Third Iljekyan Civil War

### Outcome:

Destruction of the Socialist People's Republic of Soviets in Iljekya, creation (and later collapse) of the Iljek Provisional Constituent Council, beginnings of the February Crisis

Belligerents| **Blues**Nova Kalantrovsk* Imperial Army remnants
* Iljek Volunteer Army
* Surviving magic users
* Surviving cossacks
* Surviving elves
* Blue emigres and diaspora in Eredan
* Mercenaries
* Other collaborators

Iljek Democratic Republic* RPNA (Green Marchers)
* RPNA (Gloves)
* South People's Society
* Andropovgrad Legions
* Foreign volunteers

Iljek State* Ostnianev Provisional Government
* Two Thousand

**Anti-government Reds*** Pioneer's Republic
* Free City of Hodžan
* Bočkan Republic
* Many Red Army defectors
* Numerous other "neutral" cities, soviets and Red Army remnants

**Separatists*** Voorhaud Government
* People's Lemetiate of Voorhaud
* Gridkorp
* Cult of the Smiling One
* Black Dogs
* Lemetiate of Rijekagrad
* Godskan Republic
* Omsir Bardars
* Nyenkareska
* Qaristan
* Kingdom of Dvereren
* Brynsterno Soviet
* Sons of Virskava

**CETO** (limited)* Kingdom of Prithania
* Lesovia
* Archduchy of Reine
* Federal Republic of Cardia
* Siberoslavia
* Kalinov-Tereska Republic
* Hazakstaj Republic
* Iljekyan Red Fleet
* Federal Group of Counter-Terrorism
* Red Army elements

 Dersochian Socialist Republic Siberoslav Socialist Republic Accantiverro Socialist Republic

**Post-November Reds*** PMRM
* Soviet Republic of Vrags
* Provisional Soviet Republic of Ergagradova
* Orznyj Soviet
* Virskava Red Army
* Virskava Brother Scarfs
* Black Dogs
* Numerous other partisans and Red Army remnants

**Blacks*** Free Nakhovgrost
* Brothers' Brigades
* Numerous partisans and anarchist communes

**Foreign powers*** Kingdom of Regit
* KNV
* Lemetiate of Lakra
* Volkov

**Supported by**ICO (limited)* Koljasu DMZ
* ICOTAFI

**CETO** (limited)* Kingdom of Prithania
* Lesovia
* Archduchy of Reine
* Federal Republic of Cardia
* Siberoslavia

Leaders| * False Czar Stanislav
* Sergei Dresnov
* Kirill Ivanov
* Alexei Cherdenko
* Dmitry Yusopov
* Lavr Larrov
* Pyotr Russov
* Leon Vasilevich

* Ivan Ivanovsky

* Timur Bratlovich
* Sauram Aldah
* Ivan Milanostok
* Antony Norskovič
* Pavel Sudenovski
* Vladimir Grotskovich

* Faramir II
* Dmitri Zurav
* Jan Janovič
* Alexander Vid

The **Third Iljekyan Civil War** was an internecine conflict fought between several varying different factions. While no peace treaty or armistice was ever agreed upon, formally or informally, the war is generally considered to have ended with the start of the February Crisis.

It constituted the largest humanitarian disaster in Eredanese history other than the Great War and led to the second-highest refugee diaspora in Eredan, second only to refugees fleeing the Kalshei'i Revolutionary Wars.

## Background

### Post-War situation

*Main article: Great Eredanese War*

Following the Great War, both the Iljekyan economy and adult male population were completely devastated. With most industries slowing and unemployment at record heights, as well as multilateral consolidation of the Entente powers, the Iljekyan government opted to allow women into all sectors of the workforce as well as unrestricted military roles. While this did greatly boost enlistment numbers and slightly improve the economic quagmire, it provoked significant backlash from more conservative echelons of society, namely the deeply religious Kalinov-Tereska region.

In addition to social reforms, major economic reforms were made with the *de facto* repealing of the Siarhei Plan and its replacement with the General Land Commissariat. This new Commissariat created semi-private property, reorganized ownership of rural farmland, partially opened the nation to international trade, and was intended to revitalize the ailing Iljekyan economy. These reforms were incredibly divisive but most unpopular in the countryside, where land was reallocated to a new, burgeoning landowner-bureaucrat class. They were similarly unpopular among many of the Party intelligentsia, who saw the Commissariat as a betrayal of Iljekyan communism and the beginning of a new class divide.

### Military purges and Byerihorsk rebellion

*Main articles: Konstantin Makarov, Aleksey Lyudmilov, Dzhamal Zaurbek, Byerihorsk rebellion*

Both during and after the Great War, numerous Iljekyan military officers--almost entirely from the Army--were executed due to the paranoia of Viktyor Karbachev and the Unified Soviet's fear of another military putsch. When popular and successful Generals Lyudmilov and Zaurbek--a native of Kalinov-Tereksa--were executed after the war had ended, several Army formations--especially those with large Teresk populations--deserted, mutinied, or refused to fight.

