Russian Civil War

The Second Russian Civil War (Russian: Вторая гражданская война в России, romanized: Vtoraya grazhdanskaya voyna v Rossii; 24th June 2023 — December 2025) was an internal conflict in the Russian Federation spanning from June 2023 to December 2025. Initially started by an attempted coup by the Wagner PMC led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian Civil War was a multi-sided conflict that brought the end of Vladimir Putin's Presidency and led to the independence of multiple new nations. The Provisional Russian Government took control of Western Russia during the civil war and became the defacto government of the Russian Federation. Other factions such as the National Salvation Government, and later People's Republic of Russia, attempted to establish new governments within Russia but ultimately failed. The war was brought an end to the Russo-Ukrainian War in December 2024 with the retaking of Crimea by Ukraine. Another key part of the conflict was the Chinese Intervention in Siberia which saw the later establishment of the People's Republic of Amur and annexation of the Republic of Tuva.

Prigozhin's Coup
On the 23rd of June 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin condemned Russian Armed Forces for allegedly killing Wagner PMC soldiers. The following day, Wagner PMC soldiers occupied the city of Rostov and then Voronezh. On the 25th of June, Wagner soldiers entered the suburbs of Moscow and significant fighting began. Russian government officials evacuated the city quickly, setting up St Petersburg as a temporary administrative centre until violence had stopped in the capital. This began the Battle of Moscow. On the 26th of June, Wagner forces began sieging the Ministry of Defence Headquarters. The following day haven take the building, and Wagner forces then moved towards Red Square. By the 28th of June, the Kremlin and Duma had been taken by Wagner forces.

Whilst the Battle of Moscow continued, Wagner forces attacked the Oryol Oblast on the 29th of June and seized ICBM silos. Both sides were now nuclear armed. Prigozhin later justified this move claiming he had intel that Vladimir Putin intended to use tactical nuclear weaponry to retake Moscow later in the war. On the 30th of June, the Kremlin fell back into the control of Federation forces. At this time Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Defence, ordered the withdrawal of over 11,000 soldiers from the Ukrainian front as reinforcement for the Battle in Moscow.

On July 1st, Andrey Belousov, Deputy PM, held a press conference and proclaimed the nation had entered a "civil conflict". Not normally holding speeches, it was later revealed Belousov had held it since both Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Mishustin had fled the nation.

With Wagner forces occupying several major cities, Yevgeny Prigozhin began establishing a military government. The Provisional Russian Government was proclaimed, led by the National Security Council, a group of high-ranking Russian military offices including future president Yunus-bek Yevkurov. This was shortly followed by an incursion by the Free Russia Legion and Russian Volunteer's Coup, occupying parts of the Belgorod oblast this was the beginning of the later establishment of the Free Russian Republic on the 15th of July.

Summer 2023
On the 17th of July 2023, the Duma attempted to vote out Putin but this failed to achieve two-thirds support. With so much division and panic in St Petersburg, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation began organising its own insurgency. Several oligarchs, high-ranking military officials, and trade unions secretly answered Gennady Zyuganov called for assistance. On the 23rd of July, in Murmansk, the "Russian Democratic Coalition" proclaimed the National Salvation Government. Backed by the Northern Fleet and Central Military District, the NSG quickly occupied several regions in Northern Russia.

Throughout early August, each of the governments attempted to secure international support as well as consolidate territory. On the 16th of August, the Chechen Republic declared independence from Russia with Ramzan Kadyrov as President. The regions of Mari-El and Yakutia both declared their support for the National Salvation Government, due Federation's presence the Mari-El regional government was quickly disbanded and brought under martial law. In Yakutia, large amounts of pro-NSG joined the fight and quickly the government was able to begin a guerilla war across the Far East. thumb|Gennady Zyuganov at a Press Conference in Murmansk, August 2023, condemning the Martial Law in Mari-El.

Across August, members of the CSTO withdrew hoping to pursue better relations with other nations and organisations. The alliance de facto collapsed by the 31st of August with the withdrawal of all nations apart from Belarus. In addition to this, on the 29th of August, Free Russian Republic forces entered the City of Kursk after a month of fighting in Kursk Oblast.

Battle of St Petersburg
The Provisional Government moved into Novgorod in early September whilst the Salvation Government began to enter the Leningrad Oblast surrounding St Petersburg. Andrey Belousov moved the government out of the city on the 11th of September over to Novosibirsk.