The collapse of the People’s Republic of Barkand began to show after the failure of Operation Skyfall. Up until that point, the government of the PRB was rather united in anti-IA (International Alliance) movements. Though pro-democracy movements were present, they were small and the protestors were shot down. The PRB’s dream of collapsing the FHR (Federation of Howlton Republics)’s regime had been completely wiped away with intense resistance at the capital in 1992. The news of this military disaster shattered the already waning public opinion on the state, and the first anti-government coup occurred in November 1992.
During and after the coup, the PRB’s government began to show a rift, with disagreements on whether to completely drain their resources to go for another offensive or hold their position slowly separating the government into two factions. The leader, Aleksandr Petrovič, staged a countercoup against the faction that wanted to hold their troop positions, and he wanted to stage a second summer offensive to the capital by June 1994. However, the situation at the battlefield was dire for the Bark troops. That same year IA forces commenced Operation Alpha, a mass landing on Eastern Howlton’s occupied territory. This eventually put the planning second summer offensive to a halt, which was the tipping point for anti-government sentiment amongst the four republics in Barkand. In 1995, anti-PRB civilians staged a second major coup against the government, which responded critically slowly and almost toppled the whole regime. The two Carneasian territories, the Kingdom of Carneasia (which would become the Carneasian Confederacy led by the Gers people) and the Barkand Republic of Carneasia (which would become the Carneasian People’s Democratic Republic led by the Burian people) would string up massive nationalist rebellions against the national government. The troops on the front lines would also eventually desert the battlefield to join the anti-PRB coalition or turn against their own army. Eventually, as Howlton and Murkatinnya closed in on the borders, the citizens of the Carneasian territories would see them as liberators from a “cruel, oppressive regime”. The IA supported the nationalist movements.
In 1996, Aleksandr Petrovič held his last rally. However, none of the people gathered at the rally were his supporters. Instead, they held a massive strike at the government building, and Petrovič was taken by air by loyal PRB forces to escape gunshots and missile strikes. He transferred helicopters midair and transferred into North Mewland’s helicopter. He then escaped to North Mewland where he would stay until 2005. Back at home, the government building was breached, and every single document was seized, revealing the entirety of the PRB’s authoritarian rules and policies which even included the complete Barkification of Pokremia and relocation of the Pokremians deep into Barkand territory where they would be forced to have children with Barkand forces or civilians.
The entirety of PRB collapsed into rebellion forces fighting against the remnants of the PRB loyal forces, embroiling into the largest Civil war in Barkand history. IA troops paused their offensives into Barkand for some time to recuperate and plan on how to proceed. The IA eventually came and occupied the country without much fighting and forced the PRB’s government to dissolve, with a small loyalist faction also escaping to North Mewland. The country was forced to recognise the Burian, Gers and the Pokremian Carneasian states, with Pokremia fully joining the IA as a military ally and partner, and Gers State (Carneasian Confederacy) as an observer to the alliance. Barkand territory itself was separated into three occupation zones, where each IA member (Howlton, Veliona and Murkatinnya) would rebuild and resupply each area.
A new government of Barkand (now RoB, Republic of Barkand) was established with free elections for the first time. Eventual proposals for the admission of the RoB into the IA was considered, but in 2005, Aleksandr’s loyalists staged a coup against the RoB.
Resurgence
Aleksandr Petrovič returned from exile in 2005, and restaged the coup right after the IA forces had left Barkand. Howlton especially, was extremely pissed and refused to recognise the reformed government. The people of Barkand held massive protests against the government, with the Barkand military reportedly staging a failed assassination attempt. The PRB government destroyed the government building and went into a top secret location where they would grasp control of the country from. The retaliatory RoB government attempted to rebuild the government building, which was bombed every month by PRB forces. The RoB tried finding the PRB base throughout the entire territory of Barkand, including moving as far as going to the three recently independent Carneasian states to search, and came out nothing. The secret PRB base was actually located off the coast of the Koyliv Island (the largest eastern island of Barkand), underneath the ocean bed. With government infrastructure no longer available (and after secret locations selected by the RoB government to build a new building was destroyed), the RoB essentially became a rogue government, though supported by the people, was physically incapable of passing laws (also due to the fact that RoB government officials keep getting killed by the PRB government). The country essentially became governed by two rival governments.
The PRB wanted to reconquer the lost territories of the old PRB as well as the Republican Era of Barkand, which included Howlton’s Croatian state. In 2024, it amassed up to 300 000 soldiers along the border to Howlton, and invaded it once again. Slash, Howlton’s new head of state, decided to send a limited number of troops to reduce casualties and cost, and also because she knew that this PRB was a shadow of its former self and could not sustain an army. The PRB army collapses within a few months (partly also due to RoB bombing PRB military positions within Howlton which was given a green light for), and Howlton destroys the PRB’s secret headquarters, killing Petrovič in the process by flooding the entire area with the ocean. The RoB was restored in Moscow where Slash and RoB leaders met.
The secret PRB government headquarters is now in the works to convert into a museum.