Operation: Liberté, Eastern Reconstruction, and Other Updates

Operation: Liberté

Sedrosian forces, stationed in the Iberian peninsula, have recently finally been given the orders to move out of the newly formed Spanish state. Sedrosian forces, numbering 175,000 strong as well as hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and naval support in the Mediterranean have begun their secret operation alongside the Victorian government in their quest to liberate France from Uchaman and Melonese tyranny, and remove the hostile Melonese claim to our soverign territory. The Reconquête Française as our Victorian allies call it, has begun!

On November 8th, Sedrosian forces, numbering 175,000 strong in the south, ordered an offensive over the Pyrenees and stormed into the heart of France itself. A massive artillery and bombing campaign of the Melonese southern defenses and the south of the country has been launched. Targeting any defensive lines, fortifications, bases, or other such targets. Following the bombardment, Sedrosian armored units and mechanized infantry punched through the holes in the southern defensive lines in a push toward the southern French cities of Toulouse, Montpellier, and Marseille in a bid to capture them.

Sedrosian advances through the south have met currently some heavy resistance along the A64 highway towards Toulouse itself. Sedrosian forces have entered and liberated the cities of Pau, Perpignan, Narbonne, and Beziers. The push to Toulouse and Marseille itself has been stalled however by stronger resistance than expected on the secondary lines. However, a pincer strike by the Sedrosian 17th Mechanized Infantry Division and 7th Armored Brigade to encircle Toulouse is underway. Further pushes to Montauban and Bordeaux are underway. 

Map of the southern front with blue being under Sedrosian control

The War in the North:

Meanwhile, from the north, the 120,000 men of the 7th and 8th Combined Army Corps stationed in the Dutch Republic have launched the northern invasion against Uchama and Northern Melonese forces. Also, the troops of the 23rd Mechanized Infantry Division, 19th and 20th Armored Brigades, and the 17th Airborne Battalion have pushed from Victorian-owned Alsace-Loraine in an open push advance towards Reims and Amiens. A massive air campaign from Sedrosian heavy bombers and fighter craft as well as artillery have aided in covering the advancing allied forces. Cambrai, Saint-Quentin, Le Touquet, and Berck-sur-Mer have fallen under Sedrosian control as armored units push towards both Amiens and Reims as well as for the Melonese capital of Paris. 

The northern defenses remain strong, especially in French territory as Melonese forces in the north have put up a stiffer defense than Uchama or the southern front. Sedrosian armor and infantry, as well as the flat terrain, has given Sedrosian forces an edge but with high casualties mounting on both sides. But a breakthrough towards Besançon has been made by Sedrosian and allied forces. 

Meanwhile, the Sedrosian North Sea and Mediterranean fleets have begun to barrage both coastal defenses and bases, as well as engage the Melonese and Uchaman Navy. Several engagements have taken place with total losses on both sides with 2 Frigates, a destroyer, and a corvette being confirmed losses on the Sedrosian side.

Map of the northern front with blue being under allied control and dark blue being Victorian-owned Alsace-Loriane and Calais

Sedrosian Cleanup Efforts in Russia

It has been almost 4 months since the nuking of Russia and the events that changed the world forever. During these past few months, Sedrosian cleanup crews have worked with the new Russian government and allies in Eastern Europe to contain the radiation and its effects. Now, while the initial radiation effects from the regular nuclear warheads have mostly dissipated in the air; many parts of Russia especially near power plants or in the craters left by some of the bombs remain highly toxic. So much so that containment facilities have had to be built around the radiated soil or the soil carefully removed and shipped away from population centers and towards the more remote parts of Siberia declared to be so-called “dump zones” or these concrete storage bunkers to dump the radioactive material. 

These operations have remained at a high cost, with most of the original funds spent just in cleaning up the radiation levels down to habitable levels in places so the Russian people don’t have to live forever in bunkers. Luckily, the number of nukes used, while a lot, have also left many places far from the main urban centers mostly intact. Such towns include Magadan, Yelizovo, Yakutsk, Susuman, Omsukchan, Vorkuta, Salekhard, Novy Urengoy, Chita, Grozny, Makhachkala, Kandalaksha, and Arkhangelsk which are all in decent shape albeit damaged from the chaos that ensued after the collapse of the central government. 

The cleanup to fully non-lethal levels in most major metropolitan areas is estimated to take at least 2-3 years if not more, with some regions remaining radiated for decades more than that. Cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg must be rebuilt from the ground up and millions are dead. The population continues to live in bunkers or in the wilderness and smaller towns and villages that weren’t hit directly. The Empire continues to fund efforts in cleanup and other humanitarian works within Russia. The old power and glory of the Russian state are destroyed, and now, the people must rebuild. But, the efforts of the world will aid in the reconstruction of this great land. 

Other News:

North American Aid continues
Reconstruction of Istanbul continues after a short delay
Sedrosia Agrees to Join the Slavic Federation
Canadian Goose Holds Bank Hostage, Gets Away With $37 Million OBD
John MacLeod Gives Speech in Belgrade
Ajakon Cancels MDP, Ends Sedrosian Military Access In Bid for True Neutrality
Janis Turn Found at Cape Verde Beach Resort, Now Under Temporary Police Custody
Sedrosian Third Army (350k) Reaches Sedro-Melonese Border, Begins Digging Heavy Fortifications

© The Sedrosian Times - 2098