[War] Russia: "Courtside View"

[Michael Downey]

"Courtside View"
President Leonid Nemerenko
Russian Federation
29 July 2014
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<Near Lake Abrau, Krasnodar Province, Russian Federation>

>From an early age Leonid Nemerenko had visited and lived in many
places both in Russia and abroad. Moscow, Saint Petersburg, London,
Tokyo, even Grozny for one unpleasant winter. But for him the city of
Novorossiysk and the surrounding countryside of Abrau-Dysurso was his
true home. This dacha, one a vineyard to tsarist nobles until Lenin
sent them to the gulags, had fallen into the hands of his father and
had been where Leonid grew. Nemerenko had never particularly liked his
father during his childhood but the grounds of the vineyard dacha on
the shores of Lake Abrau contained perhaps the happiest memories from
his youth. When Nikolai Nemerenko has passed away just a few months
after the fall of the Soviet Union, an event the old man had secretly
predicted to his son on numerous occasions, the dacha had come into
the possession of Leonid Nikolayevich.

"We are like a worker trying to put a cog in a pattern that doesn't
function," Nikolai had once whispered to Nemerenko on a warm spring
evening of the 1980's. "We know the cog will not fit, we know the
machine will break because of it, yet we do it anyway. Always be
mindful of outcomes and objectives and don't let yourself be held down
by a singular viewpoint or methodology. This is why the capitalists
will triumph and we will fail."

That ideal of pragmatism and efficiency had made Nikolai Nemerenko one
of the KGB's deputy chairmen and head of the state security agency's
Fifth Chief Directorate. Conversely, it also prevented the old man
from becoming the KGB's First Chairman; competent enough to lead a
directorate but *too* competent to lead the KGB itself. No wonder
Nemerenko's father had always been so bitter and sullen. An added
irony was that the Fifth Chief Directorate was responsible for
combating internal dissent within the Soviet Union, monitoring
artists, intellectuals and academics and censoring the media. Knowing
the end was coming and making sure no one else knew besides you. And
your son.

'You were a brilliant man father, but your own cold heart meant I
could never love you like a son should,' thought Nemerenko as he
walked down a hallway within the dacha. Leonid appreciated Nikolai's
sharp mind and the lessons he had learned from his father. But too
many times had Nemerenko felt the back of Nikolai's hand across his
face until one day he returned the favor. How would Nikolai react if
he knew his son would one day lead this country?

"Comrade President," came a gravely voice that still contained a
measure of irreverent mirth. The President snapped back to realty as
he saw General Amir Rezakaev standing outside the mahogany double
doors of the briefing room that served as Nemerenko's situation room
while staying at his dacha. "Is this where you stayed while the
Olympics were going on in Sochi?"

"I only had time to attend the first few days just to make an
appearance and then back to Moscow for real business I'm afraid,"
sighed Nemerenko. "But Yuriko wanted a break for the children and she
insisted that we spend at least a week here." He glanced at Rezakaev's
crisp olive clothing. "Still wearing a general's uniform I see?"

"Technically I still *am* an general," chuckled Rezakaev. "My
officer's commission does not officially end until tomorrow. I've worn
the uniform of a soldier since I was eighteen and I intend to wear it
until I can no longer." Was that a hint of regret in Rezakaev's voice?
Understandable. You spend your whole life being one thing and then
become something else, it was hard to let go. In a way that was the
whole story of the Federation. Anyone who wanted the Soviet Union back
had no brain, but anyone who did not miss it had no heart.

"You were our first choice for Defence Minister, Amir," said Nemerenko
reassuringly. "The whole Cabinet agreed on your appointment. I can
think of no other man for the job."

"Thank you Comrade President," replied Rezakaev. "Shall we proceed
with the meeting?"

"Of course." The two FSO sentries pushed the double doors open and
Nemerenko stepped inside with General Rezakaev following close behind.
The gathered members of the Security Council all went to stand but
Nemerenko motioned for them to keep their seats and sat in his own
plush leather chair at the head of the table. "Alright, can I please
have an update on the situation?"

"It is as we expected," began Rezakaev. He pressed a few buttons on a
keypad built discreetly into the table and the large LCD monitor of
the far wall displayed a topographical map of the South Caucasus,
focused on Azerbaijan. "The US and allied NATO forces have completely
revered the gains made by the Iranians into Azerbaijan and have thrown
the them into a full retreat. Numerous regimental-sized formation have
either surrendered or been outright obliterated." The General hit
another key and the screen switched to a map of Iran, focused along
the Iran-Pakistan border. "One war's other front, the Chinese have
inflicted significant casualties on the Iranians. While the PLA has
not mounted a major offensive into Iran, their special forces have
caused significant damage to the Iranian military on their own home
territory."

"What about our situation?" asked Nemerenko.

"Our forces, in conjunction with the EU and Japanese peacekeepers we
are working with, have managed to restore order in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia," answered Rezakaev. "Chechnya is... slightly better than it
was. The 136th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade managed to restore order
in Grozny after about three days of moderate to heavy fighting with
sporadic violence occuring in the South. The GRU beleives that the
Chechen rebels were only able to mount this outbreak of violence
thanks to aid and intelligence provided by the Iranians. With the NATO
blitzkrieg in Azerbaijan, that aid had all but ceased. We expect the
security status quo before the insurgency to be restored by the end of
the weak."

"And our response to Iran's invasion?"

"So far little." This time it was Irena Denemetov, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, that answered. "Georgia has refused to allow us to move
troops through their territory to attack the Iranians. Because of this
our only option is to attack from our own territory in southern
Dagestan."

"Which is one of the most mountanous and physically treacherous
regions in the Caucasus," added in Rezakaev. "By the time we are able
to move any significant formations through Dagestan into Azerbaijan,
we predict the total defeat of any lingering Iranian resistance by
NATO."

"We've been completely sidelined," muttered Nemerenko. While
Azerbaijan was a sovereign nation and not part of Russia for nearly a
quarter of a century, having a war go on in your own backyard and not
being able to go crack the skulls of the invaders while your former
nemesis does all the work was, well, just a tad bit embarrassing.

"I think it would be bad PR for us to say negative about NATO's
operation against the Iranians," warned the Foreign Minister. "Our
misgivings can be voiced privately. Publicly we should congratulate
Washington on a job well done."

"Indeed," agreed Nemerenko, standing. He'd speak with William
privately at a later date. "Rezakaev, see to it that the GRU provides
the Pentagon with all relevant information we have about Iranian
operations and military strength."
---

Actions:
1) Outline what Russia has been doing while everyone else is mixing it
up with Iran.
2) While not pleased about being shut out of the action, publicly
Russia will stand behind the American-led offensive in Azerbaijan
3) The GRU will give any relevant information that it has about the
Iranains to the Pentagon.