Editing Chernarus (section)

===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]].