Kazulia

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

November 3rd 5376

The Kazulian Armed Forces has announced that apart of the new Military spending bill is being spent on 220 brand new Leopard 2A8 variant labeled the new Hovedkrigstanken 122KAZ variant main battle tanks. They will replace the aging Hovedkrigstanken 188 which will be put into storage for the reserves or potentially sold to other countries. The new tank is apart of the operation of making the Kazulian Military a formidable armed forces once again.

The order was completed between The Kingdom of Kazulia and the Dorvish tank manufacturer Theil-Hassel Technologies GmbH which is working in collaboration with Kazulian military engineers and experts on making a Leopard 2 that is built for the harsh conditions of Kazulia specifically along with the varied landscape of Western Dovani. Theil-Hassel Technologies GmbH and the Kazulian government have an extensive history of working and collaborating together and with the renewed special alliance with the Kingdom of Dorvik.

The new minister of Defense Hannah Horovitz made a short statement to SK saying that

The current doctrine of the Kazulian Army that we are implementing will see the use of Panser(Panzer) Divisions implemented in mobile formations where they are able to spearhead and break through enemy lines. It is our goal to have the most elite tank divisions in all of Terra so that we are able to strike back quickly and effectively and go toe to toe with any military on Terra. The Kazulian people are resourceful and brave and we will do anything to keep peace in our lands and our allies.

In coordination with this purchase the Kazulian Army will be conducting massive tank drills and forest combat scenarios for the Entire 1st Army but focusing on the Kazulian armored divisions at Skalm Leir, Holmekan Leir, Hvitsund Leir and Haddingjadalr Leir. These drills will simulate battles with potential enemy tank divisions, and combating invading enemy heavy armored divisions. Training exercises will focus on remote combat as well as working around tough terrain in snow, mud and adverse conditions that tanks and other vehicles have trouble traveling through. They will also do training in snowstorms and low light conditions.

The Royal Armed Forces have also announced that more training exercises and fully upgrading and making ready the Kazulian Army. The Air Force and Navy will be undergoing similar programs in the coming months as well, we will cover those as they come.

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

Royal Police Officers outside the Royal Palace as police presence ramps up across the country

BREAKING: Statsminister Alfred Varvik Shot!!! 2 reporters killed! Varvik in critical condition!

April 2nd 5377

Sutherland, Kazulia - Shocking images are coming from the city of Sutherland today as the Statsminister was speaking at a reopening Steel Plant which has helped boost the economy of of the region. Mid speech a man pulled out a sawed off shotgun and shot the Statsminister as he stood delivering his speech. Crowds of people were in shock and police soon swarmed on the scene. Soon they had the man who did it in custody.

As they fled the scene 30 people were injured as other trampled over them. The scene was chaos, women screamed, children cried and police ushered told people to leave immediately. Varvik was taken immediately to the Sutherland Hospital where he is in critical condition and doctors are saying "He is fighting for his life". The ICU has not provided an update on Varvik's condition out of "privacy for him and his family".

The Queen has reportedly been sent to a secure location along with the other governmental ministers. We can assure you however that contingency plans exist for these types of situations and the country is in good hands.

Police have identified the weapon as a sawed off shotgun which is illegal under Kazulian Gun Laws. Police have not released the name of the shooter only his age which is 24 years old and the fact that he was carrying Methamphetamines.


The sawed off shotgun used in the attacks
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Two reporters were shot dead in the attack from the collateral damage of the attack. One was reported for the Sutherlandposten Anna-Lena Ekdahl and the other was senior political corespondent for WesternDovaninews.kz, Sekino Yori.


The two reporters tragically shot and killed, Left: Anna-Lena Ekdahl and Right: Sekino Yori

The Kazulian Government has mourned the death of these two reporters calling them "voices of freedom" and several Ministers have made statements consoling the families of the reporters.


