Characters / TNO Central Asia

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Kazakhstan

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

^{Organization for the Preservation of the Soviet Union}

Official Name: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Organization for the Preservation of the Soviet Union (Shchelokov)

Ruling Party: Qazaqstan Kommýnıstik Partııasy^note Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Ideology: Communism

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• Bystander Syndrome: Unlike Russia, Kazakhstan came out of the Second World War with relative stability and remains an independent country. They aren't sympathetic to the Russians' plight and are unwilling to open their border to refugees.
• Civil War: No matter what path they go down, Kazakhstan breaks down into a civil war between the Russian-dominated North and the Kazakh-dominated South.
• Yes-Man: Zig-Zagged. The Party Congress is usually little more than a rubber stamp for the First Secretary. However, this all changes in the 12th Party Congress, where a huge faction attempts to overthrow Kunaev and can potentially succeed.

Dinmukhamed Kunaev

Role: Head of State, Economy Minister (Kunaev cabinet)

Party: Qazaqstan Kommýnıstik Partııasy^note Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Ideology: Communism, National Communism^note Communism (Economy Minister), Bolshevism^note Communism (Holds power)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}When Dinmukhamed Kunaev was chosen as the new First Secretary of the QKP, he inherited a miracle. Secretary Shayakhmetov had guided Kazakhstan through a decade that should have been its end, through two disasters which could have spelt its destruction. With him ill, it is up to Kunaev to steer Kazakhstan through another decade of success in isolation. Kunaev, at least, believes he is up for the challenge.

Yet even as Kazakhstan survives, the scars of its past remain, and new wounds appear every day. After years of neglect and damage, the Kazakh people are barely a plurality in their own nation. To the north, an endless population of refugees and bandits seem to spill forth, threatening to tilt the scales even further. And even now, relics from the era of Stalin and Bukharin remain, ready to intercede if Kazakhstan does not go their way.

So far, Kunaev has managed to steer the ship through his own vision, increasingly untethered from the ideals of his predecessor. As a long-time supporter of Kazakh industry and culture, he has focused on promoting Kazakh citizens over Russian exiles, emphasizing local industry even further than Shayakhmetov.

But many disagree with these policies, from Fitin to Yusupov to even Shayakhmetov himself. There is a fear in the air - to many, upsetting the balance between Russian and Kazakh seems a recipe for disaster. Kunaev believes Kazakhstan will last another decade, stronger and more independent than ever. It seems the world may not agree.

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• Authority in Name Only: Though he can stave off the party coup, Kunaev will end up powerless and become a mouthpiece for Tashenev, something which he cannot reveal publicly. As Kazakhstan approaches the final steps to self-rule, Kunaev finally drops the act when he resigns.
• Bullying a Dragon: Many of his fellow party members are concerned that his upsetting of the balance between Russian and Kazakh will end in disaster considering the looming prospect of Russian reunification.
• Controllable Helplessness: Even if Kunaev manages to retain control of the Party Congress, he'll be puppeted by Tashenev and his clique, who manage the government for him and force him to announce constitutional reforms that he doesn't want.
• Patriotic Fervour: A long-time supporter of Kazakh industry and culture, he is focused on the interests of Kazakh citizens over Russian exiles and refugees. To prevent an intra-party coup, Kunaev will need to rely on the Kazakh Bukharinists.
• Resigned in Disgrace: His disastrous agrarian and national security policies earns him the condemnation of many high-ranking officials in the Kazakh Communist Party, including his own mentor. Kunaev resigns from the pressure and leaves Ismail Yusupov as First Secretary.

Ismail Yusopov

Role: Foreign Minister (Kunaev cabinet), Head of State (Kunaev overthrown)

Party: Qazaqstan Kommýnıstik Partııasy^note Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Ideology: National Communism^note Communism, Communism (Kunaev overthrown)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}As Kazakhstan grows more ethnically divided and more unstable, Ismail Yusupov has become increasingly not defined by what he is, but by what he is not. He may be a Uyghur, a war hero, a long-time bureaucrat, but what matters is this: He is not a Kazakh, and is not a Russian.

