Soviet Union

"To Europeans, Russia has always been the great bear to the east"

- Eurosource Plus

The Union of Sovereign Soviet Republics is an energy and military superpower in the 21st century, and an ally of the European Community.

End of Communism
In the last decade of the Old Soviet Union, the reformist Premier Gorbachev let Eastern Europe go to weaken the conservative military which was resisting his reforms. He then transformed the Soviet Union into the Soviet Federation, in which all of its members were granted the status of sovereign countries.

His successor Gorborev continued with the reforms but had to confront the growing problem of secessionist movements within the sovereign republics. He then created the improved new Union of Sovereign Soviet Republics, a free trade zone that united the sovereign republics which was similar to the European Community except that it also had its own army and foreign policy.

Rise of SovOil
KGB remnants and communist hard-liners attempted a coup which was quickly crushed due to the rebels having overstretched themselves, but it was done at great cost in both men and material. SovOil requested the authorization to establish its own security force, arguing that the Soviet Army did not have the resources to defend all of its facilities.

The state gave SovOil the authorization requested. Which backfired spectacularly on Moscow, as it led to the Soviet Corporate Rebellion of 2002, in which SovOil declared itself an independnet entity. The state took military action to prevent this but its forces were outmatched by the better equipped and motivated SovOil troops. The state was forced to admit defeat and accept the independence of SovOil.

SovOil became the most powerful faction within the Neo-Sov. New secessionist movements then threatened to break up the various sovereign republics but via covert action and diplomacy, SovOil prevented this from happening. SovOil had a vested interest in keeping the USSR intact and stable, and therefore uses its political power, troops, and resources to make it so.

Mid 21st Century
In 2045, New Russia continues to be at a disadvantage with their antiquated technology and are still unable to feed their hungry population. Though due to the Fourth Corporate War, the playing field has been leveled a bit. As the economic and social reforms continue to fail, hardliners are on the rise once more. These new oligarchs are aggressive and operate like the Megacorps of the 2020s. Hungry and dangerous, willing to use murder, bribery, and mayhem in heavy amounts to achieve their goals.

Geography
The Soviet Union is the largest ladnd mass controled by a single entity in the world, covering approximately one-seventh of Earth's land surface. It's a sovereign union made up of various countries. It is two and a half times the size of the United States, and only slightly smaller in land area than the entire continent of North America. It covers most of the northern half of Asia and a large part of Eastern Europe, extending even into the Middle East. About one-quarter of its territory is in Europe, and the rest in Asia. The territory of the USSR is dominated by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic—having the same borders as contemporary Russia—which covered roughly three-quarters of the surface area of the union. The U.S.S.R. covers some 8,650,000 square miles (22,400,000 square kilometres).

Because of the the Soviet Union covering one-seventh of the Earth's land, the climate is very different across each territory. However most of the year the territory of Soviet Union stays relatively cold. There's wild open landscapes and mountains that stretch for 100's of miles, as well as ice and snow that covers all of Siberia.

Current Situation
SovOil owns much of the countryside, in the rural areas (especially in Siberia), they are the only real power. It's moles work in both the syndicates and government. The reality is if SovOil wanted to take full control it could do so easily but has chosen not to do so.

In the cities, there are three powers; SovOil, the Russian Mafia (the Organitskaya), and the State. Since the 1990s, because of the emergency decrees passed and still in effect, the president is able to make his own laws without the approval of the parliament if he desires. Bolstering his power is the Russian military service (GRU) which has become the KGB's successor. Many of the old KGB agents were reinstated into the GRU (or the Interior Ministry). The GRU is an organization that is as brutal as the KGB had been.

Moscow / Russian SFSR - 12 Million
Moscow, on the Moskva River in western Russia, is the nation’s cosmopolitan capital and home to the biggest corporation in the region SovOil. In its historic core is the Kremlin, a complex that’s home to the president and tsarist treasures in the Armoury. Outside its walls is Red Square, Russia's symbolic center. It's home to Lenin’s Mausoleum, the State Historical Museum's comprehensive collection and St. Basil’s Cathedral, known for its colorful, onion-shaped domes.