Statsminister Alfred Varvik is fighting for his life in the ICU, our prayers are with him and his family

We will keep Kazulians updated on news as we get it. We would like to personally like to offer our most heartfelt condolences to the families of the two reporters as well as we will be hoping and praying that the Statsminister makes a swift recovery.

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

April 2nd 5377

BREAKING: Statsminister Alfred Varvik has Died!

Sutherland, Kazulia- This tragic day continues, Alfred Varvik the Statsminister of Kazulia has died from his wounds that he procured after a successful assassination attempt in Sutherland today. The Statsminister has been confirmed dead by a statement from the now Acting Statsminister, Hans Aleksandersen. He will remain Acting Prime Minister until the members of Rettferdighet og frihet vote for a new Statsminister.

The official statement from Aleksandersen goes as follows

As Acting Prime Minister it is my duty to announce to the people of the Kingdom of Kazulia and all of Terra that Prime Minister Afred Varvik has died tonight. He sustained two shots from a sawed off shotgun from a radicalized attacker that we now have the name for, Mooses Kemppainen. Kemppainen in a barbaric display shot and killed Mr. Varvik, Varvik would die of his wounds in Hospital mere hours ago.

As apart of the Kazulian Governemnt I will say two things. 1. We grieve with the families of the three people that lost their lives today. I offer my condolences to the families of the three victims and I speak for the entire Kazulian Government when I say this, we will not forget this! and 2. We will do everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice under the fullest extent of the law

Police have locked down several locations around the country and Federal Police are investigating the shooting. We still know little of the assassin or his motives.

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

May 12th 5377

Introduction:

They say that nothing stops the everlasting political machine and in this case that is the sad but honest truth. It has been a month since the tragic assassination of former Statsminister Alfred Varvik and the country is now in one of the most competitive campaigns in recent memory for The Kingdom of Kazulia. This election is paramount for the future and direction of the Kingdom's Domestic and Foreign policies and see two very different candidates take the stage as Rettferdighet og frihet members decide the next leader of their party and thus, the next Statsminister. We will take you into a deep dive into who the candidates are, who supports them and what they stand for so we can give our readers and the international community an unbiased review of what they stand for.

The Frontrunner: A Path to Victory but Its Not Assured


The Frontrunner is the party's poster-boy Hans Aleksandersen. Aleksandersen spent his time as a close ally of Alfred Varvik and was the Foreign Minister for both the Varvik and Kolstad governments. He has tremendous support inside his own party and his accomplishments speak for themselves. He has been a tremendous international negotiator being the architect behind the close ties between Dorvik and Hutori as well as the now close to a dozen other countries where relations have normalized. He has received praise from many members of the party including the Mayor of Skalm along with most of Alfred Varvik's cabinet.

Now you as the reader may be asking what does Hans stand for? Hans has been a staunch believer in the power of Kazulia's allies in the North. He has said "We live or die by our Northern Alliances as well as our friends in the WDU" He has repeatedly focused on getting Kazulia a web of countries that the Kingdom can reliably trade and do business with. Hans however remains a staunch skeptic of the new Beiteynu Government, something that has brought him at odds with more moderate members of the Rettferdighet og frihet including his opponent. On the policy side of things he has deep experience in foreign affairs and how the government works. He is a proven man for the job.


The frontrunner in our polls and acting Prime Minister Hans Aleksandersen

Why is he not a shoe in for the leadership? Well this comes down to two things. The first is domestic policy. Hans has been a diplomat and world focused politician all of his life. Something that his doubters have pointed to, time and time again. A strong Statsminister needs to be a good balance of Domestic and Foreign policy. As we will cover in a minute his opponent isn't much better in the Domestic department which has made this glaring weakness not as noticeable. However the second point is that he is not the most well spoken politician in Kazulia. He is extremely good at making deals and working behind the scenes but being an outspoken leader? That is something that his opponents are hammering him about. Hans has made multiple interviews and debates against his opponent where he has made good lines and done well but the public perception still sees him as a man who works behind the scenes and who is unproven in the spotlight. He provides a more traditional, classic view of Kazulian forging policy and free market capitalism. He has promised to "increase drilling in Agatha 10 fold" and to start exporting fossil fuels abroad to stimulate the economy. He has we would like to note, not mentioned green energy at all.

