Russia (A New Age: Map Game)

Russia, officially the Russian Empire, is a unitary constitutional monarchy spanning across Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. The largest country in the world, Russia borders Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and has maritime borders with the United States and Japan. It has two territorial exclaves, the region of Transnistria (completely inside of Ukraine) and the Kaliningrad Oblast (blocked by Poland and Lithuania).

Due to its geography, military strength, and growing economy, Russia is regarded as one of the world's great powers.

History

 * For history before 2018, see the 


 * 2018: Donetsk and Lugansk Oblasts of Ukraine are formally annexed into the Russian Federation.
 * 2019: South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Transnistria are formally annexed into the Russian Federation after they hold referendums on the subject.
 * 2020: European Union sanctions in place since 2014 are lifted.
 * 2024: Vladimir Putin steps down and Sergey Baburin is elected president, major reforms begin.
 * 2025: Presidential term limit reduced constitutionally to two four-year terms, instead of the two consecutive six-year terms.
 * 2026: Japanese sanctions on Russia are lifted.
 * 2027: The Union State between Russia and Belarus is reformed into a full unification of Belarus into the Russian Federation. The process of integration begins.
 * 2028: The former Republic of Belarus is fully integrated into Russia. The country also gained the status of a non-member observer state in the Intermarium, an alliance of Eastern European nations.
 * 2029: The Russian ruble is placed onto a gold standard using Russia's gold reserves. An agreement is finalized with Japan to formally end the Kuril Islands dispute between them, Japan recognizing the islands as Russian.
 * 2030: Transition to gold standard is complete, Russian economy is considered to have diversified from oil sufficiently. The Unified State Exam is abolished.
 * 2031: In a shocking victory, the legislative election sees a coalition of liberal left parties take control of the Duma.
 * 2032: The liberal Dmitry Gudkov defeats incumbent President Nikolai Starikov in the election, and begins implementing the liberal agenda, which causes unrest from the conservative factions.
 * 2036: Legislative and presidential elections coincide this year. The liberal coalition is defeated in both elections with Great Fatherland Party having a major victory.
 * 2039: The rise of popularity in monarchism results in the passing of a referendum on monarchy, with 54% voting in favor of restoring the monarchy.
 * 2040: Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich is coronated as Emperor George I of All the Russias and becomes the head of state. The name is changed from Russian Federation to Russian Empire. The new form of government is a constitutional monarchy, determined by the caretaker government in place until the next election.
 * 2041: The legislative election is held that solidifies the Great Fatherland Party as the ruling government. A project renovating the railways begins to allow for more high speed trains.
 * 2043: A railway tunnel connecting the Russian Far East to Japan is built to increase trade between them and Europe along a Lisbon–Tokyo railway.
 * 2044: The first new nuclear guided missile cruiser built by Russia since the fall of the USSR is commissioned into the navy.
 * 2045: Oil and gas form just a small fraction of government revenue. Preparations on the coming space mission to the moon by Roscosmos and the Space Forces are nearing completion.
 * 2046: Official details on the coming lunar mission on the rocket Soyuz-3 are published, which will launch two years ahead of schedule. Ruling party gains seats in elections.
 * 2047: Massive road renovation project begins throughout the country.
 * 2048: The Soyuz-3 rocket successfully lands on the moon and the crew plants the Russian flag near the north pole, where the modules of the first lunar colony of Russia are set up. Vladimir Putin dies at age 96.
 * 2049: More modules and equipment are brought up to the lunar colony, which is named Novy Mir (New World).
 * 2050: A trans-Siberian highway is complete.
 * 2051: Elections and the military begins developing a new tank to replace the T-14 Armata.
 * 2052: A project begins to expand the local commuter railways in rural areas. More progress is made on developing the T-24, including the completion of a laser railgun turret.
 * 2055: Military districts are restructured and the Ground Forces reintroduce divisions in the place of brigades.
 * 2057: Soyuz-5 rocket enters service and makes first flight to the moon. Moscow, St Petersburg, and other cities expand in construction projects to absorb smaller towns.
 * 2058: Scientists successfully clone Wholly Mammoths and brought back into the Siberian wilderness. The Emperor appoints the Russian military's first Marshal since 1997 and the Strategic Missile troops receive a new ICBM to replace the RS-24 Yars.
 * 2060: Temporary halt on space expansion, plans made for future Mars colony. Siberian Resettlement Act initiated, with citizens given 3 acres of free land in Siberia and the Far East if they want to develop it.
 * 2062: The Emperor George dies without an heir, ending the Vladimirovich line, with Prince Rostislav (grandson of Prince Andrew Romanov) of the Nikolaevich line taking the throne.

Parliamentary parties
The following is the composition of the 450 seats of the State Duma, by party, after each election. The upper house, the Federation Council, consists of independent senators selected by regional governors and parliaments.


 * 8th State Duma (2021 election)
 * United Russia (228)
 * Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (62)
 * Yabloko (61)
 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation (40)
 * Rodina (24)
 * A Just Russia (16)
 * Party of Growth (10)
 * People's Freedom Party (9)


 * 9th State Duma (2026 election)
 * Russian All-People's Union (219)
 * Yabloko (65)
 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation (52)
 * Great Fatherland Party (49)
 * Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (21)
 * A Just Russia (17)
 * United Russia (15)
 * People's Freedom Party (6)
 * Rodina (4)
 * Independents (2)
 * Ruling coalition: Russian All-People's Union, Great Fatherland Party, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia


 * 10th State Duma (2031 election)
 * Yabloko (198)
 * Great Fatherland Party (144)
 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation (29)
 * Russian All-People's Union (21)
 * People's Freedom Party (17)
 * A Just Russia (13)
 * Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (12)
 * Patriots of Russia (9)
 * Rodina (4)
 * Party of Growth (3)
 * Ruling coalition: Yabloko, People's Freedom Party, A Just Russia


