Editing Chernarus (section)

== History ==

===Early History===

The earliest known inhabitants of what is now Chernarus were the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythians Skyths], a nomadic tribe who inhabited the valleys of the [[Burnaya River | Burnaya]] and [[Svetlaya River| Svetlaya]] rivers sometime in the 5th Century. The Skyths wouldn’t stay in the region however, as they would travel further south-west to establish the foundations of what are now Karzeghistan and [[Takistan]], including the capital of the latter, Takmyr, on the banks of the Salak Darya.

Slavic peoples inhabited the area sometime around the 11th and 12th Centuries. The basis of modern Chernarus was established in the delta of the Burnaya River, divided from much of the Zagorie region – under the control of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Moscow Moscow Principality] - by the [[Black Mountains]]. The Slavs of Chernarus shared a common enemy with their Slavic Russian cousins, in the form of raiders from the south-west; the two Slavic peoples were traditionally bound for this reason, although the Slavs of the Burnaya delta always sought to maintain their independence.

The first of several dukedoms were established in the area during the 11th and 12th Centuries, the most notable of which being the Kozlov duchy in South Zagoria, headed by [[Duke Ivan Kozlov]]. Kozlov constructed a series of [[castles]] and keeps to protect his dukedom from raids via the [[Green Sea]] and Black Mountains. Kozlov’s dynasty would collapse at the turn of the 13th century, precipitating the collapse of his fortress system; two notable ruins remain of his work – the infamous [[Devil's Castle]] and the lesser-known [[Rog|Rog keep]]. Despite the collapse of his dynasty, Duke Kozlov is considered to be an important figure in the early history of the establishment of Chernarus.

At the turn of the 13th century, the Kozub Dynasty, led by Taras Kozub, would ultimately usurp the various dukedoms of the region to successfully create a unified Chernarussian state. Around this time, Karzeghis in Zagoria staged a rebellion, led by Ataman Simurg. Despite this there would be no other major rebellions during the rule of the Kozub Dynasty, and in 1631 Chernarus would join the [[Russia | Russian Empire]].

===20<sup>th</sup> Century===

Chernarus continued under this arrangement until the demise of Imperial Russia in 1917, becoming a part of the [[Soviet Union]] as an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_Soviet_Socialist_Republics Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic] (ASSR) after the Russian Revolution. Chernarussians served in the Soviet Armed Forces during the Great Patriotic War, their sacrifice evidenced by numerous prominent war memorials. The Red Army possessed a small airfield, near the town of [[Vybor]] in South Zagoria, for parachute training, which was greatly expanded post-war into a fully-fledged airbase.

During the 50s, the government of the Chernarussian ASSR rapidly industrialised the coastal areas of South Zagoria, transforming [[Chernogorsk]], the administrative centre of the province, from a small fisherman’s village to a large regional harbour, primarily to facilitate the transport of supplies to [[Elektrozavodsk]] rather than to enhance its traditional role of linking with northern trade routes. During this period of rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, rural townsfolk were uprooted and forced to live an urban life, else they be stationed at one of the vast northern kolkhozs. The price for this forced industrialisation was unchecked damage to the coastal regions, particularly to the coastal fauna and flora.

The rapid industrialisation rendered the existing power output insufficient. Many [[roads]] still consisted solely of gravel, and yearly floods constantly threatened the coastal rail network. As a result, the Chernarussian government undertook an initiative to upgrade much of the infrastructure in the province, notably constructing two large dams ([[Topolka Dam]] and [[Pobeda Dam]]) to assist with irrigation and [[Power Lines|power generation]].

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Republic of Chernarus gained independence for the first time in more than 300 years. The newly established [[Chernarussian Defence Forces]] assumed ownership of all [[Military Bases | military installations]] in the newly established republic, including [[Vybor Air Base]] and the sophisticated [[Military Base (Tisy)|S.A.M. and Radar base near Grozovoy Pass]]. Some bases in the far north of the province were neglected due to insufficient funds and their condition quickly deteriorated. The Chernarussian government sought to make amends for the ruthless industrialisation of the scenic South Zagoria region under Soviet rule by declaring the “Zagorie Protected Natural Area”, which encompassed the near-untouched [[Skalisty|Skalisty Island]].  