Polls show Hans with a 58% to 41% lead in the polls which is significant, however his opponent has been narrowing the gap more and more over the past few weeks. How about we meet her shall we!

The Challenger: The Cinderella Story

The Challenger is current Defense Minister Hannah Horovitz. Horovitz was born and raised in Skalm and is apart of the Yeudish diaspora that is present in the city. She is of Yeudish decent but calls herself "100% Yeudish and 100% Kazulian". Unlike her challenger's atheism Horovitz has been able to tap into the Hosian religious vote that is very much present in Kazulia. She entered politics as a backbencher in 5370 and soon becoming a outspoken and well liked party member. Horovitz has been able to make drastic changes in the Kazulian military being the person who orchestrated the massive spending bill on the Kazulian Armed Forces. She has also been someone who has kept military and intelligence ties close to Kazulia's allies in Hutori and Dorvik. Yes she cannot claim the experience or clout of her opponent but she has done alot in her short time as Minister of Defense.

Where Horovitz really shines is her vision. She has made her vision of Kazulia clear. She brings a youthful optimism that we have not seen since the beginning of the Kolstad Government. Speaking of Kolstad, Julie Kolstad made it a point to endorse her days into her campaign saying

Hannah Horovitz is someone who has the energy and has the spirit to lead Kazulia into the future. She has my full trust and support and I believe she will become our next Statsminister.

Overnight after her endorsement Horovitz's poll numbers began to rise rapidly. Kolstad is very much a popular figure amongst the Kazulian public and if it wasn't for certain party leadership she would probably still be in a high roll of Government. Horovitz has been given the Glass slipper from Kolstad as the next darling of the moderate wing of the party. Quickly other moderate politicians followed suit in supporting her leading to her polls numbers rising even more. In no time she had made it a race.


Hannah Horivitz, she is quickly gaining support from Kazulians and she may have enough support to pull off the upset

Horovitz is also extremely outspoken, probably her strongest trait. She has called for sanctions on Vanuku as well as Baltusia as well as Medina calling them "foreign actors of treachery" as well as saying that her opponent would "strip Kazulia of our Healthcare". She has also made it clear that the Terran Remediation Organization is "Not a Terrorist Organization" and that one of her first acts as Statsminister would "seek the normalization of relations with Beiteynu". However at the same time she has called for increased militarization, increased ties with Dorvik and Hutori and is hesitant to restart relations with Luthori calling the Fatherland Front "brutish troglodytes"... On the domestic front she has promised to restart oil drilling along with equal amounts toward green energy. She has also promised to seek closer ties to Lourenne as well as model Kazulia's future partially on the Lourenneian model.

Her quick whit, charm and orator skills have seen her polls narrow and narrow, day by day, and week by week. The election will be held next month and some point to the polls evening out completely.

Conclusion:

These two candidates provide equally different visions for Kazulia. The vote is mere months away and that night will decide everything. It is anyone's guess who will come on top but both candidates clearly have their strengths and weaknesses and most importantly differences. Kazulians will be able to decide their countries future soon in a way they haven't in a long time. There is no clear front runner, both candidates are putting themselves out there for everyone to see and no political bargaining can change the will of the people. We encourage our readers who are party members, please go out and vote and make your voice heard!

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

July 7th 5377

The election is now over. Polls have been collected in all precincts with millions of votes being collected and the results are clear. SK can now confirm that Hannah Horovitz will become the next Statsminister of the Kingdom of Kazulia. Her campaign began as a long shot that quickly gained ground and gained the faith of Kazulian voters. The results are stunning with her opponent leading most of the polls leading into the party's election day. Hannah Horovitz beat her opponent Hans Aleksandersen in a battle that saw millions of voters but only 15,000 votes separate the two candidates. Horovitz did well in urban areas getting more moderate supporters while Hans got most rural areas. In the end the moderate vote won out with Horovitz doing well in suburbs as well.

