Cryrian News Network

[Cryria]

In more tragic news, earlier today the Ministry of Justice announced the death of Justice Minister Bertram Fischer. The 73 year old cabinet member was reportedly killed in a failed ransoming attempt, according to a National Police spokesperson.

As of yet, no further details regarding the killing have been provided.

Minister Fischer was a former officer of the National Police, and a veteran parliamentarian, having served his constituency in the County of Brekkim for nearly twenty years. During this time, he became well known for championing hawkish and tough on crime policies, which won him considerable popularity among his constituents. As a hardline member of the Conservative Party, it is widely thought that his appointment to the cabinet was a necessary part of an agreement with the Social Democrats to form a coalition. If so, his death would cause a serious upset in the newly inaugurated government.

There has been no news as to who might replace Minister Fischer.

[Cryria]

The Bridge - A Historical Review

Blood on cobblestones. Rows of marching soldiers. Burning government buildings. There are a thousand images scattered across the history textbooks to elicit the violence and confusion of the Anarchy. Yet, it is a time which has, happily some might say, slipped out of public consciousness. As a historian and a Cryrian, however, I cannot help but find this to be a tragedy. We celebrate the Landing, the Conquests, and the countless other conflicts whose fires forged our nation, yet the Anarchy, having taken place scarcely more than a century ago, is the one doomed to be forgotten. Perhaps this can be attributed to its recentness, it is, after all, tempting to set aside controversy in the name of national healing. But our proximity to this period gives us all the more reason to understand it. The 1910 Constitution, the Electoral Reform Act, and dozens of laws and institutions which touch our lives on a daily basis, can trace their roots back to the bloody soil of the Anarchy.

The Bridge has made a remarkably strong showing in the otherwise niche Cryrian film industry and stands out as one of the few recent works that attempt to depict this tumultuous time. The film, itself released in the December of 2020, takes its viewers through the seven-day siege of Karsholm Palace, culminating in the infamous New Years Massacre of 1907. It is a laudable effort, and director Liam Akerman himself has stated in multiple interviews that he had intended to capture this extraordinary series of events through the eyes of a diverse cast of characters who, willingly or otherwise, find themselves embroiled in the chaos. Alas, a laudable effort does not always equate to a successful one, and the historical inaccuracies in The Bridge are worth a closer look.

We begin our exploration with one of the main characters, Thomas Holmquist, a baker’s son conscripted into the Army. And here already we see a glaring error, one which is compounded upon as the film continues: The belief that the majority of the government forces consisted of unwilling soldiers pressed into service and led by professional but dispassionate officers who merely did what they thought was their duty. The truth, however, is far more complex. Holmquist appears wearing a remarkably accurate recreation of an early 20th century Cryrian Army uniform, one man among a formidable wall of rifles defending Karsholm. In reality, the composition of the government forces was far more varied, the sudden nature of the crisis reflected in their hastily cobbled together units. They consisted primarily of National Police officers, supported by a regiment of Naval Infantry.

The most important point here is that all of the men defending Karsholm were there voluntarily, either as professional soldiers or more typically, law enforcement. Indeed, the government never once considered using conscript soldiers during the Anarchy due to concerns about their loyalties, and it primarily relied on the newly formed National Police to maintain order. It is disappointing, then, that Akerman chose to avoid controversy by showing Cryrian law enforcement agencies as what they were at the time, institutions who willingly engaged in violence against civilians and repeatedly escalated the crisis through their heavy-handed tactics. Peter Sanddahl’s acting as Colonel Dahlin may have been phenomenal, but the portrayal of the competent government commander striving to maintain the peace is grossly inaccurate. In the real siege, there was no Colonel Dahlin, and the government forces were led by Leidenstad Police Chief Gorm Holgersson, a powerful and thoroughly despotic individual as his role in various bouts of violence during the Anarchy demonstrates.

.These problems do not abate on the other side of the Prince Charles Bridge, where the demonstrators erected their barricades. Much like the government forces, they are depicted as a monolithic group, this time of fiery but well-educated students who collectively refer to themselves as anarchists. In reality, of course, this was again far from the case. While Axel Lätt’s Common Protection Party followed ideals that modern political scientists might classify as anarcho-syndicalism, it was only ever a fringe group within a wider umbrella movement which itself primarily consisted of more conventional workers unions spurred by abysmal labor conditions and repressive government actions. Indeed, the primary motivator for the Siege of Karsholm was the death and likely murder of popular union leader Nisse Österberg in Mourningstar Prison. Eric Söderholm’s dramatic “We are Anarchists” speech at the climax of the film would have certainly been out of place during these historical events. More importantly, while students and academics played an important part in the revolutionary movement, the vast majority of those at Karsholm and other demonstrations were ordinary urban workers, and the film’s decision to erase their role in favor of depicting the cleanly dressed elite is perhaps its greatest sin.

From all this, we can conclude that the themes of the two sides as shown in the film are often discordant with reality, and this problem comes to a head with the story’s climax. On that fateful New Year’s eve, the massacre begins, and sadly, The Bridge completely massacres historical accuracy as well. The fantastically noble commanders in charge of the Palace’s defense are shown to be beset by the demands of the corrupt and out of touch politicians trapped within Karsholm. Meanwhile, on the other side of the barricades, the demonstrators are shown as ever more impatient and radicalized, especially as more moderate elements begin to depart after the brutal December 30 blizzard. The weather factor represents another great missed opportunity by the film - In reality, the demonstrators largely withstood the dropping temperatures in a testament to both human endurance and community efforts to move vital supplies and blankets, largely organized by the woman of Leidenstad.

Thus, at the outset of the massacre, both sides have effectively ceased to bear any resemblance to reality. We have extensive records indicating that the then-Prime Minister Östberg had in fact been about to negotiate with a number of union leaders to end the siege, which was what prompted the violently reactionary Chief of Police to escalate to violent action. Meanwhile, Söderholm’s depiction as the last sane man among an angry, hungry horde is simply insulting. To top it all off, the massacre itself is portrayed as a mere accident. Colonel Dahlin, under pressure from the Prime Minister, orders the demonstrators to disperse, only to be rebuffed. A nameless, faceless soldier is shown panicking at the advancing crowd and firing a shot. Cue a lengthy action montage, as our main characters struggle to survive the violence and its aftermath. The remainder of the film rarely touches upon historical events, and thus I shall not comment further upon it.

Doubtless, from a pure filmmaking standpoint, director Liam Akerman has put forward a well-crafted piece with the limited resources available to him. Far more qualified critics than I have lauded his efforts, and it is difficult to argue with the number of viewers the film has received. However, the film’s success while discussing an otherwise unmentioned topic means that it has the potential to shape popular views on the Anarchy for years to come. As such, it is important that we recognize that as with any historical dramatization, The Bridge suffers from numerous gaps and biases, and we must examine these in order to properly preserve and disseminate the true nature of this foundational period in our nation’s history. It is tempting to do as The Bridge has done, and seek to whitewash the ugly truths of this time, to attribute the bloodshed and loss to a handful of historical caricatures, or worse, to bad luck and happenstance. It is certainly comforting to leave behind the difficult and controversial history from which our modern way of life sprang from. But such would, I feel, be a terrible mistake, and an insult to the men and women who have, for good or ill, made us what we are today. The Anarchy was not some spasmodic radical outburst by idealistic students, it was a vast movement to reform and reshape Cryrian society, and in so many ways it embedded itself into our nation’s soul. To forget it would be to forget ourselves.

