The date was etched in time: October 14, 2649.
The Russian Federation had run its course. For hundreds of years it had existed and steadily decayed, causing a catastrophic economic collapse, followed by countless famines. Each new war brought more pain and suffering to the Russian people, and the once great Union fell into disarray. Russia known at the dawn of the 21st Century was almost forgotten 200 years later. The State itself fractured into smaller countries. Those countries, suffering from internal strife, fractured even further into smaller states and provinces. Chaos was widespread, and a central ruling government was non-existent. Provinces turned on provinces, villages fought villages, and even families turned on each other.
When it seemed that the concept of Russia and its legacy would die forever, a miracle happened. A leader rose from a lowly fishing village. His name was lost to time, but his actions will never be forgotten. He ushered in an era of prosperity and peace that would have lasted centuries. The warring villages and provinces were united, and a massive army was raised. Slowly but steadily Russia was united into a central government. The dissidents and troublemakers who had kept her shattered kept the fires of loyal Russians warm at night. There was no room in this New Russia for the likes of them.
If only Russia's bright and gleaming future that the Unknown One worked so hard for had stayed intact! While many anarchists and rebels were destroyed when the government formed, some escaped. Those who went into hiding came together and formed a group.
The date was etched in time: October 14, 2649.
Terrorist group "Novoe Solnce" had spent centuries preparing for this final moment. In knowing that they would eventually be discovered and hunted like animals, the rebels in Novoe Solnce vowed to get revenge. They would surely perish, but they intended to inflict as much damage as possible before they died. Remnants of a "Cold War" once fought Three Centuries previous were unearthed. Artefacts capable of immense power and destruction. Hundreds of these artefacts were distributed to various cities across New Russia. The concept of Nuclear Weaponry was lost at the collapse of the Russian Federation. All those secrets were stored in bunkers and silos buried under snow and mud, silos now inhabited by dissidents and rebels.
Roads were being paved, houses and factories constructed. Mines and farms began churning out supplies to make New Russia a great and powerful nation.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands of these missiles were detonated on heavily populated Russian cities. The exact number is unknown, but the death toll was unheard of in all of Russia's history. The initial explosions leveled most cities. The survivors were killed from an unknown sickness that occurred around the affected cities. In addition, a large firestorm emerged and grew in proportions. Every day the storm grew bigger, swallowing up villages, eradicating all animal and plant life. It raged for months, and when it finally subsided, Russia had become Hell. Moscow itself was completely destroyed, and only charred ruins remained. The snow that fell the following years was mixed with ash, eradicating existing plant life and preventing cultivation of crops.
The survivors of the apocalypse vowed revenge on those who had caused so much destruction. The terrorists were hunted down and brutally massacred. Having nowhere to go, the survivors migrated to the only places that could sustain them in the years to come: the bunkers and silos which housed the terrorists. There they remained for almost a century. History was not forgotten. A beacon of hope emerged from the chaos and death that had enveloped the Russian people for so long.
Contained in the bunkers was technology from a distant era. Books, vehicles, weapons, banners, and flags. The Russians learned what had been forgotten - the glorious triumph of the Russian people from the greatest period of Russian history! A number of posters and pictures were found:
Through these the people became inspired. They slowly prepared and nearly a century after the apocalypse, they emerged and began a new nation.
The nation emerged and reclaimed the wasteland that had once been Russia. Massive efforts were undertaken to re-cultivate and re-build everything which had been great. After almost two centuries, the concept of "Russia" was attained once more. The ideals that had made Soviet Russia great were adopted for this "New Russia", and a new capital was build over the ruins of the old.
The New Nation began trading with its neighbors, and is fully established.
Will Russia return to its former glory, or will it be brought to the brink of destruction as it has been so many times before?