Horovitz and a crowd of supporters met at the King Ole Hotel in Downtown Skalm and it was clear the base of her support was in Skalm with a little over 67% of the vote backing her. When the news came she appeared on stage to cheers before making an acceptance speech .

Friends, and supporters I would like to take the time now to thank each and every one of you for coming out to vote for me and my campaign as well as providing support. Together friends we have forged a new path for Kazulia one that will take the Rettferdighet og frihet and the Kingdom of Kazulia to new heights. I have received a call from Mr. Aleksandersen and he has congratulated me. Together friends we are changing history and we have tonight. Thank You and Elyon Bless Kazulia.

She will be finalized as Statsminister in the coming days with a swearing in with the Queen.

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

New Foreign Affairs Minister Olaf Aspen

BREAKING: Kazulia Cuts Ties with "Terrorist State of Medina"

March 12th 5378

The Kingdom of Kazulia has cut all remaining ties between it and the State of Medina that the new Horovitz Government has labeled as a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" in a expected move from her new Government. The new Foreign Minister replacing the long time Foreign Affairs Minister Hans Aleksandersen made a statement declaring the Kingdom's full evacuation of the country and the evacuation of embassy personnel as well. The new Foreign Affairs Minister Olaf Aspen was the Kazulian ambassador to Lourenne for several years before being recommended by Horovitz to fill the vacancy. In a statement to the Government of Medina as well as Kazulians in the country and government personnel in the region his message was stark and to the point.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It has come to the Government's attention the deep divides and infighting going on in the State of Medina as well as the Terrorist threats their country has initiated across the globe. The Government of Medina is undemocratic, corrupt and a danger to peace and stability across Terra. They have orchestrated attacks of terror on sovereign states and in doing so has sealed its own fate. The Kingdom of Kazulia will be pulling ALL diplomatic missions in the country as well as closing our embassy in the country and having a mandatory evacuation of all Kazulians living or doing business in Medina. The Kazulian Special Forces will conduct the evacuation and any attempt to stop our personnel leaving will result in a retaliatory strike on the Terrorists in Medina... The Kingdom of Kazulia does not negotiate or deal with Terrorists at any way and we sincerely hope that these terrorists are defeated.

Thank You

The speech was profound and laid the foundation for a very dynamic foreign policy agenda in the Horovitz Government. There is rumored other changes to the Terrorist list that will soon be implemented including taking Beiteynu off the list and normalizing relations but this is just speculative at this point.

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

April 2nd 5378

As apart of Kazulia's ongoing plan to modernize and strengthen its military the Storting is in the process of passing a bill that would make mandatory service for all Kazulians starting at the age of 18 and after schooling. The reported purpose of this bill is to make ready the Kazulian public for the defense of the Kingdom. With the passing of the bill imminent the starting date of mandatory service will be delayed to 5380. Starting on this date if you are not 18 years old and you are not finished schooling you will be eligible for mandatory service. The Storting passed it near unanimously with members saying that this is the beginning of the awakening of the Kazulian military prowess once again.

Defense Minister Odin Juul brought the proposal to the Storting saying mentioning several things including the fact this would give the Kazulian public valuable experience in defending the Kingdom of Kazulia from foreign threats that may invade or attack Kazulia. This will help to boost the Kazulia's military capabilities and will help the Kazulian military especially in times of war as they will be able to call up reservists who have military experience. For national defense and military prowess this is a natural next step for the expansion and strengthening of the Kazulian Armed Forces and this along with a military modernization is significant for the future of the Kazulian Armed Forces.

As apart of the Government's plan to defend Kazulia from foreign threats has become a top priority in recent years with the expansion of the Kazulian military being the main deterrent against foreign powers and terrorist groups. With the growing instability in Southern Dovani the process by which Kazulia is doing this has seen a massive step towards a new and improved Kazulian military that can face several types of adversaries and be effective not only at defense of Kazulia but with the end goal of being able to project power overseas.

