse wasn't as abandoned as everybody thought it was. In fact, on the interior of the warehouse, the PLR and Red Banner Rebellion had rebuilt the entire inside which included ammunition storage, office space, and many other amenities. So much for an underground operation. 
The main force fought through the PLR and Red Banner Army Warehouse, going through room by room in search of the nuclear device. At this point though, all of the world's media were covering the Nuclear Threat made by the Red Banner Rebellion. As the PLR and the Red Banner Rebellion fought through the warehouse, they eventually came to a room that was sealed off from the rest of the compound. After getting a breach charge on the door, they entered the room, only to notice it was completely deserted. In the center of the room was a metal box, and on the top of the box was a timer counting down with two minutes left on the clock. Immediately the GRU Agents and European forces attempted to clear out of the building, but it was too late. 
Just after 23:00 PM, the second nuclear weapon went off in Munich, once again with no evacuation in progress. The bomb that was intended for Shanghai was instead let off in Munich. This was the second act of nuclear terrorism in 12 hours, and it was broadcast live for the world to see. At this point, fear started setting in about where the Red Banner Rebellion gonna strike next. 
==== Nuke in New York City ====
On November 14th, 2042, the United States Government issued an emergency broadcast for New York City, ordering the evacuation of the entire city. The United States Government then proceeded to send in hundreds of soldiers to search the city for the bomb. The United Nations headquarters was evacuated and many other diplomats were flown out as thousands of people attempted to flee New York. The US Government knew that the PLR and the Red Banner Rebellion were hiding somewhere in the city, and they had to clear it out one by one. 
===== Battle of New York City =====
Eventually, though, the Peoples Liberation and Resistance and the Red Banner Rebellion made their presence known. As the helicopters from the United States Air Force flew into New York City, they suddenly came under attack from anti-air rounds. It turned out that the PLR and the Reds had entrenched themselves on Governors Island, and had a large number of weaponry to withstand any assault. The United States, realizing that they were running out of time, the United States High Command decided to resort to Plan B. 
Launching from Otis Air Force Base, the United States sent a squadron of F117 Stealth Bombers to level Governors Island and the capabilities of the PLR and Red Banner rebellion. After the bombing from the F117s, the United States Military proceeded to send amphibious landing craft armed with three HV-55 Cerberus Tanks and three armored personnel carriers onto the Island to flush out the remaining PLR and Red Banner Rebellion Forces. As US forces stormed rolled onto the Island, they eventually arrived at the remains of Fort Jay. There, in the ruins of Fort Jay, was a metal box with a timer counting down on it. This was the nuclear weapon. 
After securing Governors Island, the United States brought in EOD Specialists and began the process of trying to disarm the weapon. The bomb was made up in a way that they had never seen before, and things soon turned complicated. The timer continued to count down, that was until the EOD people finally cracked it and unplugged the fuse. The timer stopped, with merely 7 seconds to spare. Disaster was averted. 
==== The Hunt for the Red Banner Rebellion ====
After the events of "Nuclear November" as it would affectionately be known, the Red Banner Rebellion began to fade into irrelevancy. The glorious revolution that the Red Banner Rebellion had hoped to achieve was derailed by outside forces and had only created a situation that they had no chance of defending from. The acts of Nuclear Terrorism against London and Munich, and the relationship to the Peoples Liberation and Resistance in Saudi Arabia were now released to the world, and the links between the two were now clear. 
Over the course of the week between November 15th and November 19th, 2042, the United Nations and the newly formed Russian Federation launched an all-out final offensive against the Red Banner Rebellion across Southern Russia. This offensive, known as "Operation Caspian" drove the Red Banner Rebellion to the Caspian Sea, where they attempted to make a final stand. Katya Prugova fled the battle and soon went into hiding. Without her leadership, the Red Banner Rebellion was completely and militarily defeated. By November 20th, 2042, the Russian Government claimed victory over the Red Banner Rebellion. 
==== Killing Katya Prugova ====
On January 17th, 2043, Katya Prugova was found traveling on a converted Soviet Missile Train. The New Russian Government of the Russian Federation decided not to alert the United Nations of Prugova's whereabouts and decided that they were gonna deal with her personally. Prugova had single-handedly cost the lives of millions of people and had destroyed most of Russia. She was an outlaw, and it was time for revenge. 