 * 11th State Duma (2036 election)
 * Great Fatherland Party (237)
 * Yabloko (64)
 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation (56)
 * A Just Russia (19)
 * Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (17)
 * Rodina (15)
 * Party of Growth (15)
 * People's Freedom Party (14)
 * Independents (9)
 * Monarchist Party (4)


 * 12th State Duma (2041 election)
 * Great Fatherland Party (242)
 * Yabloko–PARNAS–A Just Russia (66)
 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation (61)
 * Party of Growth (22)
 * Rodina (19)
 * Patriots of Russia (17)
 * Independents (14)
 * Liberal Democratic Party (9)


 * 13th State Duma (2046 election)
 * Great Fatherland Party (254)
 * Yabloko (89)
 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation (58)
 * Rodina (24)
 * Party of Growth (20)
 * Independents (5)


 * 14th State Duma (2051 election)
 * Great Fatherland Party (255)
 * Yabloko (91)
 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation (46)
 * Rodina (29)
 * Party of Growth (19)
 * Independents (8)
 * Volya (2)


 * 15th State Duma (2056 election)
 * Great Fatherland Party (252)
 * Yabloko (94)
 * Communist Party of the Russian Federation (32)
 * Volya (26)
 * Rodina (20)
 * Party of Growth (14)
 * Independents (12)


 * 16th State Duma (2061 election)
 * Great Fatherland Party (248)
 * Yabloko (93)
 * Volya (52)
 * Rodina (36)
 * Party of Growth (12)
 * Independents (9)
 * Opposition coalition: Yabloko, Volya, Rodina, Party of Growth

Administrative divisions
In 2047 the traditional system of republics, oblasts, autonomous okrugs, and federal cities was dissolved and replaced by the old (governorate) that had existed under the Russian Empire before 1917.

Foreign relations
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has remained as a permanent member on the United Nations Security Council and is also part of numerous other international organizations, most notably the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Collective Security Treat Organization (CSTO). While in the 1990s its role in international affairs was greatly diminished due to its many internal problems at the time, since the 2010s it has once again become a major player on the global stage. Russia's primary foreign policy issues are to maintain its sovereignty and to defend its interests around the world, which many government officials in the United States view as a challenge to American hegemony in the post-Cold War world. Russia has notably annexed several territories of the former Soviet Union, as well as intervened in internal conflicts in Ukraine and Syria. Among other notable actions, Russia is credited with playing a decisive role in defeating the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during the Syrian Civil War, along with Iran and the Syrian government.

Since the conflicts in North America in the 2020s has caused the United States to be less active on the global stage, Russia has increased its own influence around the world. From the 2030s onward Russia has been, along with China, playing a major role in global affairs.

Economy
The Russian economy has been suffering from numerous problems throughout the 1990s during the "shock therapy" schemes to privatize the formerly state-owned industries of the Soviet Union, which led to massive asset-stripping by a handful of oligarchs that turned themselves into billionaires overnight. The rest of the country was poor and nearly 80% of the population was either at or below the poverty line during the 1990s, having their life savings wiped out. After the Yeltsin presidency, the rise of Putin also saw a massive improvement in the economy and a great increase in the standard of living, but by the 2010s the economy remained dependent on oil and gas. As prices of those lowered and sanctions were implemented against Russia by the US and EU countries in 2014, the economy saw significant drop, but Putin used this as encouragement to begin the process of diversification.

By the 2020s this process was well underway, with the EU, US, and Japan ending their economic sanctions against Russia as the tensions from the Ukraine crisis died down. The diversification process was successful under the policies of Putin's last Prime Minister Alexei Kudrin (2018–2024), and continued under President Sergey Baburin, Putin's successor. Other economic reforms starting with Baburin's term in 2024 included the seizure of assets of dozens of oligarchs, returning their wealth as many European states agreed to extradite oligarchs and their families living there to Russia. The economy grew further in 2029 when the Russian ruble was placed on the gold standard using Russia's gold reserves, making the volatile ruble finally stabilize. The collapse of Saudi Arabia greatly increased oil prices around the world, which also contributed to the economic growth of Russia even as it was diversifying to end reliance on oil and gas.

Since the late 2030s, the economy has been brought up to a great degree close to those of Western Europe, enough for the government to increase financial assistance to new families in order to encourage population growth, increase military spending, and by 2045 spending on the space program of the Roscosmos agency.

Military
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation consist of three branches (Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces) and two independent services (Airborne Troops and Strategic Missile Troops), along one special uniformed branch known as the Special Operations Command (KSO). Formed from the large Soviet Army after it was withdrawn from the former Warsaw Pact countries and newly independent Soviet republics, the military has undergone large reforms since 1992. The lack of guidance from the civilian leadership and the upheaval caused by the Chechen Wars of the 1990s prevented significant reforms from being implemented during the first decade. But since 2010 significant progress has been made and the reforms were mostly completed in 2025. The military still relies heavily on conscription for manpower, with about 300,000 men between the ages of 18 and 27 entering the armed forces each year for 12 months of mandatory national service.

Since the 2040s, the military has phased out most of its former Soviet equipment and has begun developing new technologies, including the AK-30 laser rifle, Akula II-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine and Knyaz Suvorov-class heavy nuclear guided missile cruiser. The country's sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which was inherited from the Soviet Union, has been made a training ship while the new super-carrier Imperator Nikolai I was commissioned to replace it. The AK-30 has been issued mostly to spetsnaz units of the Special Operations Forces Command so far, but a few premier Ground Forces units have also received it. As of 2050 a new main battle tank will be developed to replace the T-14 Armata, which will be equipped with a laser railgun.