Midnight Dawn – Days Run Short

This is a modern day alt history and post apocalyptic scenario set 9 years after a Global Thermonuclear War in the United States Mainland.

Update Plans:
Finishing the East Coast
Adding more smaller factions
Adding more flags
(Maybe) Making lore for each faction
(Maybe) Adding revolts

Feedback is well appreciated.

Very loosely inspired by Aftere Europa.

UPDATES:

Added more to the Great Lakes Region
Expanded USA Kentucky
Added Little Egypt

Immersion ideas:

Regional Unification Renames (I.e, If a US military faction becomes large enough, rename them to say, "[INSERT STATE HERE] Military Administration", or whatever you please)

At some set point, like 2050 or 2100, remove Anarchy (wouldn’t recommend now because East Coast is unfinished)

DISCLAIMERS: THIS SCENARIO IS NOT MEANT TO BE AT ALL REALISTIC. AND I DO NOT SUPPORT OR ADVOCATE FOR ANY EXTREMIST IDEOLOGY WITHIN THIS SCENARIO.

Map used: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2946989111

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Lore

TLDR: Russia successfully invaded Ukraine and Moldova in 2017, had a stand off with the US Navy in the Black and Baltic Sea, which escalated and then they glassed Earth.

The deviation starts in the year 2014, where the Ukrainian Government fails to recapture Mariupol from the Donbass separatists due to more extensive Russian aid and volunteer forces, leading to a stronger DPR and LPR.

Along with an early victory at Donetsk International Avdiivka, Minsk II, while still fragile, gave the Russians a better staging ground for their planned "Special Military Operation."

As in OTL, the Russian military conducted many exercises near the Ukrainian Border, however, emboldened by their "victory" in the Donbass War, they were itching for a fight.

Eventually, on February 15th 2017, officers and soldiers were notified of the "Special Military Operation". On the 19th violent clashes between the DPR and Ukrainian armed forces resumed, and soon mortar and artillery shells started flying, the first of such incidents in 2 years. Soon media was involved, the Novorossiyans blaming the Ukrainians, and vice versa. On the 20th, Russia recognized the DPR and LPR as sovereign states. And on the 23rd sirens blared across Ukrainian cities as an extensive missile and airstrike campaign begun, devastating civilian infrastructure and power, and turning iconic sights to dust.

On the evening 24th the VDV successfully captured key landing areas in Kyiv and Kharkiv. And on the morning of the 25th Russian troops crossed the border. Without nearly as much corruption as Putin’s regime managed by 2022, the Russian military was in far better shape than it could’ve been.

Within 3 weeks, the Ukrainian Government surrendered to Russian terms, as a supervised Ukrainian State was set up in Kyiv, and a Novorossiyan Republic carved from Southern Ukraine. They then occupied Moldova without nearly as much of a fight, securing Chișinău with in a few days. Sweden and Finland soon scrambled to join NATO as they saw the writing on the wall.

In light of the invasion, the Trump administration, and directly or indirectly NATO as a whole is widely criticized for its lack of resolve in the face of the aggression. With Russian gas continuing to flow to Europe.

With Ukraine firmly under their boot, and Odessa, Sevastopol, and Abkhazia secured, Russia begins looking towards the Black Sea. The navy frequently conducting naval exercises close to NATO waters, leading a series of schisms, such as Russian "accidents" damaging NATO naval ships and drones.

After a large scale joint military exercise by the Polish, German, and US armies in 2019, Russia sees this a prelude to conflict, and decided to strike first.

In 2020, Russian and Lithuanian Soldiers near Vilnius exchange fire at border checkpoints, leaving several soldiers dead. With once again, both sides blaming each other for the incident. Stand offs between Russian Navy vessels and NATO vessels in the Baltic and Black Sea become common as both sides started to militarize their borders.

Everything came to a head on Christmas Eve, 2020, when 2 Tu-95’s flew near Alaska in a military exercise. Although they technically did not enter US airspace, SAMs shot down 1 of the 2 bombers, and Russia got the excuse it needed. The soon to be Biden administration offered negotiations however no response was given by the Kremlin, whilst the incumbent Trump cabinet made no official comment.

On Jan 2, 2021, just like what happened in Ukraine, Russian aircraft and missiles swarmed the Baltic’s, Poland, and Romania, as NATO scrambled jets, shooting down several Russian bombers and fighters.

The war for the first 3 weeks was conventional, with Russia capturing areas of territory in East Poland and the Baltic’s, and NATO obliterating the Kaliningrad fleet.

Putin, however, placed far to many rubles on gamble of NATO timidness to using nuclear weapons.
On Feburary 2nd, 2021, Russian nuclear warheads detonated in Lublin, Kaunas, and Talinn, in an attempt to make gaps they would be able to exploit, and thus the world held it’s (final) breath.

The blue and green marble was reduced to a gray and white orb, as 1 billion died from warheads, and billions more starved. The legacy of the politicians and figureheads of the 21st century a humorless mockery, as they retreated to their bunkers to live the rest of the few years they had left having to reflect everyday on how they got there.

Size: 675×424 (286200px)
Nations: 155