On the night of January 17th and 18th, 2043, the newly formed Russian Spetznaz Guard Brigade removed a section of rail in front of Katya Prugova's private train. To make sure that she didn't have a chance to bolt, they bridged the gap in the rail using a wire to keep the signals green. All that was to do now, was to wait. Sure enough, Katya Prugova's private train hit the removed section of track at almost 100 miles an hour, causing a catastrophic derailment. From there, the Spetznaz Guard Brigade proceeded to shift through the wreckage of Prugova's now destroyed armored train. Sure enough, they found her and her closest friends. Somehow, Katya survived the crash but was severely bleeding. Katya pleaded for her life, but the Russian Spetznaz put a gun to Prugova's head and pulled the trigger, killing her instantly. 
== Casualties and Consequences ==
The War of 2042 in all its form was some of Russia's darkest days that it had ever lived through. The conflict, spreading from Asia to Europe, to Africa, claimed the lives of an estimated 13 million people, making it one of the worst conflicts in human history. The Peoples Liberation and Resistance and the Red Banner Rebellion faded into obscurity after the conflict and simply turned into underground movements that become no more of a real threat. The Directorate's members on the other hand suffered a worse fate. When the new Russian Government came into power, the Directorate was placed on trial in a Russian court for crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, and outright treason. The Directorate's members were mostly found guilty and were sentenced to either life in prison or outright death. 
In the aftermath of the War of 2042, the old Russian Federation was dissolved, and was replaced by the "New Russian Federation" or officially the "New Federation of Sovereign Russian States". The first act of the new government was to arrange peace talks with the nations that were invaded under the authority of the Directorate. This included the Baltic States, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the United States, the European Coalition, and many other nations. Luckily, the United Nations accepted these negotiations for peace, and soon recognized the legitimacy of the new government. 
After the peace talks were finished, the Russian Government began the process of rebuilding. The first act was to call for new elections to replace the former Russian State Duma. The next act was to open up freedom of the press and began passing free-market economic reforms, but they also began to dismantle the old Russian Oligarchy. The Russian Government also began reforms to create a brand new Russian Constitution, as well as new law codes for civilians to follow. Within the first few years of the new Russian Governments reign, the status of the Russian state actually began to improve. The population soon began to increase, and living standards began to increase too. Even better is the Russian Presidency was only allowed to be in office if the populace elected them. Surprisingly, the Russian population supported these reforms and they became rather popular with the Russian civilian population. 
Over the course of the next 30 years, the Russian Government built up friendly relationships with its fellow neighbors, preferring to adopt of foreign policy of defensive posture. Despite the legacy of The Great Titan War still fresh in the minds of many, this new Russia seemed to be on better relations with many countries. In the 2055 Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus voted to join the new Russia, uniting into the "Federation of Slavic Sovereign Commonwealths" and becoming a First World Democratic Nation. Eventually though, after the War against SPIRE Corporation, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia voted to rejoin Russia. These monumental achievements in the short time since the War of 2042 transformed the view of Russia from the Great Titan War Era into a new era. 
After the War of 2042, the United Nations created a new branch called the "United Nations Anti-Crime Organization" or simply known as U.N.A.C.O. This branch was jointly run by the security council and the general assembly and was solely created to combat nuclear terrorism. The United Nations also got a brand new addition, called the "United Nations Forces". The United Nations Forces, or UNF, was essentially the military backbone of the United Nations. These were an upgrade from peacekeepers, but they could only be deployed if a nation requested it or if it was called for. These United Nations Soldiers wore the same type of equipment as UN Peacekeepers but carried an additional patch to indicate that they were not peacekeepers. Each of the five permanent members was required to keep a quota of United Nations Forces members, and as a result, more than 500,000 people became a part of the United Nations Forces. 
The War of 2042 would go down in history as the first act of nuclear terrorism in human history. The War of 2042 would also near single handedly cause a geopolitical and economic shift of unprecedented scale, leading to future conflicts such as the European-Iranian War, and the War against SPIRE Corporation. But ultimately, the War of 2042 would be overshadowed by the next global conflict, a conflict that would eventually become known as the Federation-American War.