After years as the Karaganda party secretary, Yusupov's unlikely rise to power came as a result of Kunaev's deposing. Yusupov, a plotter with middling importance, was expected to gain an important ministry, but nothing more. Yet when it became clear neither Fitin or Shayakhmetov would ascend to First Secretary, they began to seek out a moderate figure, without the resources to centralize power. Their choice was obvious.

It is not a glamorous rise, and Yusupov has many powerful 'allies' whose interests he must protect. But for Yusupov to truly survive, a greater problem must be solved. The independence question can no longer be ignored, and the ethnic battle over its outcome is fought more openly every day. A choice must be made - yet a choice will destroy the nation.

And so Yusupov does not choose. His plans aim to unify both communities through industrial and agrarian projects, no matter the chauvinist demands of his backers. Should the Virgin Lands Campaign succeed, it may end the crisis without a bullet. Should it fail, the battle will only grow greater - and Yusupov, neither Kazakh nor Russian, will not survive it.

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• 0% Approval Rating: Downplayed. Yusopov is an unpopular leader in Kazakhstan and no one has high hopes he'll accomplish anything significant. However, many are still shocked when he gets assassinated and it signals dark times ahead for the country.
• Contempt Crossfire: Yusopov is a Uyghur, so he's distrusted by both Kazakh and Russian communities.
• Inadequate Inheritor: Most expect him to be a sub-par First Secretary, despite his attempts to appeal to both Kazakh and Russian communities by improving the country's agrarian output.
• "Rashomon"-Style: The circumstances of his death are unknown and both Kazakh and Russian leaders are quick to blame each other, driving the Communist Party to chaos.
• Reluctant Ruler: Yusopov never wanted to become First Secretary; the most he expected was to gain an important ministry. However, since Fitin and Shayakhmetov are unavailable, the Communist Party have turned to him and forced the position on him.
• Short-Lived Leadership: Little over two years of his reign, Yusopov gets assassinated by a mysterious culprit, with the Kazakh and Russian leadership blaming each other.
• The Spook: Yusopov's past is relatively unknown, which doesn't give anyone confidence that he can lead.
• War Hero: Subverted. Yusopov is a recognized war hero, but is disliked by the entire country anyway.

Pavel Fitin

Role: Head of State (NKVD coup)

Party: Qazaqstan Kommýnıstik Partııasy^note Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Ideology: Marxism-Leninism^note Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Over his illustrious career in Kazakhstan, Pavel Mikhailovich Fitin has always seen this land as not just a nation, but a redoubt. The union, so denigrated and destabilized in Russia, survives in Kazakhstan, an unbreakable bond between peoples and nations. When it became clear that Kunaev was ready to break that union, Fitin did what he must.

Quickly, Pavel Fitin has promoted some token Kazakhs into the upper ranks, and attempted to assuage the public that stability and safety will soon return to the Kazakh SSR. For Russians and other exiles, it was a moment of celebration - the USSR, in all its glory, might soon return.

But already, he can tell that he has subtly miscalculated. The Kazakhs are not excited by the prospect of a new union - they are in the streets, angry that their representation is exiled or missing. And even as he tries to understand this rage, he can hear voices behind his back, Russian allies happy to see a world with them on top.

In truth, Pavel Fitin is a Russian. For Fitin, that fact is an endless frustration, a blatant contradiction between his soviet ideals and administrative realities. Those around him, Kazakh and Russian, ask the same question: "which will break first?"

