Stag Nights
The Stag Nights were a series of skirmishes waged throughout Russia and Ukraine between the Russian Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the kaiju Plainstrider as it cut a swathe through both countries. These battles took place from June 13th, 2020 to June 21st and marked the eighth major occurrence of the Invasive Species Skirmishes.
The Conflict
Prelude
The Committee for State Security (CSS) | Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti (KGB) had discovered the kaiju in hibernation within the dormant volcano of Mount Elbrus during the Cold War when Soviet agents were mapping the Caucasus Mountains for potential defense posts. Even after the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, its existence was still kept a secret from China , the United Nations and NATO. For decades, the Soviets studied the kaiju to learn about its capabilities and gain a leg up on the United States . On June 13th, the Elbrus Research Facility suffered a major disaster which resulted in the kaiju's awakening and escape. Rock collapses and explosions killed many and destroyed much of the facility, with communications being completely blacked out. The Russian Armed Forces were not aware of the incident until the kaiju entered the vicinity of the nearby town of Karachayevsk.
Deployment
Attempts to create a communications blackout in order to avoid mass panic yielded incredibly mixed responses. Locations farther north of Moscow were kept in the dark, and Russian intelligence pushed a mass misinformation campaign online to label it a hoax or false flag. The effort fell apart immediately once the kaiju reached Karachayevsk, and word spread throughout Russia, Ukraine, and the rest of the planet like wildfire.
Battlefield
After a destructive battle in Karachayevsk, the kaiju fled north and was encountered in the city of Stavropol, where another battle took place. The next major encounter occurred in the city of Rostov-on-Don, where the Russian Navy would join the battle through the rivers. Their aid was incredibly limited but managed to succeed in pushing the kaiju out of the city. Each encounter resulted in heavy casualties for both civilian and soldier alike, as the Russian Airborne Forces had bombed both Stavropol and Rostov-on-Don while civilians were still being evacuated in an attempt to kill the kaiju. The reckless tactics only enraged the kaiju more and made each battle all the more costly.
Russian forces illegally crossed the border into Ukraine as they chased the kaiju, resulting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine opening fire on the intruding military force. What little Russian survivors were forced to retreat after the kaiju wiped out most of them. Ukrainian forces had prepared in the event of the kaiju entering their territory and had evacuated many major settlements to Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih as part of their plan to route the creature to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on the northern border. Using all of their military prowess, they would carefully coordinate to draw the creature away from the cities using a series of airstrikes and guerilla attacks to guide the kaiju along a carefully selected path. An incredibly close call was narrowly avoided on the final stretch of the operation, as the kaiju started to veer off towards Kyiv.
Outcome
Though incredibly exhaustive and extensive, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had been successful in their efforts, and now the kaiju resisted in the Exclusion Zone away from people. Those who had to be evacuated were able to return home, and a massive reconstruction effort began to rebuild what had been destroyed in the skirmishes, in both Russia and Ukraine.
Aftermath
Russia was heavily condemned by the United Nations, NATO, China, the Ukrainian government, and its own people for recklessly killing its own forces and civilians while hunting the kaiju, as well as unlawfully entering Ukrainian borders. Protests and riots broke out throughout the country, which resulted in heavy police actions to repress the populace. Many military agents staged a walk-out in protest, resulting in mass incarcerations. The Russian government continuously attempted to downplay its own involvement in the destruction of its cities, shifting blame primarily to the kaiju.
Ukraine - however - was universally praised for its coordination and skill in leading the kaiju along with minimal casualties. The operation had proven to be very costly, and Ukraine feared Russia would exploit such exhaustion of military and federal reserves. With Russia refocused on rebuilding what was destroyed, their fears were waylaid. International aid came from the United States, Germany , France, Italy , and the United Kingdom to Ukraine while China sent aid to Russia. The Russian government openly criticized these nations for not offering aid during a crucial humanitarian crisis, but they rebuttled with the reveal that Russia had actually declined foreign aid from everyone besides China. China and Iran vocally critiqued the country for such recklessness and began openly distancing themselves from the former Soviet power.
Historical Significance
Legacy
June 13th is officially known as K-Day (Kaiju Day) in both Russia and Ukraine, considered a public holiday.
Plainstrider became a folk hero to the Ukrainian people and an anti-Russian symbol. Ukrainian soldiers would get tattoos of the giant mammal, and many tanks and helicopters sported paintings of it. The kaiju's image was used in anti-Russian propaganda online and became an internet meme used to troll Russian users. Street art and graffiti of it were painted on many buildings and highways in Ukraine and Russia, with the latter being frequently erased by the Russian government to protect its image.
Conflict Type
Skirmish
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
June 13, 2020
Ending Date
June 21, 2020
Conflict Result
Loss (Russia) | Victory (Ukraine)
Belligerents
Strength
Casualties
- Overwhelming
- Minor
Objectives
- Evacuate civilians
- Kill or suppress the kaiju
- Evacuate civilians
- Divert the kaiju away from civilian areas
- Kill or suppress the kaiju
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