Namely, the small garrison at Byerihorsk seized and executed their commanding officers, proclaiming a free Commune and demanding that Karbachev be tried for his own crimes. The rebellion was quickly put down, but news of the soldiers' defiance quickly spread and motivated others to follow in their steps. Reports of insurgencies within Kalinov-Tereska and, to a lesser extent, Hazakstaj, began to appear in remote areas.

### Civilian purges

*Main article: Workers' Party of the National Affiliation*

After a tip that certain members of the RPNA had been expressing sympathy towards the Byerihorsk rebellion, agents of the FGOD seized 24 office-holders alongside some 20-50 additional army officers. Many interrogations were conducted on those serving in the People's Duma and Unified Soviet.

This, combined with the unrest due to military displeasure, led to several walk-outs and large-scale protests in major urban centers. These were ordered to be stifled by the Red Army, but many soldiers simply defected to the protestors. Barricades were constructed in Kaspan and weapons from Red Army defectors distributed among protestors. Acting on their apparent insurrection, agents of the Federal Group of Counter-Terrorism were deployed and successfully put down the protests.

### Ksenia Manifesto

*Main article: Ksenia Manifesto*

With numerous opposition members arrested and many more soon to be discovered, many underground left-wing opposition factions within the RPNA (such as the White Star, Gloves, and Green Marchers) met and drafted an ultimatum calling for the resignation of Viktyor Karbachev, a separated judicial branch, and additional power to local soviets. The Ksenia Manifesto, named for its pioneer, Antanina Ksenia, gained 236 signatures in the People's Duma and 30 in the Unified Soviet (with 10 *in absentia*) before being presented to the Unified Soviet.

In response, the People's Duma was immediately dissolved and all signatories placed under arrest; however, local army groups sympathetic to the left-democratic opposition enacted a *coup d'etat* of the Karbachev government, later storming the Yuragrad prisons and freeing the imprisoned officers and opposition figures. Karbachev fled to Duma-Grzaka but many of his cabinet members were arrested by the revolutionary government, who immediately enacted their reforms.

### Counter-coup and Karbachev restoration

While there were many in the Army sympathetic to the opposition's cause, the Navy and Federal Offices remained staunch loyalists, refusing to recognize the new government. Approximately 16 hours after Karbachev was deposed, sailors, naval infantry, and federal policemen stormed the Unified Soviet in a counter-coup of the new government. After protracted resistance, the loyalists eventually prevailed and executed the surviving opposition members as well as army ringleaders.

Opposition members outside of Yuragrad and the subordinates of those in the Unified Soviet immediately fled the capital and/or began to pass out weapons to the civilian populace, enacting a "general strike" and calling for the Red Army to intervene and restore the opposition government.

Karbachev, after returning from Duma-Grzaka, immediately made an impassioned speech vowing to "root out the rebels and reactionaries" and declaring that there could be "no compromise". Naval infantry units and groups of sailors were reconstituted into new land forces and sent to restore order to rebellious provinces. Skirmishes immediately broke out between loyalist and opposition forces across the country.

Additionally, the deaths of most left-democratic and liberal ringleaders within the RPNA created an enormous power vacuum within the opposition movement that monarchist-nationalist forces would soon fill, rising to become the predominant faction within the Blue movement and general anti-SNSRI coalition.

## Timeline

### Initial stages of the war

The civil war began in earnest on 14 April 1955, with left-opposition leaders forming various workers’ and farmers’ militias, siphoning weaponry from sympathetic armories and police stations. That same day, the central government broadcasted a call to arms to all police stations with radios. The police were often divided on their support for the government, with most offices in major cities joining the revolutionaries but many others in the more rural areas of the country sided with the central government due to having antagonized local workers. Army garrisons were more conflicted, with many younger and lower-ranking officers siding with the central government and many of the more senior officers siding with the opposition. Several high-ranking officers were seized and executed or brutalized by their subordinates, and many hundreds of lower-ranking officers were court-martialed and executed by higher-ranking revolutionary officers. Within the Navy, support for the central government was nearly unanimous outside of a select few captains that sided with the Blue movement before being executed by their crew. A similar unanimous support was found within many federal agencies, such as the Federal Group of Counter-Terrorism and Federal Group of Special Affairs. The Speaker of the Confederation of Free and Equal Workers’ Soviets (KVRS) initially voiced mild support for the revolutionaries before being sacked, imprisoned, and replaced with a loyalist Speaker. This action angered many in the Workers’ Soviets, who split off into various anti-government, local unions.

Skirmishes broke out immediately between Army, Police, Navy, and workers’ militias. Many farmers sided with the opposition, executing members of the Land Commissariat and reappropriating farmland for local communes. Many local bureaucrats were shot by anarchist and communist militias across the nation. While the opposition did not endorse this behavior, they likewise did not speak out against it. Many of the atrocities committed in the first half of the war were committed at this point, such as the Dralahorsk massacre. A general strike was called by the KVRS, slowing Iljekyan industry to a crawl. Military garrisons in and around major cities were stormed by mobs and workers’ militias, who often executed the inhabitants before seizing the equipment within the armories.

### Battles of Míleiu and Yuragrad

*Main articles: Battle of Míleiu, First Battle of Yuragrad, Siege of Yuragrad*

Major battles did not occur until the second week of the conflict, which opened with the Battle of Míleiu.