• Written by Dr. Simon Ericsson, Chair of History at Leidenstad University, and published on January 3, 2021 in a department newsletter

[Cryria]

24 April 2021

Government Opens Aid to Mainland as Crises Simmer

Leidenstad — On April 24, 2021, Director-General Isak Holdersson of the Royal International Development Agency(RIDA) announced the Government’s plan to resume various forms of aid and assistance to the Novaran mainland. The announcement comes in the wake of declarations from Kuthernberg and Nacata creating the Novaris Reconstruction Fund, totaling 230 billion SHD, or over one trillion Krona.

RIDA, the Foreign Ministry department which coordinates all Cryrian foreign financial aid efforts, presently operates under a budget of roughly 50 billion KR. Historically, half of the RIDA budget has been reserved for projects within Novaris since the conclusion of the Arkian Civil War. However, these were largely suspended in 2020, and while the Marlberg Government at the time denied suggestions that the cessation was in anticipation of open warfare on the Novaran Mainland, sources within RIDA have indicated that much of these assets were expected to be redirected to deal with influxes of asylum seekers. The status of the RIDA was further complicated by the Lindström-Rahar Scandal, which revealed that the fund had in past years directed considerable quantities of earmarked relief money into the hands of local officials in Serramal and unrelated government activities. The matter remains under investigation by the Lundberg Government.

The recent announcement indicates that the agency will seek to have 25 billion KR in assistance funneled through the Novaris Reconstruction Fund, and suggests a future for the beleaguered department.

“It is our belief that by combining our resources with these larger-scale programs, we will be able to enjoy greater efficiency and access while avoiding the duplication of efforts,” Holdersson said in his early morning press conference, “The Kingdom of Cryria remains committed to working alongside our friends and neighbors on the Mainland to establish a peaceful and more prosperous Novaris.”

The agency has further stated that the usage of funding acquired in the 2021 Budget is still undergoing further analysis.

The announcements from Kuthernberg have further sparked questions regarding the widespread allegations of rights abuses conducted by the Syndicalist government in Durakia. Thus far, the Foreign Ministry has declined to make any statements on the matter.

[Cryria]

May 12, 2021

Uncertainty Looms as Packilvania Denied International Forum Seat

Leidenstad — Though it has been less than twenty-four hours since the International Forum Security Council voted to reject the Sultanate of Packilvania’s application for membership, tensions surrounding the matter have already begun to rise. The vote, reportedly long and arduous, resulted in an offer of observer status which the Sultanate has declined.

This latest incident comes in the wake of growing troubles between the Sultanate and the international community. Over the past week, multiple economies and organizations including the North Concordian Economic Forum have protested or raised tariffs on Packilvania, accusing the nation of currency manipulation. Further reporting from Bingol indicates large-scale fleet movements towards Concord, purportedly for search and rescue operations.

“The situation is certainly concerning, and we would urge all parties involved to deescalate the crisis,” a Cryrian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an early morning press release.

“Presently we expect no changes in the Kingdom’s policies. We are continuing to monitor the economic impacts of recent events,” read a separate statement regarding the unfolding trade wars.

It has been difficult to ascertain precise long-term economic impacts due to the rapidly changing nature of the situation, though most analysts expect mixed but ultimately non-decisive effects across industries. While the manufacturing sector stands to gain from cheap raw materials, extraction based industries are similarly bracing for a drop in prices.

“Ultimately, we are talking about a swiftly evolving situation that is scarcely two days old,” Charles Schauman, Chair of the Leidenstad University Department of Economics stated in a recent interview, “While it seems politically unlikely that either side will reverse their new policies, we do not yet know how far these trade wars will spread or the precise nature of the new regulations. As such it is difficult to make any serious projections at this time outside of immediate term volatility.”

[Cryria]

May 21, 2021

Beset by Controversy, International Forum Announces New Aid Programme in Southwest Gondwana

Leidenstad — Amid growing criticisms surrounding reports of misconduct within the organization and its body of delegates, the International Forum has announced a renewed aid effort to the war-stricken region of Southwest Gondwana.

The Forum made headlines last week after an altercation between Blueacian Ambassador Benjamin Donniger and Norgsveldet’s Torstein Jensen resulted in the former being escorted out of the Ambassador’s Lounge by security, and subsequently removed from his position. This matter came at the end of a difficult month which included the sudden death of Vothetrian Ambassador Lina Bergmann inside the IF building, the rejection of Packilvanian membership, and the withdrawal of Lower Suvania from its observership after a vicious ideological argument in the General Assembly.

The new aid mission, which would see the newly formed Global Health and Solidarity Organisation deliver badly needed medical assistance to Serramal and Wessaeria, was itself not without controversy. Subsequent statements from the Serramal government complained of a “Racially charged atmosphere” towards the region, and called out statements of indifference made by former colonial power Tretrid as well as efforts by Draeset to block aid to the region.

The Kingdom of Cryria has pledged to provide additional support to the GHSO mission. This statement has not gone without controversy. The 2018 Lindström-Rahar Scandal saw development funds destined for the region siphoned off to local officials in Marago and likely damaged then-Prime Minister Marlberg’s reelection efforts. Though subsequent investigations by the newly elected Lundberg Government have helped to restore faith in these programs, questions remain surrounding the potential for corruption.

“We are certainly aware of the issues within this region, and are doing everything we can to account for it,” Director-General Isak Holdersson of the Royal International Development Agency said in a statement on the matter, “We hope that by coordinating our efforts with the GHSO and our partners around the world, we can ensure that our assistance reaches those who need it most.”

The Agency further stated that it would be delivering assistance in the form of medical equipment and supplies through the GHSO, rather than liquid cash, a move expected to significantly reduce opportunities for misappropriation.

Non-governmental organizations have also stated their support for the General Assembly resolution, including the Cryrian Blue Rose which has maintained a mission in Marago to provide generators to hospitals in a city that suffers from frequent power outages.

[Cryria]

6 July, 2021

Despite Calm, Tensions Grow in Ellesborg

Ellesborg — In face of the deployment of Iphelklorian troops to the borders of the Union of Free Cities and growing uncertainty as widespread mobilizations grip Central Arcturia, business has continued as usual in the Mandate of Ellesborg. The city’s bustling hotels and casinos, its primary source of revenue, were visibly crowded as the week kicked off in spite of early fears of a drop in tourism.

“There is absolutely no reason for anyone to be worrying about any of this,” reported Carl Linderoth, head of Ellesborg’s Steering Committee, which handles much of the day-to-day governance, “We are obviously very far from the border, and while we support the Union government in ensuring a peaceful de-escalation, these deployments pose no risk to anyone in the Mandate.”

Others, however, have provided a much less rosy view of the situation. The recent annexation of Yadylika had previously sparked concerns of Iphelklori expansionism into its smaller neighbors, and worries about the commitments of foreign powers to protect the UFC have only grown among Ellesborg’s ruling establishment.

“We have heard very little from Leidenstad about the matter,” one member of the Steering Committee reported on condition of anonymity, “And of course, we have not been made privy to any international discussions about the crisis, so mostly we are in the dark.”