===Civil War===

In 2009, it suffered from a civil war that left the country in turmoil, forcing it to seek help from [[United Nations|Allied Nations]] and U.S forces. The civil war was primarily caused by the [[Chernarussian Movement of the Red Star]] (ChDKZ), a communist-socialist faction that had their presence in the northeastern oblast called South Zagoria. The communist-socialist faction was also known as the "Chedaki", an abbreviation of the full name. They committed several war crimes and attempted to cover them up, with their goal being to create a socialist state within Chernarus just like during the Soviet period of Chernarus's history. Feelings of nostalgia for the Soviet Union and its superpower status under socialism led to their creation and agenda and small gained support among older generations who lived most of their life in the Soviet Union. It was not until a staged bombing in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, that led to the Chedaki's annexation of various regions of Chernarus. After the movement spread across almost all of South Zagoria and several other contested territories of Chernarus, they took the island of [[Utes]] and kicked out the CDF forces stationed there, which was only later to be liberated by the [[United States Marine Corps]].

The [[Russia|Russian Federation]] became involved after the ChDKZ staged the bombing in Russia, killing dozens. The Russian government was fooled into thinking it was the nationalist guerrilla faction known as the [[National Party]] (NAPA) that conducted the bombing which had links to the Chernarussian government, thus leading to the presence of Russian troops in the very north of South Zagoria. They gave excessive amounts of weapons to the ChDKZ which was already against the Chernarussian government, in turn causing the civil war of 2009 where the whole region of South Zagoria collapsed into chaos and death. The AN and the US were sent into the southern parts of the oblast, securing coastal cities from the ChDKZ like [[Chernogorsk]] to liberate cities and secure any further conflict between the nations. It was only to be revealed in one of the endings of the ArmA II campaign, that a rogue government official in the Russian government sent money and support to the ChDKZ to deface and frame NAPA as the sole perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Russia, and sought to bring war between Russia and Chernarus.<ref>[https://www.arma2.com/arma-2-chernarus Arma 2 Official Website].</ref>

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=== Outbreak ===
Not much is known about the [[Infected]] outbreak in Chernarus, but sometime after the civil war of 2009, the inhabitants of the country became infected, likely with a disease or a similar biological affliction. It can be assumed the infection began sometime between late 2012 and late 2013 however or was at least occurring during that time due to the presence of the [[FNX45|FNX-45]] in the loot tables in-game.

In many places around Chernarus, garbage bags marked as "toxic waste" can be found, indicating some clean-up attempt was potentially made during the beginning of the outbreak.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px">
File:Toxicwaste.jpg|Toxic Waste
</gallery>

At the same time, military troops of the [[Chernarussian Defence Forces]], the [[Russian Armed Forces|Armed Forces of the Russian Federation]], and the Allied Nations were clearly in Chernarus. If the reason for this was the outbreak or the prior/coincidental civil war, it is not known. Regardless, the combined forces could not stop the hordes of the infected and were slowly overrun even with heavy weapons like tanks, which were destroyed or abandoned. The military tried to contain the outbreak and organized the systematic disposal of corpses (as can be seen at [[Military Base (Kamensk)|Kamensk Military Base]]).

<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px">
File:MilitaryConvoy 1b.jpg|Remains of a Military Convoy
File:MilitaryConvoy 1c.jpg|Remains of a Military Convoy
</gallery>

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=== Post-Outbreak ===
After the outbreak, the local military and civilian defenses were overwhelmed and disintegrated. All inhabitants either fled the country, were turned into [[Infected]], or roam the desolated area as [[Survivors]]. The lawlessness led to a rise in banditry and an overall lack of equipment and available food.