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• Dirty Communists: Fitin is the least savory leaders in Kazakhstan, being a Russian supremacist who sidelines Kazakh politicians and indirectly subjugates the country for Russia.
• Dystopia Is Hard: His attempt to crack down on non-Russians do nothing but stoke their anger. When Fitin passes away, the Kazakhs revolt and start a civil war.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Fitin justifies his arrest of non-Russian officials on the basis that they are "nationalist deviations".
• The Purge: After taking over the party, Fitin begins arresting Kazakh, Tatar, and other Muslim officials to cement his rule, including Ismail Yusopov and Nurulla Almagambetov.
• The Remnant: Fitin is a Soviet loyalist who sees the current Kazakh administration as a temporary regime until Russia can be reunified. If the civilian government intends to permanently remain an independent country, Fitin will act against them.

Stanisław Skrzeszewski

Role: Head of State (Yusopov assassinated)

Party: Qazaqstan Kommýnıstik Partııasy^note Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Ideology: Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}In 1939, Stanisław Skrzeszewski watched as his own nation was destroyed, ripped in half by the flames of nationalism, left to rot away under the policies of mass extermination. His own group of Communist leaders, as well as a large mass of similar refugees, gradually made their way out of eastern Poland and eventually into Kazakhstan. In time, they lost all hope of returning. Kazakhstan became their new home, the last refuge for Polish society.

Now, in the mid-sixties, it seems their new home will tear itself apart, victim to the same awful fate.

Skrzeszewski should not be leading Kazakhstan. He is a leader of a minority community and he holds an important economic post - he is not a crucial political leader to the wider nation. He has been chosen because he is a minority, and the ethnic tensions in Kazakhstan have left Kazakhs and Russians incapable of working with each other. He is a stopgap - and with time, Kazakhstan will crush him as well.

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• Genocide Survivor: As a Pole, Skrzeszewski witnessed his homeland get butchered by the Nazis and his people targeted by their extermination plans. With no other place to go, Skrzeszewski has made Kazakhstan his new home.
• Led by the Outsider: The Polish Skrzeszewski — forced into Kazakhstan due to war and genocide — becomes the leader of Kazakhstan precisely because he is an outsider, letting him mediate between the local Kazakhs and Russians.
• Reluctant Ruler: Skrzeszewski hates the situation of which he becomes First Secretary, watching Kazakhstan be torn apart by their ethnic conflicts and feeling insecure of his inability to reunite the country. At best, he's a desperate compromise candidate to keep the Kazakhs and Russians from killing each other.
• You Are in Command Now: In a shocking twist of events, Skrzeszewski becomes the new First Secretary after Kunaev resigns and Yusupov is assassinated.

Mikhail Solomentsev

Role: Head of State (Yusopov and Fitin - Civil War)

Party: Kommunisticheskaya partiya Kazakhstana^note Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Ideology: Marxism-Leninism^note Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Mikhail Sergeyevich Solomentsev is nothing if not hard to pin down. To some audiences, he portrays himself as the only true communist left in Kazakhstan - yet he has a history of decidedly unprincipled scandals surrounding his marriage. He deplores "Kazakh chauvinism" in his every speech, and yet his "Soviet Group" works with open chauvinists more radical than he ever could be. How can one understand the man who never explains himself?

The answer is less interesting than one might expect. Solomentsev is not a radical Communist. He is tactical, and he has made many allies with many positions, but he simply sees his view of the Soviet Union as the norm, one he has held since he was first assigned to Kazakhstan in the twilight years of Stalin's government. To him, his love of Russia, Stalin, and the Former Union are all one and the same. All of this was the Soviet Union, the greatest nation ever created. All of this was ours.

Kazakhstan simply needs to understand this reality.

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• Hypocrite: Solomentsev is a huge hypocrite, which is a subtle sign that he isn't as committed to communism as one might think:
  • Solomentsev calls himself a principled communist and the only true one left in Kazakhstan, yet there are multiple scandals around his marriage.
  • He decries Kazakh nationalism, even though his "Soviet Group" supporters are Russian chauvinists who make even louder cries to their nationalism.
• Undying Loyalty: Solomentsev is absolutely loyal to Stalin and the Soviet Union, which is why he fights to keep Kazakhstan under the Russian sphere.