Ellesborg represents one of the few vestigial overseas military commitments by the Kingdom of Cryria, which has persisted after the Great War. The Kingdom maintains partial sovereignty over the Mandate and is charged with all matters of trade and defense. However, successive governments have frequently downplayed the nation’s role in the region.

The Kingdom presently maintains a military outpost in the form of Ellesborg Naval Station. Though many specifics are classified, it is thought to house some 2,000 personnel after having been reinforced at the outbreak of the Balistrian conflict, and includes detachments from the Royal Cryrian Navy, Air Force, and Foreign Legion. The Naval Station has recently announced joint-exercises with Ellesborg’s locally drawn Civil Defense Force, referring to them as “part of the Cryrian Military’s routine training missions for the Mandate’s law enforcement and security forces.”

The Ministry of Defense has declined to comment on reports that the base has moved to a heightened state of alert and maintains that base personnel primarily consist of support elements, prompting fierce questioning from Green Party ministers about the Kingdom’s role in the region.

“We are cognizant of our commitments to Ellesborg and will continue to cooperate with the local authorities to ensure the continued safety and security of al Ellesborgers. We further believe that this matter is one that can only be solved by the nations of Arcturia, and will continue to support UFC initiatives to maintain peaceful relations with its neighbors,” a Cryrian Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a press release.

[Cryria]

6 July, 2021

Flurry of Royal Pardons Frees 19 Charged in Military Tribunals

Leidenstad — In a nearly unprecedented volume of 21st-century pardons, the Crown has announced its intention to formally discharge nearly 20 inmates who were imprisoned under a controversial legal maneuver which allowed them to be charged in military courts for civilian crimes. The process effectively allowed conscripted reservists to be forcibly recalled into active duty in order to stand trial before often secretive court-martials, under the far harsher military justice system. This practice offered an incredibly wide reach for security forces, as reservist status can sometimes last decades after mandatory National Service is completed.

These forced recall trials first became a prosecutorial tool during the Anarchy Period when anti-government violence by recently stood down Great War conscripts was seen as a serious threat, though its usage fell sharply afterwards. Even so, a handful of cases continued to be tried under this method until the 1970s, primarily in relation to perceived national security threats. The last such trial took place in 1975 in the wake of violence surrounding the Verventis Standoff. The Combined Arms Code of Justice was officially reformed to prevent such court-martials in 2005, however, those charged by them would remain imprisoned at special facilities, typically serving out life sentences.

Today’s string of pardons effectively ends those sentences, and has been hailed as a long-overdue victory for civil liberties even as it sheds light on the justice system’s troubled past.

“The Crown considers these pardons to be an important step in rectifying past errors of justice,” a statement from Leidenstad Castle read, “The offices of Her Majesty are further coordinating with the Prime Minister and the Riksdag to ensure that newly released inmates receive the long-term rehabilitative support needed to return to society.”

The move has already garnered criticism. Former Justice Minister Paula Köstner, who served in the Marlberg Government which formally ended the military trials, had previously cautioned against such pardons.

“The reality is that while the process by which justice was delivered on these individuals was deeply flawed, it was done by the best available legal means of the time, and was in response to the severity of the threat posed and the crimes committed. By unilaterally abrogating these sentences, the Crown would not only risk undermining the Cryrian justice system but  would also release individuals who were convicted on serious charges and who could potentially pose a security threat,” the former Minister was previously quoted as saying in a 2005 interview regarding the possibility of pardoning the inmates.

While Köstner could not be reached for comment after the announcement of the pardons, her comments have been more recently supported by several of her fellow Conservative Party members.

It remains difficult to determine the exact nature of the charges brought against the 19 individuals being released, as the contents of the court-martials have not yet been declassified. External observers have had to rely on decades-old government statements made at the time of the trials, which suggest that most post-Anarchy trials consisted of a broad array of terror-related charges brought against mostly non-human defendants.

The National Front for Sapient Unity, one of the oldest and largest civil rights advocacies in the Kingdom, has demonstrated cautious optimism to the move.

“These borderline extrajudicial imprisonments have long been a dark stain on our nation’s justice system,” stated Niklas Moller, an NFSU activist who has long been involved in opposition to the court-martials, “While the Crown’s decision to release those who were unjustly imprisoned is a welcome one, it must be said that it comes far too late for far too many. All of those who have been released are receiving pardons after decades in military prisons. All of them were Elven activists against whom the accusations of terrorism have yet to be substantiated in a fair trial. Most of them became victims of the forced lobotomy procedures that the government continued to practice at the time. The Kingdom can never give these men and women back what they have lost, and it is instead incumbent on the government to give a full accounting of why these individuals were targeted in such a manner and where the responsibility for their treatment lies.”

The NFSU is currently engaged in multiple Transparency Act lawsuits in a bid to declassify the records surrounding the investigations, trials and imprisonments.

The families of those pardoned have declined to make any statements, and have requested that their family members not be named by the media, a practice common in many Elven communities. CNN has complied with these requests.

[Cryria]

6 July, 2021

Elves Keep Going Missing: What is Happening in Lielsta?

Lielsta — In the mountains of the Cryrian Highlands, a search party is coming together. Roughly a dozen men and women, all locals of the elven-majority Braiorvitl District and equipped with little more than flashlights and cellphones, this gathering is far from the only one to trawl the remote rural landscape in recent months. It is, however, the first to allow for any kind of media presence.

“She went missing nearly two days ago,” the leader, who still asked to not be named, said, “We usually don’t get warned this quickly, so we are still hopeful.”

She, in this case, is C’thevhest Ashaiocneh, a 40-year old resident of the District who vanished while driving alone to see family in the nearby village of Maarli. She is the latest in a long line of missing persons cases to plague the area.

“We’ve never even found bodies before,” our guide added as we set off through the winding mountain roads in a rickety truck, “This area is full of wildlife. Mountain lions, wolves, they’ll drag off a corpse quickly enough. But we’ve never found car wrecks either.”

According to National Police statistics, a total of twelve people have been classified as “Missing, Presumed Dead” in rural counties surrounding Lielsta over the past year. It is the highest rate in decades, and the missing have so far consisted entirely of younger elves, primarily women. Despite this, the spate of disappearances has failed to gather significant national attention, in large part due to the prevailing mistrust of national media by local elven communities.

“The National Police, they don’t really care about it. When one of us goes missing, we’ll report it, and they’ll just say she must be of drinking, [expletive]ing around, or whatever. A few weeks go by, they’ll write her off as dead, and that’s it,” the search team’s leader informs us, “We can’t rely on the authorities, so we’ve started organizing our own parties to go look.”

With a population of 300,000 living in the shadow of the Linnake Plateau, the Braiorvitl District is home to most Cryrian Elves, and makes up nearly half of Lielsta. Despite this, elves remain consistently underrepresented in the city’s government and law enforcement. As one of the oldest centers of native elven culture on the Cryrian Isles, the District has often been a target for human supremacist violence. As recently as the 1970s, locals tell us, it was considered to be dangerous for elves to leave the district alone.

“Of course it’s mostly younger ones who’ve been getting into trouble,” our guide would remark, “For a while, things were better, so they don’t remember how bad it could be to travel without a group.”

