Under Secretary of State Wounded In Podagorsk - Grand Central Times - September 29th, 2019

[Capt Boyle]

Under Secretary of State Wounded In Podagorsk
Grand Central Times - September 29th 2019

 

Alexander Rodriguez, the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, was severely wounded in a roadside bombing today that killed four others, including two Americans who were members of his staff. The Under Secretary and his entourage were in a convoy driving through the Autonomous Oblast of Podagorsk, with an escort of Chernarussian Defense Force vehicles, in an unannounced visit to the region. The Under Secretary had reportedly made this visit in the hopes of assessing the Eastern European Region, following concerns of instability due to recent events. As the convoy was passing the town of Kovrov, an improvised explosive device went off under the lead CDF vehicle and sent the American vehicle careening off the road and into the nearby forest. Two members of the Under Secretary's staff, whom the State Department has not yet named, reportedly died in the crash, while the Under Secretary and another three staff members are in critical condition. The CDF has also reported two dead and another five wounded. 

 

Pictured: Under Secretary's car and burning escort near the town of Kovrov

 

The instability within Podagorsk began last month after the death of Governor Pyotr Chigorin, who was widely seen as the unifying figure in the region. Chigorin was the former Chairman of the Podagorski Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and he led the region through the break-up of the Soviet Union and its shaky transition to democracy. His leadership is viewed by many as the sole reason the region didn’t descend into ethnic fighting in the early 1990’s, with his stewardship leading the country to see economic growth in a time when most Eastern European states were suffering from drastic economic hardships. His decision to align with the then-newly independent state of Chernarus over the Russian Federation was controversial, but deemed necessary to maintain some sense of stability, though he did maintain closer contact with Russia than some in the Chernarussian government reportedly preferred. Due to his popular record, he was elected Governor four consecutive times, with the last one being a mere six months before his fatal heart attack at age 78. However, with his death, the reins of the oblast fell to his successor, Nickolai Ivanovich.

 

Pictured: Kovrov Cemetary in 2016 during the dedication of the Red Hammer Memorial Monument

 

Ivanovich is largely seen as an official appointed to appease those who wished for closer ties with Chernarus, an opinion that is not particularly popular in the largely ethnic Russian region. Early policy ideas from the new governor included an increase in tariffs on Russian goods and more stringent travel restrictions. As a result, protests quickly popped up, including in Berzeniki, which have become increasingly violent in the past two weeks. At least twenty-six were reported killed in days leading up to today’s attack, with several of them being police and CDF troops. Due to the severity of these protest and the recent bombing, some have begun to speculate that the instability is the result of a resurgent Red Guard, an ultra-nationalist terrorist group that was heavily involved in the 2015 fight for Chernarus and Podagorsk. There is however no solid evidence of this group making a return, particularly after their leader Gleb Zakharovich was killed during the "Second Battle of Berezhino" in early 2016. While no group has claimed credit for the bombing against the Under Secretary, many observers of the region have been quick to point the finger at the Red Guard, regardless of the available facts, due to the historic lack of other major terrorist organizations in the region.

 

By Douglas Haig