Editing Russia (section)

===Background===
History largely diverges with the appearance of [[Scion]], who stopped the Cold War.<ref name="SB1">That's essentially it. Scion was stopping raiding groups and paramilitary groups in Africa and the Middle East, and then began to respond to weapon testing in much the same way. Scion shot down one test missile from a country away and then hit the launch facility. This wasn't widely publicized, but it did have ripple effects in terms of culture and America's military spending/focus.<br/><br/>Part of Scion's motivation in doing so was to prevent a scenario where the shards couldn't find hosts (for much the same reason, he would have gone out of his way to stop, say, String Theory). Part was Norton's instructions. But the countries basically realized that it wouldn't work. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/15198095/ Comment by Wildbow (archived on Spacebattles)]</ref> His interference caused the superpowers and their MAD approach to fizzle out.<ref name="15.y e1">Unlike the major players in the Cold War, the monsters he was thinking about weren’t so rational that they’d stand down with Scion in the picture. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/10/25 Excerpt] from [[Interlude 15.y]]</ref>

However in Russia it also caused economic devastation. While initially heavily anti-[[parahuman]], [[Thinker]] designed market reforms in the 90s made capes acceptable.<ref name="SB2 e5">In-setting, Scion stopped the Cold War. With the end of the war, there was widespread destitution (one out of every five people had been employed as part of the military/war.). There was perhaps a bigger backlash against parahumans than elsewhere, as a result of Scion's actions and perceptions of parahuman vs. communism. Where the C.U.I. achieved total control over their parahumans, Russia set something of a parahuman vs. human structure in place. Parahumans that might have been mundane elsewhere were driven to scary extremes by the hatred and persecution.<br/><br/>The economic reforms that crippled Russia in Aleph's 90s were made to work by a parahuman in government in Bet, and this did a lot to pacify authorities and shift the 'us vs. them' mentality. In the end, the military adopted parahumans to better fight other parahumans, then absorbed them into the greater structure. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/14300958/ Private message by Wildbow, archived on Spacebattles]</ref> Leading to their incorporation into the [[Elitnaya Armiya|military-industrial complex]].

In a holdover from the soviet era people still turned against their neighbors. These witch hunts were one of the things that led to the formation of [[Red Gauntlet]].<ref name="II10.13 e1">“If you help anti-parahuman types like this, they’ll take advantage of your help now and then they’ll try to come after you later.  It’s what happened in Russia, when they tried to control the parahuman population.”<br/><br/>“I’ve been to Russia.  Contracted there.  I’ve seen it.  The before, the after, the attempts to make parahumans into military.  Each one assigned to a squad or special force.  Pit against each other.  There’s nothing you can tell me about that kind of reality I haven’t touched with all five senses.” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2018/12/08 Excerpt] from [[Polarize 10.13]]</ref>

Soon though, Behemoth, in his fifth appearance, attacked Moscow,<ref>Moscow, June 18th, 1995.  Behemoth. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/06/22 Excerpt] from [[Interlude 24.x]]</ref> destroying it.<ref name="SB2"/> In a paroxysm of xenophobic nationalism the defending forces attacked both the enbringer and parahumans that arrived to help defend Moscow.<ref name="II12.5 eEndbringer"/> Further, before coming to rest in Mordovia, [[Sleeper]] was mobile and wandered around in the country.<ref name="23.5 c1">Sleeper roams, but primarily Russia. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/drone-23-5/#comment-26051 Comment by Wildbow] on [[Drone 23.5]]</ref> This helped lead to the political fragmentation of the country.<ref name="SB2"/>

At some unknown point the Elitnaya had to step into the hole left by Red Gauntlet after the mercenaries decided to switch sides in the middle of a war.<ref name="SB1.?"> Initially serving the Russian government as the precursor to what would be the Elitnaya, Red Gauntlet was bought out by the Eritreans in the second Eritrean War for Liberation, and thereafter settled into a role as mercenaries. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/14300958 Private message by Wildbow, archived on Spacebattles]</ref>

Russia has dealt with major fallout from [[Endbringers]] and [[S-Class]] both, lack of confidence in the government led to other groups steering the country. Such as the [[Elitnaya Armiya|military-industrial complex]], [[Dno|the criminal underworld]], or [[Red Gauntlet|parahuman overlords]]. These same powers make up much of the power behind the countries foreign policy.<ref name="SB2">Overall, Russia has suffered more at the hands of Endbringers and S-Class threats than most, and it was the lack of faith in the government's ability to protect the people (and the aftermath of losing Moscow) that led to the fall of the U.S.S.R. and rise of other forces. It has less parahumans and less structured organization than most, so it tends to respond to Endbringer or S-Class threats with military strength more than most other national players.<br/><br/>Russia leverages the ''Elitnaya'' and sometimes Red Gauntlet to participate in conflicts around Europe and Asia, and the military-industrial complex is, well, it's not thriving, but it's not failing either. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/14300958 Private message by Wildbow, archived on Spacebattles]</ref>

A [[Garotte|terrified, tentacled]] [[Case 53]] was dropped in an area in or near Russia, where she unintentionally killed many people,<ref name="6.7II e1">“Wait, let me talk,” Sveta said.  “I’ve been thinking about this.  I talked about this in front of all of you at different times.  In the group, and in the room with Victoria.  My first clear memories, I was dropped into the middle of a populated area in Russia.  I killed a lot of people accidentally.  Civilians and army that came after me, and then people from the PRT.  I didn’t stop because I found a way to stop.  I stopped because they caught me.”<br/><br/>"You’ve talked about it,” Ashley said.  “Deaths stay with us.”<br/><br/>"They’re ''supposed'' to stay with us!” Sveta sounded plaintive and outraged at the same time.  “This is major.  I got each and every one of those names of the people I killed.  I learned about them.  I know it wasn’t my fault, but…” - [https://www.parahumans.net/2018/05/05 Excerpt] from [[Pitch 6.7]]</ref> the reason for her being placed there is unknown.<ref name="R5 e1">Cauldron capes were explicitly ''more'' stable. Case 53s (barring Shamrock, Madison and Dealer C53s) all had a reason for being dropped where they were, with individual programming. - Excerpt from a [https://redd.it/4plwx6 Reddit comment] by Wildbow.</ref>