Leningrad / Russian SFSR - 5 Million
Leningrad is a Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. It was the imperial capital for 2 centuries, having been founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, subject of the city's iconic “Bronze Horseman” statue. It remains Russia's cultural center, with venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre hosting opera and ballet, and the State Russian Museum showcasing Russian art, from Orthodox icon paintings to Kandinsky works.

Kiev / Ukrainian SSR- 3 Million
Kiev is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. Kiev is an important industrial, scientific, educational and cultural center of Eastern Europe.

Tashkent / Uzbek SSR - 2.8 Million
Tashkent is the capital city of Uzbekistan. It’s known for its many museums and its mix of modern and Soviet architecture. The Amir Timur Museum houses manuscripts, weapons and other relics from the Timurid dynasty. Nearby, the huge State Museum of History of Uzbekistan has centuries-old Buddhist artifacts. The city’s skyline is distinguished by Tashkent Tower, which offers city views from its observation deck.

Baku / Azerbaijan SSR - 2 Million
Baku, the capital and commercial hub of Azerbaijan, is a low-lying city with coastline along the Caspian Sea. It's famed for its medieval walled old city, which contains the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a vast royal complex, and the iconic stone Maiden Tower. Contemporary landmarks include the Zaha Hadid–designed Heydar Aliyev Center, and the Flame Towers, 3 pointed skyscrapers covered with LED screens.

Timeline
The Timeline of major events of the Soviet Union in the Cyberpunk universe.

1910

 * 1917
 * Bolshevik Revolution: Czar Nicholas abdicates; Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, take control; Russian Soviet Socialist Republic established; capital moves to Moscow.
 * 1918
 * Bolsheviks assassinate czar.
 * Red Terror begins.

1920

 * 1921
 * Red Terror: Lenin purges Communist Party, socializes economy; 5 million die of famine.
 * Lenin inaugurates New Economic Policy, allows limited free-market measures
 * 1922
 * Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Transcaucasia (present-day Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan) form Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
 * 1924
 * Joseph Stalin consolidates power; inaugurates first Five-Year Plan, collectivizes agriculture, industrializes; famine returns
 * 1929
 * Joseph Stalin's Five-Year Plan ends.

1930

 * 1936
 * Millions die in Stalin's Great Purge (through 1953).

1940

 * 1941
 * WW2: Germany invades Russia.
 * 1945
 * WW2: World War II ends; Russia occupies Eastern Europe, establishes puppet governments, Cold War takes shape.
 * 1949
 * Soviets explode atomic device.

1950

 * 1953
 * Stalin dies; Nikita Khrushchev becomes first secretary of Communist Party.
 * 1956
 * Khrushchev denounces Stalin.

1960

 * 1960
 * Arkady Cherminino is born.
 * 1962
 * Cuban Missile Crisis, Khrushchev withdraws missiles from Cuba.
 * 1964
 * Leonid Brezhnev helps engineer Khrushchev's fall from power, becomes first secretary of Communist Party.
 * 1969
 * Major border clashes with China.

1970

 * 1972
 * Détente: President Richard Nixon visits USSR, signs arms control treaties with Chairman Brezhnev.
 * 1978
 * Soviets invade Afghanistan.

1980

 * 1985
 * General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev attempts to improve faltering economy with glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring).

1990

 * 1990
 * Soviet Union president Gorbachev appoints successor, Andrei Gorborev. The USSR enters into a period of reform.
 * 1994
 * The Soviet Union ends and the Union of Sovereign Soviet Republics is formed.
 * 1997
 * The KGB Rebellion occurs in the USSR. The event is known as the Nights of Fire.
 * Anatoly Novikovo lays the groundwork for a private army using the remnants of the OMON Unit.
 * 1998
 * SovOil is founded by Anatoly Novikovo in Moscow, Russia.