Nikolai Shchelokov

Role: Head of State (Kunaev - Civil War)

Party: Organizatsiya Za Sokhraneniye SSSR^note Organization for the Preservation of the USSR

Ideology: Right-Wing Populism^note Paternalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}In the vast expanse of Northern Kazakhstan, an unusual scene unfolded as Nikolai Anisimovich Shchelokov, a bureaucrat from Luhansk, became a regional police leader. His ascent was a byzantine chain of promotions—many he may not have been fully qualified for. Despite that, Russians loved him. He protected Russian businesses, lavishly rewarded Russian servants of the people, and stood up for Russian refugees entering the border. For some reason though, Kazakhs weren't quite as enamored.

While deeply tied to the Soviet group, his devotion to Marxism was spotty. In spite of his outspokenness, few found coherence in the policies he espoused. What seemed to matter most to him was that he was revered as an icon, and a handful of roubles often put criticism to rest.

As war erupted, he took charge of the Russian Guard, militias devoted to the idea of the Russian state, whatever that might be. Shchelokov was the hero of Russia, the socialist union, Russia, the grand empire, and Russia, the country with the best benefit schemes. Whether this enigmatic man could unify these strange bedfellows and restore this brotherly republic to the loving embrace of the Motherland remained to be seen.

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• Fake Ultimate Hero: He was showered with undeserved promotions and isn't a genuine communist, but he's still beloved by the Russians for blatantly favoring them over the Kazakhs.
• Glory Hound: His only ambition in life is to be recognized as an icon and believes that winning the Kazakh Civil War will make him a Russian hero.
• Still Wearing the Old Colors: He rechristens the pro-Russian side of the Kazakh Civil War to the "Organization for the Preservation of the Soviet Union", though Shchelokov has no genuine commitment to Marxism and only keeps up the facade because it gives him more legitimacy.

Socialist Republic of Kazakhstan/Kazakh Defense Force

^{Flag of the Kazakh Defense Force}

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Kazakhstan (Tashenev), Kazakh Defense Force (Nurmagambetov), Republic of Kazakhstan (Nurmagambetov civil war victory)

Ruling Party: Qazaqstan Kommýnıstik Partııasy^note Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Ideology: National Communism^note Communism (Tashenev), Partisan Movement^note Despotism (Nurmagambetov)

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• The Determinator: Many Kazakhs are proud to win their independence again and they will fight to the bitter end against the Russians to secure it.

Zhumabek Tashenev

Role: Head of State (Kunaev and Yusopov - Civil War)

Party: Kommunisticheskaya partiya Kazakhstana^note Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Ideology: National Communism^note Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Since the era of Stalin, the Kazakh people have gradually grown independent. A new generation of thinkers in cities like Almaty see themselves not as continuing a Soviet project, but a uniquely Kazakh ideal, a series of values that allowed the Kazakh armies to protect Central Asia while so much of Russia fell into disunion. Zhumabek Tashenev, once just one of many such thinkers, now leads the nation.

From first a series of publications and then an important post as deputy to Dinmukhamed Kunaev during his time in office, Tashenev has preached a vision of the Kazakh socialist government largely divorced from the wider Soviet project, citing a simple argument - the Soviet Union is no more. He sees the unwillingness to reorganize and redevelop as a concession to the Russians, and he has argued that this state of agrarian semi-independence only served to flatter the Russian imagination of Kazakhstan as their colony.

As civil war rages, he fears that he was right.

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• The Cassandra: Whenever the Russians refused to reorganize or redevelop Kazakhstan, Tashenev believed that this agrarian semi-independence was used to keep Kazakhstan under Russia's thumb. Most didn't believe him and humored the Russians' demands, which sadly prove fatal if Tashenev takes over and the Russians start a civil war.
• Patriotic Fervor: Tashenev dreamed of an independent Kazakhstan from Russia and guides Kunaev to assert the country's autonomy before taking over himself.