We are well off the main highway now, driving through the backcountry roads to Maarli before coming to a stop in the middle of the heavily forested Maarli Valley to search on foot. Someone at a local campground here had reported seeing Ashaiocneh, just a few miles from her destination.

For anyone who has lived their lives in the well-populated coastal plains of the Kingdom, this area is unimaginably empty, a world away from the highrises of Leidenstad or even the densely packed Lielsta Valley. It’s only pure luck that we were able to narrow down the search area, normally search parties like this one had been left trying to cover entire ranges of mountains and forests. If someone was going to go missing without a trace, it would happen out here.

“Every disappearance, it happens somewhere out here in the countryside,” our contact tells us, “Once you’re out of sight of the plateau, you’re in the wilderness, and if someone decides they want to do something to you… There is no safety. Only in the District, we can feel safe.”

Indeed, there is a claustrophobic, confined atmosphere in Braiorvitl District, as if it were still the ancient elven fortress that once stood nearby. Though it has greatly improved from the ghetto-like conditions of the early 20th century, it remains one of the most disadvantaged areas in the Kingdom, frequently scoring poorly on metrics ranging from education to income levels. Elves are also far more likely to be the victims of violent crimes than humans, although exact numbers are difficult to determine due to widespread underreporting and chronic mistrust towards law enforcement and census takers.

We meet up with others from Maarli and break into three groups of about half a dozen each to search along the road and in the woods. After hours of walking, the sun is dipping behind the peaks, and we meet back up. Nobody has found anything, and the drive back to Lielsta is silent.

The National Police declined to be interviewed about the disappearance cases, stating that it could not comment on ongoing investigations, but saying that “The National Police are cognizant of the targeting of elven communities, and we will continue to pursue all available means to protect all Cryrian citizens.”

“If there is one truth I know, it is that the government, the National Police, the SÄPO, they will never act. Not for us. Which is why we must protect ourselves, however we can. Whoever has been committing these crimes, stealing our people, they can’t hide it forever,” our guide said in his parting words, “I want them to know this. We will come to know them.”

[Cryria]

6 July, 2021

No Tears for Tomorrow: Into the Forgotten History of Cryrian Eugenics

Leidenstad — Sofie Winblad was 11 when she lost her mother.

“It was in the middle of the day, my father was at work and my sisters were at school. I was in bed with a fever when the ambulance pulled up to the house,” she recalls, “There was a loud knock, and my mother answered the door. I heard some arguments, and then, nothing.”

It would take weeks for the family to discover that Lisette Winblad, an organizer for the Common Protection Party, had been taken to the Brenna Special Hospital to be treated for “Unwell behavior.”

“She was never the same again after she came out,” Sofie continues, “My mother had always been alive, loud, active. She was a politician, even if nobody liked her politics. The woman who left Brenna was simply lost. Confused. My father would just tell us that she was tired, but we knew. We knew they had picked out her brain.”

Recently declassified documents indicate that Lisette was not alone, but rather the victim of a concerted effort to finally eliminate the declining anarchist political movement that took place throughout 1940. At the heart of it all was the Ministry for Tomorrow, a now-defunct governmental department that has once again become a source of controversy in Leidenstad.

The Ministry can trace its roots to nineteenth-century language-standardization programs, however, it quickly grew to become synonymous with the increasingly popular and powerful Cryrian eugenics movement. In 1893, it made its home at Egelev 55, a former Royal Constabulary station located on the outskirts of Leidenstad.

“In some sense, it is a tragedy that the Ministry was disbanded, because it is easy to forget that which no longer exists. It is my hope that we can change that here,” says Josef Winblad, Sofie’s grandson, a neurologist turned activist and now the man in charge of the same building where the orders to lobotomize his great-grandmother were once written.

After the dismantling of the Ministry for Tomorrow in the 1970s, Egelev 55 was left empty for years before being sold to private owners. It was leased as office space up until last month before being purchased by a coalition of civil rights organizations spearheaded by the National Front for Sapient Unity to be converted into a memorial for the victims.

Right now, the building is largely empty, though it has become a hive of activity. Reams of old Ministry paperwork released under the Transparency Act have been carted in. Above a box of reports detailing 19th-century Rationing and Endurance tests performed on prisoners hangs the sole current exhibit, picturing an idyllic Cryrian family picnicking in the highlands, the Ministry motto bombastically emblazoned below, “No Tears for Tomorrow.” Similar imagery would have hung across Tomorrow Ministry locations, an ever-present reminder of the goals and sacrifices of the eugenics program.

“It has always been very challenging to present the activities of the Ministry for Tomorrow to non-academic audiences,” Winblad explains “For many, the Ministry is a piece of ancient history rather than a contemporary event which has effectively influenced the development of the Kingdom as we know it. The scale on which the Ministry eventually operated with the support and consent of the Government can be difficult to describe. The preparations for the 1953 Aldanics, for instance, saw the Ministry round up over sixteen thousand individuals, primarily targeting nonhumans and the mentally disabled, individuals who did not match the image the Government wished to project for the country and were thus deemed a potential national embarrassment. Many were subjected to dangerous and unwanted medical procedures before their release, including sterilizations and lobotomies.”

The move to memorialize these events has not been without controversy. Leidenstad City Councilmember Segol Olander has urged the Historic Commission to deny the new museum funding.

“It is very disappointing that such a dark era in Cryrian history is now being dredged up for what amounts to political points scoring by the NFSU. The decision to open this facility appears to have little purpose save to spread social mistrust in our community and to rally public support for ongoing legal actions. That the NFSU seeks to gain museum status and thus access to government funding while simultaneously attacking the Government is a bitter irony for our taxpayers.”

Olander refers to an ongoing lawsuit that has been brought forward by surviving victims of Ministry procedures. The group primarily consists of Elven activists who were subjected to unwanted operations at Brenna. The group and its lawyers have declined to comment.

In response to requests for comments, a Health Ministry spokesperson stated that “The procedures conducted at Brenna Special Hospital were done with the best intentions and medical knowledge of the time. While it may now be generally understood that such procedures are medically unsound, such claims are made with the benefits of hindsight and modernity. It was once similarly common practice to give morphine-laced medicines to children, while this was obviously incorrect it would be considered highly disingenuous to bring a lawsuit forward about it today with the suggestion that practitioners from a century ago should have been able to act based on twenty-first-century medical procedures.”

Such claims have been disputed by the Council of Medical Ethics, with noted in its monthly journal that “Even by the standards of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there is no case to be made that the procedures conducted by the Ministry for Tomorrow were in any way scientific. While eugenics may have gripped popular imagination for a time, any rigorous scientific study would have demonstrated the inefficacy of the Ministry’s methods. That patient consent was ignored or forcibly obtained should further put to rest any questions regarding the ethicality of these operations. While the Council does not concern itself with political disputes, the fact that the Ministry of Health is attempting to use medicine as a veil to cover what was a means of historical repression against dissidents and minority groups is highly disturbing.”