Minor protests were held at several major universities in Kazulia however the level of protests has been minimal. This is not the first time that Kazulia has had mandatory service for Kazulian citizens with the precedence being set by former governments decades ago. Kazulia has had several historical incidents that have helped the Kazulian Military deal with foreign threats with mandatory service helping keep Kazulia ready for action.

The Horivitz Administration has been very keen on military expansion and modernization and continuing the work she did as the Minister of Defense. With massive spending on the Kazulian Military being finalized more changes are expected to take place that could transform the Kazulian military into a capable fighting force that could become one of the most powerful in Terra in the coming years.

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

May 1st 5378

A major step in Kazulian Foreign relations took place today when the Kazulian Government lead by Statsminister Hannah Horovitz took the Terran Remediation Agency off the official Terrorist Organization List in Kazulia. This is a major step in the normalization process of Kazulian and Beiteynu relations as this was a major butt of contention between the two countries for some time. As apart of her foreign policy agenda Hannah Horovitz (in no small part due to her being Yeudish) has promised to fix relations problems that the Kingdom of Kazulia has suffered from previous governments, the most prominent one being the current state of affairs between Beiteynu and Kazulia.

Several Beiteynu skeptics that are holdovers from the previous government and in fact have been sympathetic to Wrnukaék Konzknstat (Vanuku) protested this decision as they still believe the claims made by the Government of Vanuku of foreign influence in elections. Moderates argue that the Beiteynu has "done its best to be transparent to the international community" about the activities of the TRA in Cildania and other places as well as reshaping the organization and having treaties with less blatant intelligence motives behind them. It is also clear to the Government that Beiteynu is a changed country that has lowered its intelligence wing and now focuses on treaties and diplomacy instead.

In cooperation with this change the Storting is repealing its support for Vanuku in the World Congress and officially signing a treaty to reopen relations officially with Beiteynu once again.

Horovitz made a speech to the Storting thanking them for the support saying the following

What we are doing now is dispelling any animosity that existed between us and Beiteynu. This is in the best interest for our national security and is a vital step towards repairing the torn relations we have with Beiteynu. I will not speak about what former Governments did or did not but I as Statsminister and my government believe that by shedding this past tension we will lead to a safer geopolitical landscape for not only us but other nations across Terra. We also owe it to the Yeudish diaspora that is in Kazulia that we hold no grudges with Beiteynu so the may travel between there and Kazulia as they please without further complications. We are showing the world what that diplomacy works and diplomacy is the best tool to solve world problems.

No word on any state visits or other things has been released yet but we will have to wait and see about Beiteynu's response to this. While Beiteynu was taken off the terrorist list several groups including multiple in North Dovani, Medina and now Bazgaristan have been identified as the major threats to not only the global order of things but the Kingdom of Kazulia as a whole. These include the Kyo Terrorist Groups and Keobi Terrorist groups that have fought with Kazulia on multiple occasions.

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

September 7th 5378

Kazulian defense contractor Asvald Gruppen announced that they will be restarting domestic naval building in a new 20 billion LOD contract that will see the Kazulian Defense contractor build naval ships next to the HMMB Fagersnes Naval Base in Hent as well as another shipyard at HMMB Eggther on the north coast of Agatha. First Asvald Gruppen will be seeking Kazulian workers to rebuild the dry docks and port facilities to be able to produce and make domestically built ships. These dry docks will replace old dilapidated dry docks and shipyards that haven't been used for many years. However with a renewed contract with Asvald Gruppen Maritime this was made possible.

The rebuilding of the dockyards and the military spending bill has seen the workforce inside of the Asvald Gruppern Maritime has seen massive employment drives and has also made a local economic boom for the areas around the naval bases. Several Kazulian subcontractors are hard at work building new state of the art dry docks and shipbuilding yards that are similar to Dorvish designs. Asvald Gruppen has announced that the first full sized dry dock that will be able to build and repair most naval vessels except super carriers will be built in 1 year with a 2nd being built in 3 years. Alongside of this 5 smaller dry docks meant for submarine and missile destroyer production along with auxiliary ships and escort ships.