Sagadat Nurmagambetov

Role: Head of Government (Kunaev cabinet), Head of State (Fitin - Civil War)

Party: Kazakh Defence Force

Ideology: National Communism^note Communism, Partisan Movement^note Despotism (Kazakh Civil War), Military Junta^note Despotism (Civil war victory)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}In times of trouble, patriots must be ready to take control by any means necessary. Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich Nurmagambetov understands this as he fights for the very concept of the Kazakh nation.

Nurmagambetov fought with distinction during the Great Patriotic War, earning a reputation as a war hero among the Kazakh people. While his peer Momyshuly found himself being purged, he continued to serve with honor in the army, proving himself once more during the West Russian War.

An admirer of Kunaev and his nationalist rhetoric, Nurmagambetov became one of the biggest representatives in the Kazakh armed forces. This made him an obvious target for Fitin after the Soviet Group's rise to power, leading to the army man's career withering away as Fitin attempted to push out any potential enemies.

Nurmagambetov was horrified at the thought of Kazakhstan once again becoming Russia's vassal, mutiny was the only recourse available to him. Now he leads his band of patriots in a struggle for independence, a fight for Kazakhstan to free itself from the anchor that is Russia.

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• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: A former Soviet soldier, Nurmagambetov turns on his former allies when Fitin takes power, sidelines influential non-Russians (including himself), and threatens to turn Kazakhstan into a Russian vassal. Such a possibility is unthinkable to him and the only solution is a mutiny.
• War Hero: Having fought in the Second World War and the West Russian War, Nurmagambetov became renowned by his fellow countrymen.

Other Countries

Socialist Republic of Turkmenistan

^{Flag of the Korbashi Federation of Turkestan}

^{Flag of the Islamic Republic of Turkmenistan}

^{Flag of the Turkmen Republic}

^{Flag of the Turkestan Republic}

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Turkmenistan, Korbashi Federation of Turkestan (Sultangaliyev), Islamic Republic of Turkmenistan (Babahan), Turkmen Republic (Karryev), Turkestan Republic (Turkestan Unification)

Ruling Party: Türkmenistanyň Kommunistik Partiýasy^note Communist Party of Turkmenistan

Ideology: Bolshevism^note Communism

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• Enemy Mine:
  • Their proposal in the Turkes Kenes is to unify the normally divided Central Asian region so that they can focus on their mutual enemies, Iran and Afghanistan.
  • Despite their different ideologies, Turkmenistan will align with Turkey in the Turkes Kenes because both would benefit from Central Asian reunification. If achieved, the former can stand up to its neighboring rivals, while the latter gets a rich reservoir to their resources and opportunity to destabilize Asian partners of the Pakt and Sphere.
• Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits: When Iran invaded Turkmenistan, a band of Turkmen tribesmen, Soviet partisans, and other allies was rallied to repel the invasion and a subsequent attack from Afghanistan. To many, these victories were the former glory days of Turkmenistan and some even wish that another war would start so that they can relive them.
• Space-Filling Empire: To unite against their common foes in Afghanistan and Iran, Turkmenistan hosts the Turkes Kenes conference to amalgamate all Central Asian countries into a single entity. If their efforts succeed with the help of Turkey, Turkmenistan will encompass the entire region in a single republic.
• We ARE Struggling Together: A divide has emerged between Annaroazov's wish to continue adhering to the Soviet Union's old communist ideals and his advisor's opposition to that same ideology.

Poda Annaorazov

Role: Head of State

Party: Türkmenistanyň Kommunistik Partiýasy^note Communist Party of Turkmenistan

Ideology: Bolshevism^note Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}When the Soviet Union fell, the Turkmens did not fail the Revolution. Their support for the Union and all it represented was unwavering in its resolve. But the Russians did fail the Turkmens, the bureaucrats and administrators fled to their homeland as Iran invaded Turkmenistan in the wake of the Union's collapse. In the end, it fell to a native son of Turkmenistan, a healer and protector, to rise to her defense. It fell to Poda Annaoarazov.