This strong condemnation, however, is a far cry from the CME’s statements when it was first founded in 1943. At the time, the Council responded to complaints regarding the Ministry by saying, “This Council does not believe that it is within our purview to review or condemn the Ministry’s actions. The Ministry for Tomorrow provides important healthcare services for troubled individuals who are otherwise unaware of their own needs and unable to seek help. These methods have had a demonstrable effect in maintaining a clean and harmonious nation. Further, given the Ministry’s unique purpose in treating societal ills, it is unreasonable to expect it to operate under the same regulations as normal medical providers, no differently than a police officer who enjoys immunity to carry out his necessary work.”

The broad alignment of the Cryrian medical establishment at the time along with the many decades that have passed since the Ministry’s disbandment has led most experts to suggest that such lawsuits are unlikely to be fruitful. Josef Winblad, however, disagrees.

“There is a general sentiment that the Ministry for Tomorrow only existed in the past, and the fact that it was dismantled demonstrates that we as a society have learned our lessons and moved forward. I dispute this. The Ministry was only disbanded after it succeeded in its goal. A century of sterilization and birth control programmes had created a cascading demographic apocalypse for our nonhuman population. Their entire older generation saw their brains lacerated at Brenna, and countless Elven oral traditions have been destroyed upon a lobotomy pick. Individuals who could have otherwise led full and healthy lives were rendered near-catatonic to hide away their conditions.”

“I would even go so far as to call the Ministry the most insidiously successful government program in history. But I believe it is further incumbent upon us to ensure that Tomorrow is not dictated by nineteenth-century pseudoscience, and the first step towards that is learning about and acknowledging this.”

[Cryria]

6 June, 2021

Regulators Wary as Ellesborg Embraces Cryptocurrencies

Ellesborg– As filing deadlines come and go, the eyes of entrepreneurs, analysts, and regulators alike have turned to the Mandate of Ellesborg. Best known for its resorts, casinos, permissive business environment, and libertine atmosphere, the Mandate has become home to a new experiment. Ellesborg will begin allowing taxpayers to use increasingly popular digital currencies to make settlements.

“Tax payments utilizing designated cryptocurrencies will be accepted for both companies and individual taxpayers,” municipal authorities stated last week.

This is not the first time that the Mandate has forayed into this area. In 2017, Ellesborg began accepting a limited number of cryptocurrencies for certain municipal fees. Many private services in the Mandate have also begun accepting cryptocurrency transactions.

In one sense, the new policy is as much style as it is substance. Ellesborg has historically marketed itself as a libertarian haven. Payments received will be immediately converted into Cryrian Krona, and the Mandate is already considered to be a tax haven for its low rates. However, the move by the Mandate is emblematic of the wider traction that digital currencies have gained within the Kingdom.

Though major banks have refrained from offering crypto-related services due to volatility and security concerns, Cryria’s well-developed financial and technology sectors and favorable legislative stances have proven to be a fertile breeding ground for a rapidly developing ecosystem of blockchain companies. This industry along with the broader acceptance of digital currencies in the Kingdom has been heavily spurred by the Akylu Network, created by Honningfjord-based developer REFL Laboratories. Named for a tunneling creature of Elven myths, Akylu essentially functions as a digital payment network with an in-house cryptocurrency that can be used as a mechanism of exchange between different currencies and networks. The relative speed and low costs of the settlement system as well as the ability to conduct trades freely between fiat and cryptocurrencies has helped place the platform at the center of the Kingdom’s growing digital marketplace.

REFL is far from alone in the industry. The past decade has seen an explosion in companies specializing in a variety of blockchain-related technologies and enterprises, and as of 2020 over 900 different businesses were operating in this secretary, many of them based around Honningfjord’s so-called Cryptic Circle. Most of these are relatively small ventures, the industry collectively is valued at around a trillion Krona and employs around 5,000 people in the country.

Larger fish have begun to enter the pond as well, though. The Ellesborg Mining Cooperative has previously announced plans to sponsor the development of its own digital currency, Astrid, in 2021. The move has garnered heavy scrutiny in light of the EMC’s history of alleged financial intransigence and corruption in developing nations. The EMC’s outsized influence in Ellesborg has further raised questions regarding the legitimacy and reasoning behind the Mandate’s move to widen the acceptance of cryptocurrencies within its jurisdiction.

The Ministry of Finance has previously released statements saying that “Government will not allow the Astrid to abuse Ellesborg’s unique political and economic status to become a sovereign currency or a parallel economy to exist at the whims of a private entity,” and that “Such a currency would call for strong consumer protections and regulatory oversight.”

Independent watchdogs have also sounded alarm bells surrounding the EMC’s financial activities abroad.

“The past fifty years have seen numerous reports arise regarding the EMC’s activities in the developing world, particularly in the Republic of Serramal,” a statement from the National Labor Commission read, “Given the already poor working conditions and questionable wage practices in Southwest Gondwana, it is incumbent upon the Government and regulators to ensure that the EMC is not using financial and legal jargon as a veil to reestablish the Company Scrip systems of old.”

Despite the hubbub and growing interest from institutional investors and larger transactional service companies, cryptocurrencies continue to make up only a fraction of portfolios and everyday transactions. The potential future growth has, however, propelled questions about the readiness of Cryrian regulators to handle a marketplace that is infamous for its anonymity and potential for illicit activity. In an open Riksdag hearing last month, Securities Council Commissioner Ingegärd Norberg confirmed that the area was a priority for Government overseers.

“Ultimately, we are prepared to accept that digital currencies are a part of the reality we live in and that they will almost certainly be integrated into the wider financial system. This is not the first time we have seen technology change the financial system, and the Securities Council, along with our regulatory and revenue partners across the Government, will continue to proactively establish the technical expertise and investigative capabilities needed within our institutions to ensure continued transparency and oversight.”

[Cryria]

11 December, 2021
Ellesborg Signs New Security Contracts in Face of Regional Threats

Ellesborg– In the face of continued instability in Central Arcturia, the Steering Committee of the Mandate of Ellesborg has announced its intention to continue to expand its security and defense capabilities. The small, densely populated coastal territory exists in a state of shared sovereignty between the Kingdom of Cryria and the Union of Free Cities. Over the past year, the region has seen violence explode in Alksearia and Balistria, as well as an increasingly aggressive Iphelklori to its east.

The Mandate operates under Cryrian protection, and the Cryrian Defence Forces have further trained and equipped a 10,000-strong Civil Guard which operates at the command of local authorities. However, the CDF presence has declined precipitously since the height of regional conflicts earlier in the year, and while precise numbers have not been made public, it is thought that Ellesborg Naval Station now only houses its usual Foreign Legion detachment.

In light of these shifts, the Steering Committee has looked to improve its own standing capabilities, and has made public a series of contracts signed with foreign military corporations, including the Corric Company of the Quill. Quill has a longstanding presence in the Mandate and is well known for providing security for the Mandate’s high-end casino and banking industries. Quill is now expected to begin providing cybersecurity and consulting services directly to the Civil Guard as well.

Even more notably, spokespeople for the Civil Guard affirmed that the Mandate has also signed longterm contracts with Quill that will allow it to call upon direct armed assistance from the Company’s military arm in times of crisis. The precise extent of this agreement or the costs involved have not been disclosed.

The Leidenstad-based Center for International Security Studies has weighed in on the move.

