Kostromastan

The Confederation of Kostromastan K’ost’avolomits’a
2005–2018
Flag
Kostromastan with Modern Border Overlay
Capital	Nolova
Largest city	Novugdidi
Common languages	Salovian Codexian Staynish Ethalrian
Religion	Verk'ohism Thaerism Vaerism
Demonym(s)	Kostromastani
Government	Confederation
Council Leader
• 2005	Hugo Rikolov
• 2018	Mila Rostilov
Historical era	21st Century
• Treaty of Astravili (Established)	2005
• Summit on Kostromastan (Dissolved)	2018
Currency	Kirib (♅/KRB)
Preceded by Succeeded by Salovia Nolova Volova Tuvaltastan
Today part of	Volova Nolova Tuvaltastan

The Confederation of Kostromastan, commonly known as Kostromastan, was a landlocked nation that existed on the continent of Aurora that bordered Biramura to the north, Tuvaltastan to the south, Thalria to the west, and Great Morstaybishlia to the northwest. As of 2015, the nation had a nominal GDP per capita of $14,425 and an estimated population of 20,003,248. The largest city Novugdidi held 4,768,513 individuals prior to its dissolution. The last province to host the capital, Nolova, had a population of 1.2 million people when including its metropolitan area as of the 2018 Census.

Formed in 2006 as a direct result of both the Salovian Civil War and the 2005 Treaty of Astravili, the nation had been initially established as an interim government until a more comprehensive solution could be made that would better serve the diverse peoples of the Khermali River valley. A summit on the status of Kostromastan had been planned as early as 2008. However, in part due to the Kost-Tuva War of 2009-2010, the summit had been postponed until 2011. This summit also never came to pass, as the Volovan Conundrum resulted in further political stagnation on the question of Kostromastan. The idea of a summit had largely been neglected for years after 2011, until the advent of the 2017 Aurora-Pacific War, in which the politically-decentralized nation took a vote on whether to join the war on the side of the Ethalrian-led Axis. The provinces of the nation's southern region all voted against joining the war, while the northern provinces voted to join. Nolova, the province that cast the deciding vote, also voted against war. However, due to the nature of the political structure of Kostromastan, the northern provinces simply amassed a local militia, and joined the war despite the decision. The northern provinces experienced a heavy defeat after only one military operation to invade Nocturne, and only after holding the city for a few days, were forced to retreat by Allied reinforcements. Kuthernburg also conducted airstrikes on a number of military targets within northern Kostromastan as an additional response, thus ending Kostromastan's involvement in the war.

At the war's conclusion, Kostromastan experienced significant political stagnation nationwide, with little to no consensus on the smallest of issues. Known today as the Localization, this post-war period was defined by its lack of Confederation action. Its economy experienced one of the most devastating recessions to date, with an estimated GDP decrease of 12% relative to its 2015 numbers. Entire regions of rural farmland experienced hardship and famine as a result of the 2017 Emergency Water Conservation Act failed to make headway legislatively, leaving thousands of farmers in the north and east without access to the East Auroran Aquifer. Cities were hardest hit, as hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, with millions more experiencing severe cuts to their annual salaries. A number of riots, most prominently the December Riots of Novugdidi and the January Protest for Workers, spread through the nation, calling for the Kostrom government to end the stagnation. As such, a number of high-ranking officials, including the then-incumbent five provincial governors, the lead cabinet member, as well as prominent Kostrom political figures like Hugo Rikhieli and Iakob Virielishvili, all congregated in the 2018 Summit on the Political Status of Kostromastan, wherein the issues of the nation were addressed and discussed. The inconclusive nature of the meeting is widely viewed as the de facto declaration that Kostromastan was no longer a functional nation, and the government was effectively dissolved. After a short period of instability, three distinct political regions had formed: The Nationalist Socialist Union of Volova (NSUV) and The Volovan People's Army (VPA) within what is now Volova, and the nations of Tula and Astravili which later joined into a political union with Tuvaltastan, and the political successor of Kostromastan in the UNAC, Nolova.