Leading a rag-tag band of Turkmen tribesmen, Soviet partisans, and personal friends and allies, Poda repelled not only the Iranians, but a simultaneous Afghan invasion as well. This achievement sent shockwaves across Turkmenistan, and it seemed only natural that the hero of Samarkand be named Chairman. If only governance were the same beast as defeating armies. Poda has found the years following these victories to be more exhausting than any battle, or mending any grievous wounds, and these tiring years are starting to weigh on him.

Poda guides Turkmenistan to the best of his abilities, but at the end of the day he is not an administrator. While a convicted Bukharinist, Poda finds himself being pulled this way and that by the buzzing swarm of advisors, ministers, generals, allies and bureaucrats that circle him at all times. Some of them hold to his convictions, while others hold respect for him - and he for them - but find themselves at complete odds with his Bukharinist principles, and as the years drag on, which is which only seems to grow less and less clear. Some days, it almost gets to be enough to wish for another war to fight.

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• Glory Days: Annaorazov isn't happy in his current peacetime administrative position and longs for the former days when he led military victories against the Iranian and Afghan invasions of Turkmenistan.
• Historical Badass Upgrade: Poda Annaorazov in OTL was a minor deputy of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan, with a brief period of service in the Red Army (his rank wasn't documented online), and had nothing remarkable to his name. In TNO, he is portrayed as a strong military leader whose defense of Turkmenistan leads to him being selected as the Chairman of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan.^note The actual First Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan in 1962 was Balysh Ovezov.
• Puppet King: He's Turkmenistan's official leader, but he holds little actual power and his authority primarily derives from the advisors who surveil and guide his every move. However, it hasn't stopped Annaorazov from trying his best to lead anyway.
• War Hero: His successful defense against the invading Iranian and Afghan forces propelled him into popularity and made him a natural choice for Turkmenistan's next leader.
• Won the War, Lost the Peace: After the Union fell, Annaozarov successfully led the Turkmens to victory against Iranian and Afghan invaders, only to find the following years more exhausting than any battle.

Mirsaid Sultangaliyev

Role: Head of State (Turkey-backed regime change)

Party: Türkmenistanyň Kommunistik Partiýasy^note Communist Party of Turkmenistan

Ideology: National Communism^note Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}If any man in Central Asia today represents its traumatic and conflicting heritage from the last few decades, it is Mirsaid Sultangaliyev.

Born in Bashkiria, deep in the most Russified parts of Eurasia, Mirsaid was an early follower of the revolutionary ideas spreading like wildfire across Russia - seeing in them the solution to the imperialist oppression clamping down on the minorities and Islamic faith, and the way forward for the organization of these peoples. His time in Baku in the early tens and twenties pushed him further to the Bolsheviks' path, and when his time came to fight for the Revolution he did so with aplomb, using his familiarity with national movements in Central Asia to cripple the Whites - earning the trust of none other than Vladimir Lenin himself in the process.

All seemed set for a steady rise through the Soviet ranks as a representative of the Turkic nationalities of the USSR and its Islamic people - a rise which never came. The rest of the Party remained suspicious of his tolerance of regional nationalism and religion, and so Mirsaid remained marooned in Central Asia, far from the decision-making, working steadfastly to improve the local situation but without much hope of influencing the top.

That was, until the Nazi war machine crushed the USSR entirely and left its peripheral republics reeling in a chaotic void of power. Now, Mirsaid Sultangaliyev stands as a symbol of Turkic cooperation amongst those left standing - still believing in the end goal of Marxism-Leninism but adapted to truly serve the people instead of the Russian despots in a far-away capital.