“It is understood that negotiations between Ellesborg and Quill began in early-2021 and included informal participation by the Cryrian government,” a CISS report stated, “The decision to temporarily boost CDF forces in the Mandate was likely undertaken in conjunction with this to serve as a stopgap measure while the agreement with Quill was finalized and more direct enhancements to the Guard were implemented. The parties involved have generally operated with the expectation that there is little interest or capability on Leidenstad’s part to maintain a large and visible presence in Arcturia. The decision to publicly announce the contract with Quill now is in all probability calculated to send the message to opponents, and more importantly to stakeholders, that Ellesborg is improving its capabilities to meet rising challenges.”

The Cryrian Defense Forces have declined to comment regarding their involvement with Quill or its presence in Ellesborg. However, at a scheduled briefing, a CDF spokesperson affirmed that “Quill’s contractors have a longstanding relationship with Ellesborger institutions and are continuing to develop their ties to meet the Mandate’s unique needs. As of present, we do not expect to consider Quill to be part of the CDF command structure, and understand that Quill contractors will be working directly with the Civil Guard to fulfill auxiliary roles.”

[Cryria]

28 March, 2022

Government Welcomes Akronist Disavowal of League Attackers

Leidenstad– Amidst the continued fallout of the stunning hostage crisis at the League of Novaris headquarters in Metradan, the nascent People’s Communion of Acronis has issued statements condemning the attack and pledging funding for its victims.

The announcement was further followed by the formal excommunication of the Akronist Church of Metradan by Matron Vana Dandreal, which would effectively sever the Metradan branch from Church funding. Though the measure must still pass through the legislature, it has been well received in both Karsholm Palace and the Riksdag.

“We believe that the Government of Acronis and the Church have taken appropriate and necessary steps in the wake of this tragedy,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said earlier today, “The Cryrian Kingdom reaffirms its desire to build and maintain peaceful ties with all the peoples and faiths of Urth and expresses its appreciation for the Peoples’ Communion’s move to oppose political violence and terrorism.”

The announcements from the People’s Communion have further quelled calls from within the Riksdag to retaliate economically or financially against Akronist institutions, though such measures had already been placed on hold pending ongoing investigations.

The hostage crisis saw Akronist militants seize control of the League headquarters and take hostage numerous members of the diplomatic staff, including Cryrian Ambassador Joacim Palme. The group subsequently made a variety of demands, including the replacement of the Tavari League delegation with an Akronist one. Though Ambassador Palme was unharmed, he is the second Cryrian diplomat within the space of a year to suffer from a terrorist attack. Ambassador Irene Moller to Petra Cauda was killed in a bombing last September.

Though Cryria does not host any significant Akronist populations or temples, heated online discussions surrounding links between the hotel chain Crystal Hoteliers International and the Church of Akrona reportedly led to a brief National Police alert in the Leidenstad area which officials have since described as “A routine measure.” The Älemsi White Moon Institute, though unconnected to the Akronist faith, has also complained that it has received threats due to the perceived lunar association.

[Cryria]

28 March, 2022

Behind the Scenes - Royal Archives Shed New Light on the Forgotten Story of Denise Dahl

Leidenstad— Framed on the wall of the Radiology Department at the Leidenstad College of Medicine is a single X-ray image of a human hand bearing a ring. The plaque beneath it will inform passersby that this radiograph was among the first taken in the world by mechanical engineer and physicist Leo Dahl, whose own portrait hangs proudly beside. Only 127 years later did newly released letters by the Royal Archives reveal the nameless subject of the image to be none other than Denise Dahl.

Being forgotten in the footnotes of Cryrian history is an oft-repeating pattern for the Countess Dahl, whose contributions to the field were unremarked upon and frequently misattributed both in her life and after her death. The publication of letters between Dahl and Queen Katharine has shed unprecedented light on the Countess’ life, which took her from a remote town in Tynam to the highest levels of Leidenstad politics and scientific achievement.

Denise Dahl was born on April 14, 1860, in the town of Šednai as Denise Mörner. She was the daughter of Baron Jan Mörner and an as-of-yet unnamed elven mistress. Life could not have been easy for an illegitimate half-elven child whose early years also witnessed the rise of the infamous Tomorrow Ministry. However, the Baron’s own diaries suggest a life of relative privilege for the young Denise, whose life in distant Tynam was largely sheltered from Albertine Era Social Engineering Programs. Indeed, the fact that she was formally acknowledged and bore her father’s name was itself unusual, as was the apparent interest the otherwise childless Baron took in her education.

Evidently unimpressed with the University of Tynam and unable to convince the University of Leidenstad to take a half-elven student, the Baron instead arranged for his daughter to study at the University of Charlottesborg in Volscina. It was here that Denise would first encounter the then-Crown Princess Katharine of Cryria, whose correspondences now fill the many blank spaces in both womens’ lives.

Though the Duchy is today considered to be illiberal even within the Empire, Charlottesborg in the 19th century stood as one of the most progressive cities in West Novaris, and its university was well known for the artists and scientists it produced. For Denise, the cosmopolitan city would have certainly been a world apart from remote Tynam, and Katharine herself wrote of a “Wide-eyed child of a girl from the Far North, who packed her snowballs with ice and argued with me far too much.”

The arguments must have certainly been endearing, as the two formed a strong friendship that unexpectedly catapulted Denise into the highest levels of Cryrian society. There she met Leo Dahl, the Count of Valngi who was already becoming known within scientific circles for his publications on cathode rays. The two became partners in research and later married, a union that would have been considered scandalous were it not for Katharine’s blessing. Even Royal support was not sufficient for scientific journals to credit Denise during this time however, and as such the pair’s research was solely attributed to Leo and the extent of her contributions remains difficult to measure even with the newly released writings.

The lack of credit soon created tension within the marriage that turned into a bitter dispute after Leo accepted a prestigious Fidal Prize for the pair’s work on X-rays. The two effectively separated in 1901, and the Countess frequently remarked upon her frustrations to her royal friend. In 1903 Denise was invited back to Charlottesborg by Katharine, who was by now reigned over both Cryria and Volscina from the city. Denise took up a position at her old university and continued her research on X-ray spectroscopy throughout the Great War. It was during this time that she was able to begin publishing under her own name.

Despite confiding in the Queen that she had no intention of repatriating to the Kingdom, the Countess was forced to return to Leidenstad after Katharine’s reign in Volscina collapsed at the end of the war. By this time Leo had passed away, and though Denise inherited their estate she expressed her bitterness at departing Charlottesborg in several of her letters, particularly as she ran afoul of the Tomorrow Ministry.

Denise personally encountered Minister for Tomorrow Viktor Ernman shortly after her return to Leidenstad. At the time Ernman had hoped to use Denise’s growing notoriety to demonstrate the positive impacts of Cryrian schooling on elven populations. Though no records exist of their interaction, Ernman is said to have developed a lifelong hatred of the Countess. Denise would face mounting harassment from the Ministry until Queen Katharine’s personal intervention. At one point in her letters the Queen reportedly suggested extending the House of Leidensen’s legal immunity to Denise via adoption but was ultimately dissuaded by her advisors.

Unfortunately, even the Drifting Throne’s protection would soon fall away as Katharine continued to struggle with the Anarchy and was stricken by the Weeping in 1928. Though the political situation was not discussed in their correspondences, Leidenstad Castle’s visitor logs show Denise as the last regular visitor the Queen received amidst her fatal insomnia. The Countess was later barred from visiting the Sleepless Tower by the Household Ministry towards the end of the Queen’s life. During the White November Hearings, Princess Miryam would blame the Tomorrow Ministry for this decision and her mother’s subsequent suicide.