History

Beginnings of Kostromastan

Kostromastan was officially independent on October 17th, 2005 with the signing of the Treaty of Astravili. The newly-formed nation spent 21 months writing the constitution, due to the fact that not every nation, particularly Astra and Tula, was content with each new iteration of the constitution, the two nations vying for further decentralization and power over their own affairs. It was continually refined, until on July 12th, 2007, the Kostrom Constitution was finally offically ratified. The final iteration of the constitution established a highly decentralized singular governmental branch that oversaw the general actions of the governments of the nations within Kostromastan. Most governmental activities, however, took place within the borders of member nations. The only activities that the national government primarily took part in were larger advisory and executive issues such as civil rights and constitutionality of bills, as well as some minor inroads into foreign affairs. However, not every issue would be handled by the supranational government, a prime example being the Aurora-Pacific War, in which only the northern nations Volova and Novugdidi would participate, the southern three choosing to stay out of the war entirely.

The Kost-Tuva War (2009-2010)

This war was between Tuvaltastan and Kostromastan, and lasted 11 months before ending on a peace treaty that ended the war. It was catalyzed by numerous skirmishes between Kostrom and Tuvalt civilians along the northern portion of Tuvaltastan and the eastern corner of Kostromastan caused by a border dispute between the two countries, with Kostromastan claiming an area that would allow the nation to no longer be landlocked. Eventually, politicians in Tuvaltastan called for a war to settle the border dispute. The Hall approved of the war, and the conflict killed approximately 12,000 Tuvalts and 11,000 Kostros. The war also resulted in Tuvaltastan keeping its northern border with Xiopothos, and leaving Kostromastan to be one of two landlocked nations on Aurora as of 2010, the other being Ethalria.

The Auroran-Pacific War (2017-2018)

The Auroran-Pacific War was a major war that Kostromastan's nations Volova and Novugdidi participated in, the largest military activity being an invasion into Fort Nocturne, which was met with immediate opposition. The NSTO would execute a series of airstrikes on military facilities as retaliation for the invasion.

After the war, Kostromastan and Kuthernburg would sign into a reparations agreement in which oil would be transported to the latter nation.

Summit on the Political Status of Kostromastan and the Volova Situation (2018-2020)

As the APW ended, the looseness of the confederation started to take its toll on the nation as a whole, with a few major decisions regarding recovery efforts being held in political deadlock. As a result the nations, and a few representatives from other nations, would hold a summit in Nolova to discuss the future of Kostromastan. The primary consensus among those attending was that the status quo of a confederation, which had been a temporary solution in the first place, needed to be replaced with a more cohesive governmental system. However, no solution was generally agreed upon, with the summit ending in a flop.

As a result, the nation would fall into disarray, with the nations Astra and Tula being absorbed by Tuvaltastan in an effort to maintain stability in those nations. The nation of Nolova, in an effort to gain political influence, advocated for its membership in the UNAC as a replacement for Kostromastan. The remaining nations, Volova and Novugdidi, would be host to a series of different factions of varying ideologies to vie for control of the territory.

Politics

Governmental System

The Confederation of Kostromastan consisted of five nations: (From North to South)

• Volova
• Novugdidi
• Nolova
• Astra
• Tula

The System of government in Kostromastan was very decentralized, with each province maintaining most of their sovereignty. Every two years, each province hosted the new capital of Kostromastan, with the cycle going from north to south. The last capital of Kostromastan was Nolova, located in the nation of the same name. When a province hosted the capital, the province gained an extra representative, known as the Capital Representative. The Capital Representative was only allowed three consecutive term limits, each term lasting two years, and was elected by the province hosting the capital. When the cabinet voted on certain issues, the Capital Representative served as the tie-breaker.

File:Kostprovinces.png

Provinces of Kostromastan

Domestic Policy

Each province has dominion over their own territory, and have their own laws and constitutions.

Culture

Music

Traditional music in Kostromastan revolves around stringed instruments such as the Volta, Blorov, and Slartov. Singing is also usually paired up with the stringed music.

Festivities

During the spring years, when the snow on the Kalivian mountains partially melts, the Khermali river floods to a much larger size than during other seasons. The Festival of Khermali takes place during this flooding period, as the floods bring about water to the riverside farms found in Kostromastan.

Geography

Downtown Novugdidi

Volutsku

Suburbs of Nats'ichi

Vertical City of Tula

Astravili