CEO of Asvald Gruppen Einar Engström has spoken to SK about the move saying

This is a great opportunity not only for this company but for Kazulia as a whole. Aspen Gruppen is proud to once again be the company that Kazulia has chosen to build its military back once again. The thing is, we may not be as big as some companies out there but we are committed to hiring and helping exclusively Kazulians. This company has a long history of working with the Kazulian Military and frankly after many governments coming and going and forgetting about us and what we've done for this country, I am overjoyed to hear the Kazulian Government wants to expand our partnership once again.

We are the only defense company that will be the best for Kazulians. We have seen hundreds of new jobs being created just building the dry-docks we need to build Kazulia's requested ships and this is only the beginning. We will be working not only with Kazulian tradesmen but with Kazulian universities and find the best minds in the engineering and maritime design in Kazulia. It is important that we have the best of the best working in Asvald Gruppen for we do not settle for less. We have begun to have engineers look at existing navies plans and old Kazulian designs and making ships that will fit what Kazulia needs fist and foremost. Once we get our shipbuilding process back we will then expand our reach abroad and sell ships to parties that are interested.

CEO of Asvald Gruppen Einar Engström

Once the shipyards are built they will house and employ over 12,000 workers at the two shipyards. The Kazulian Military will be advising and working with Asvald Gruppen during the entire building process as it will be on Naval Base land and it will provide building of Kazulian warships and the specifications they require. Another aspect to this development is it will provide a major employment draw for Kazulians in the area and boost the Kazulian economy in massive ways. This is another facet of the Government's massive 120 billion LOD military spending bill coming to fruition as not only does this develop a strong fighting force for the Kazulian Military but also boost the economy at the same time.

[alaskancrabpuffs21]

Kazulian Naval Vessels in Disrepair have been sent to the scrapyards

Kazulian Navy Begins Scrapping Old Ships in Disrepair

September 27th 5378

In coordination with The rebuilding of shipyards in Kazulia the Kazulian Navy has announced that they will be dismantling old naval vessels that have fallen in disrepair. These ships have been outdated and in mothballs or in a state of rotting away for years and the Kazulian Navy has decided that they will be treated as a total loss. The remaining vessels that are not Ice Breakers or auxiliary warships that are still in service will be deactivated and scrapped when the first of the new warships will be built by Asvald Gruppen.

Rear Admiral Karl Hammarberg of who is stationed at Naval Base Fagersnes is in charge of the operation and will be overseeing the safe dismantling and disengagement of the weapons systems as well as removing documents and paperwork from inside of them.

The plan will see the metal will be recycled and used to make new top grade steel for the proposed new naval ships that will be built. This type of metal is expensive to build and will be make the production of future warships but once the metal from the old ships is recycled and melted back down before being made into new steel, it will make the cost of the new ships less. This plan was approved by the Kazulian Environmental Ministry.

Also it was announced that 1 Flindar class submarines will be preserved by a Private Kazulian naval museum and has officially been sold to the museum for 56 million KKZ. The organizers of the museum will restore the submarine to a state where visitors will be able to visit.

The plan will also see the two Queen Anne-class Aircraft Carriers that are beyond repair at this point. They will be torn down piece by piece along with the rest of the old naval assets.

For now the last two outdated Flindar Class Submarines that have been kept in service will remain in the Kazulian Navy for a short time until they will be replaced by future models of submarines.

In total 19 Flindar Class Submarines will be scrapped along with 2 Series 990 Destroyers, all of the Queen Ingrid-class amphibious assault ships, all 20 of the series 900 Frigates, and all 20 of the 970 Frigates. Auxiliary ships and icebreaker vessels will be retained along with Kazulian Coast Guard vessels will be maintained and modernized.

This plan will see the Kazulian Navy use old useless vessels and reuse them for the future and better plans.