Katharine’s death also ends the exchange of written letters between Denise and Tvillingblom Palace, and with it also ceased Denise’s own research. The Countess was allowed to attend Katharine’s funeral based on her rank, but soon afterward retired to a small house in Tynam. She passed away there in the winter of 1930.

Denise Dahl’s accomplishments would either be attributed to her husband or other researchers, and in the decades after her death she was better known in Volscine academic circles than Cryrian ones. It was not until the 1980s that staff at the University of Charlottesborg began to actively promote her contributions. The Universities of Leidenstad and Talvere later assisted in piecing together Denise’s work. Fifty-five years after her death, Denise Dahl would be commemorated with a long overdue Fidal Prize from the reestablished Sultanate of Packilvania.

The sudden publication of the exchanged letters by the Royal Archives has thrust Denise back into the spotlight once again while also revealing new personal details about Queen Katharine herself. The release has also played into ongoing debate surrounding the secrecy of the Royal and Church Archives, which continue to withhold numerous primary source documents and artifacts from researchers.

[Cryria]

28 March, 2022

Who Owns Cryria?

Author and poet Jens Karlssen once proclaimed, “Buy land, they aren’t making it anymore.” This is a fact which the wealthiest in Cryria have certainly taken into consideration according to new data uncovered by the Accountability Initiative, a government transparency group which has sought to shed light on the secretive nature of land ownership in the Kingdom.

While the Royal Land Registry maintains strict records of all land ownership in Cryria, its data can be notoriously difficult to access and ultimate ownership is easily obscured.Years of research and analysis have allowed AI to develop one of the most complete publicly available land models for the country. It has described its findings as “Remarkably unequal,” and shows that the largest landholding group with over a third of the Kingdom is the recognized nobility - aristocratic families that hold seats in the Första Kammaren. However, many details remain obscured, particularly when it comes to the land ownership of large Egendomar which are often controlled by members of the aristocracy.

AI says that remarkable accumulation encompasses often centuries-old estates which have benefitted from a lack of inheritance taxes in the Kingdom.

By far the largest single entity on the list is the Cryrian government with an estimated 24.6% of the country’s landholdings. While information about government holdings are often publicly available, this too can be sometimes difficult to gauge when it comes to some partially or wholly government-owned corporations. 2% of the Kingdom held by the House of Leidensen also includes the Crown Estates whose management and incomes have been voluntarily handed over to the government. However, AI notes that the royal family continues to directly control “An enormous portfolio of assets” that could still place it as the largest single landowning family in the entire country. The House of Leidensen has also long benefitted from sweeping tax exemptions and enjoys an estimated personal net worth of around 45 billion SHD.

The Cryrian Church, which similarly enjoys a uniquely favorable tax status, is believed to hold around 0.5% of the Kingdom.

Various companies and LLPs came in at 18.1% of the country’s land, while conservation nonprofits and trusts held around 2.5%.

Perhaps most inscrutable is the land held by wealthy individuals outside of the traditionally recognized aristocracy. While this in large part includes new money from within the Kingdom, it also encompasses wealthy individuals and oligarchs from abroad. Due to favorable regulations and secrecy laws, properties within Cryria have become popular targets for foreign investment. While much of this comes from legitimate individuals, AI has cautioned about the influx of “dirty money” coming into the country. Although many sales to foreign entities and individuals are regulated by government agencies, groups with questionable sapient right records or a history of corruption have frequently been overlooked. In one notable case uncovered in 2018, relatives of Serramali President Manjit Rahar are believed to have purchased several estates around Leidenstad. Powerful Älemsi clans have also recently entered the market. Foreign investment has often been blamed for skyrocketing housing prices in cities like Leidenstad and Talvere.

Ordinary homeowners, in total, own about 5% of Cryrian land.

The issue of land ownership has been raised in the Riksdag by Green Party member Tage Järnefelt, who has called for a debate and added that the findings were: “Another damning indication of the extraordinary gaps in wealth and power that continue to persist within Cryria today.”

“It is wholly improper that a handful of wealthy families continue to wield more influence over neighborhoods and communities than the people who reside there.”

Järnefelt has previously excoriated the level of foreign land ownership in the country and has called for both limits on the overseas purchases of residential properties, a publicly available land registry, and the implementation of inheritance taxes.

[Cryria]

July 16, 2022

Bill to End Nystatinne Visa Program Returns to Riksdag Floor

Leidenstad— The Select Committee on Labor has issued its report on a new proposal that would end Nystatinne access to the Special Labor Visa Program. The bill, which is scheduled to undergo its Lower Chamber review on Monday, comes at a time when relations with various Borean countries have come under scrutiny amidst the ongoing invasion of Syrtænzna.

The Special Labor Visa Program was first established in 1974 as a means of filling low-wage and often undesirable positions in the Kingdom. The Program allows foreign workers from authorized nations to apply for easily attainable work visas, provided that a Cryrian employer sponsors them. While successful in easing labor shortages in low-paying industries, these Visas have been the source of significant controversy throughout their history. Foreigners arriving under the Visa program do not receive the same protections as other workers and are exempted from minimum wage requirements and working hour limits. Additionally, they can face deportation at any time if they lose their sponsorship, and are not allowed to unionize.

Despite strict limits on the types of positions that can be filled by guest workers, the gradual expansion of the program over the past decades has drawn the ire of labor unions, which accuse employers of abusing the visas to lower wages. The inclusion of Nystatiszna in the program has drawn particular controversy due to the nation’s sapient rights record.

This is not the first time the Special Labor Visa Program or Nystatiszna’s inclusion in it has been targeted. An attempt was first made to end the program altogether in 2002 amidst an economic crisis that greatly reduced labor demands and riots in Leidenstad that were attributed to foreign workers. However, the Marlberg Government remained supportive of the Program as a part of its staunchly anti-union agenda. A second attempt to exclude Nystatiszna, Astela, and Serramal from the program failed in 2020 after the election of the Lundberg Government due to opposition from the Conservative Party, which played a key role in the new coalition.

This latest push has been cultivated to specifically target Nystatiszna. Uniquely, it is backed by a broad and unusual alliance that includes the Green Party, the Red Hundred, and the Party of the Rose. As with previous attempts, the movement has the support of four of the Kingdom’s five major Trade Confederations, which view its passage as a political test for the union movement after nearly two decades of hostile policies by the Marlberg Government. The Cryrian Social Confederation of Labor, Confederation of Cryrian Labour, National Confederation of Labor, and Cryrian Worker’s Confederation issued a strong joint statement backing the proposal.

“The Special Labor Visa Program has become a euphemism for an increasingly unsustainable and malignant institution which funnels money out of the hands of Cryrian workers and into the pockets of foreign dictatorships,” the statement read, “The Program’s very foundations are a self-contradiction, as it claims to provide employees for low-wage and supposedly undesirable roles in our society while ignoring that the Program itself allows employers to ensure that those very same positions remain undercompensated and undesirable.”

Despite this, the movement was initially expected to again fail in the face of Conservative opposition. Nystatiszna’s invasion of Syrtænzna just a day before the bill left the committee may have granted it a new lease on life however. The bill’s sponsor, Arkhai Khasar, has been quick to seize upon the geopolitical situation.

“Ending the Kingdom’s entanglement with Nystatiszna has always been a moral and economic imperative,” Khasar said in a press statement shortly after the Nystatinne entry to the conflict, “Nystatiszna’s war of conquest has now created a national security imperative as well. The invasion of Syrtænzna represents a grave threat to the inviolability of sovereign borders upon which the Kingdom’s own prosperity and very existence depends. To maintain this economic connection with Nystatiszna harms not only everyday Cryrians but now is also in direct contravention of Cryrian interests as a whole.”

If passed, the bill would prevent any further issuance of Special Labor Visas to Nystatinne citizens. It would further terminate any visas currently issued to Nystatinne citizens upon the end of their existing labor contracts. In practice, this would mean an immediate termination as most Special Labor Visa workers are employed on an at-will basis. Unlike previous legislation targeting the Program, Nystatinne citizens would be automatically offered the choice of asylum status within the Kingdom.

At present there are around 50,000 Nystatinne workers in the Kingdom. Most of them reside in northern Cryria and provide a significant workforce for the Rotantic fishing industry, which is itself located in important constituencies for the Conservative Party. It is presently unclear what stance the Conservatives or their Social Democratic governing partners will take on the matter in light of the expanding war in Borea and the bill’s concurrent passage through the committee phase. The Cryrian National Party previously withheld support over the asylum provisions in the bill. However, it has now added itself to the list of backers in an effort to continue courting voters in Tynam, whose own family-based fishing cooperatives have frequently complained about the use of guest workers by Karlin and Grimvik-based conglomerates.

[Cryria]

July 16, 2022

Defense Forces Initiate Procurement Process for New Rotantic Capabilities

Ivar Hellqvist-class patrol boat RCRNS Alfred Torgensen, near Siggeholm

Leidenstad— The Cryrian Defense Forces have begun procuring systems to increase its Rotantic presence and expand its capabilities in the region.

The procurement process is in line with a supplemental defense budget titled “The Rotantic Security Package,” which was implemented in July 2021.

“The Defense has already begun pursuing the requirements outlined in the Security Package,” Director Samuel Stenström of Force Planning and Strategy informed an industry conference in Tarva on 1 July.

The Directorate has opened up bids for long range unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) systems to provide maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities over the Rotantic. The Directorate anticipates that it will spend the next year reviewing submitted bids, before awarding a final contract in 2023.

Director Stenström further reported on efforts to improve command-and-control capabilities within the Tynam Defense Area, which oversees almost all of the Kingdom’s Rotantic operations.

Under the Security Package, the Defense Forces have been directed to expand investments in communications and data analysis capabilities in order to improve the Kingdom’s Rotantic presence over the next decade. The Tynam Defense Area will also serve as a testbed for new technologies and paradigms that may be more broadly implemented across the Cryrian Defense Forces, particularly in relation to uncrewed systems.

The Cryrian Defense Forces have historically defined the Kingdom’s Rotantic interests around the Duchy of Tynam, with its important shipping routes and resource rich waters which served as flashpoints for conflict during the Northern Waters Dispute. However, the aftermath of the Ymirland Civil War and a growing trend of cooperation with Älemsi Negdel have raised questions surrounding the future scope and requirements of the Cryrian presence in the region. These geopolitical concerns are compounded by changing climate patterns, which are expected to both expand access to and intensify competition within Rotantic spaces. The Rotantic Security Package focuses primarily on improving an extensive pre-existing defense infrastructure in Tynam, but exists in tandem with other initiatives to extend interoperability, logistical cooperation, and intelligence sharing across the Northern Way.

The new focus has been exemplified by the unprecedented force commitments seen during the Nordörn 2022 exercises, which were held in Tynam and the neighboring Kelami League, and involved all six member nations of the Conference for Amity and Cooperation. The exercises showcased developments in unmanned aerial vehicles by both Cryrian and Älemsi industries, while also testing a wide range of regional capabilities ranging from disaster relief and rescue to maritime surveillance and combat scenarios.

Bids for additional projects will be opened up throughout the remainder of 2022, according to Directorate publications. These include the modernization of surveillance radars in the Tynam Defense Area, expanding uncrewed capabilities on existing naval vessels, and improving datalinks between these ships and their onboard helicopter units. An upgraded ground station on Chauşam is also expected to play a key role in receiving satellite data and sharing information with regional partners.

[Cryria]

June 13, 2023

Leidenstad Condemns Invasion of Sayyed in “Strongest Terms”

Cryrian Prime Minister Stur Lundberg on Tuesday strongly condemned the attacks conducted by Askaraban and Crimpateia against the Serene Emirate of Sayyed.

“The ongoing invasion and the use of chemical weapons threatens the foundations of international norms that value the sovereignty of borders and do not tolerate the use of force to change the status quo,” Lundberg told reporters.

The Prime Minister’s statements were echoed by the Foreign Ministry, which called upon Askaraban and Crimpateia to “Cease their military aggression” and expressed concern about the danger to civilians.

Foreign Minister Erland Maravel earlier told reporters that securing the safety of Cryrian nationals in the region is “The highest priority,” and that the Ministry is taking the necessary steps. All Cryrian nationals remaining within Sayyed, Askaraban, and Crimpateia are instructed to contact the nearest Cryrian embassy or consulate immediately, and all further travel to the three countries by Cryrian Nationals will require special authorization by the Foreign Ministry.

Queen Ulrika has also privately expressed her support to Emira Scheherazad, according to sources within the Household Ministry.

The Cryrian Blue Rose announced that it has already prepared a 1,100,000 CKR emergency contribution to provide basic necessities to affected individuals in Sayyed. The Riksdag is expected to consider the dispatch of sapientarian aid by the Cryrian Government when it reopens for normal business on Wednesday.

When asked about the potential for economic sanctions, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Cryrian government was prepared to comply with all League of Novaris and International Forum resolutions towards the conflict.

[Cryria]

June 14, 2023

Defense Forces to Focus on Unmanned Tech in 2024

A Royal Cryrian Navy Örn V-200 UAV during the Nordörn 2022 exercises

Leidenstad — The Cryrian Defense Forces (CDF) plan to prioritize research on unmanned technologies in 2024.

Cryrian defense contractor Örn AB announced on June 11 that it has signed a contract with the Defense Material Administration (DMA) to conduct concept development studies focused on new unmanned technologies for the Royal Cryrian Navy.

On June 10, the DMA also issued a preliminary tender for new light, autonomous, underwater vehicles to meet the Navy’s mine countermeasures needs. The envisioned vehicles will cost 70 million CKR, and will be small enough to operate from rigid inflatable boats.

The CDF is also expected to expand its fleet of Örn V-200 medium-range drones for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and fire support missions. This procurement is part of a wider effort to expand CDF capabilities in Rotantic regions, which are characterized by poor infrastructure and low temperatures. The V-200’s vertical-takeoff-and-landing capability and ability to operate from ships makes it well-suited to these conditions. The CDF already operates 79 such aircraft, including from the Navy’s new Amity-class patrol boats.