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• Chummy Commies: Sultangaliyev promotes a benevolent form of Marxism-Leninism that serves the people rather than its rulers.
• Enemy Mine: Sultangaliyev is a staunch anti-imperialist, which places him in opposition to Turkey's meddling in foreign affairs. However, he hates Germany and Japan even more, so the two ally with each other to oppose their common enemies.
• Reassigned to Antarctica: When he served the Soviet Union, the Party was suspicious that he might try inflaming regional nationalism and religion that would threaten to divide the country, so he was assigned to govern in Central Asia, far away from the Union's decision-making.
• War Hawk: He is a hardline nationalist who vows to mobilize the nation to unite Central Asia under one banner and attack nearby states aligned with either the Pakt or the Sphere.

Ziyauddinhan Babahan

Role: Head of State (Turkey-backed regime change)

Party: Sosialist Iscilar Partiýasy^note Socialist Workers Party

Ideology: Islamic Socialism^note Socialism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Hailing from the line of Ahmad Yasawi comes another great Turkic scholar of the Islamic Faith. Ziyauddinhan Babahan was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and grew up among the faith, following in the footsteps of his father in the early years of his life and being educated by Shami Domla, whose theology and politics influenced his own greatly. When Kalinin accepted the request of Uzbek and Turkmen Imams to establish the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Central Asia and Kazakhstan (or SADUM for short) during the Second World War, his life took a distinctly different turn, not one of mere theology, but of politics in turn. Though officially his father led the organization to start, as its secretary, much of the administrative duties fell to Ziyauddinhan.

With Islam in one hand and Marxism in the other, Ziyauddinhan sought to shepherd the faithful of his homeland fairly and equitably. Training of the clergy, the management of charity, and the publishing of religious material fell to himself and the organization that he ran. As the war took a sour turn for the USSR, it fell to him in turn, to be their guide and protector as the Union disintegrated, and more and more of the people of Central Asia turned to the faith for truth and comfort. Even after the war's end, Ziyauddinhan continues to fight this good fight.

These days, he is far from home, running SADUM from the safety and security of Turkmenistan. Both he and his organization represent a sense of continuity and structure remaining from the days of the Soviet Union. In spite of everything that has happened, the dual spirit of Marxism and Islam lives strong, and socialist thought justified by his interpretations of Islamic law provides an additional avenue to security and to justice in a world that so often lacks both.

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• All-Loving Hero: Babahan is a charitable leader who has offered spiritual guidance and protection to those who seek him out.
• The Fundamentalist: Babahan blends socialist thought with Islamic doctrine, following this unorthodox ideology to provide protect and govern Turkmenistan.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Though his father led the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Central Asia and Kazakhstan (SADUM), many of its administrative duties fell to Ziyauddinhan, in which he's continued to manage the organization after the Soviet Union's fall.

Sarry Karryev

Role: Head of State (Military coup)

Party: Türkmenistanyň Demokratik Partiýasy^note Democratic Party of Turkmenistan

Ideology: Military Junta^note Despotism

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• Les Collaborateurs: Karryev is far more receptive to Turkey than Poda, motivating his coup to place Turkmenistan more firmly in their influence.
• Military Coup: With Turkey's help, Karryev will launch a military coup against Poda, aligning the country with their backer.
• Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: In OTL Sarry Karryev was a Turkmen actor who played in various Soviet movies during the 1960s. In TNO he leads a pro-Turkey Military Junta in Turkmenistan, helping entrench Turkish influence in the region.

People's Republic of Uzbekistan

^{Flag of the Republic of Kokand}

^{Flag of the Bukharan People's Soviet Republic}

^{Flag of the Bukharan-Kokand People's Soviet Republic}

Official Name: People's Republic of Uzbekistan, Jadidi Republic of Uzbekistan (Karimov)

Khodzhayev: Bukharan People's Soviet Republic (Uzbek-Karakalpak Unification)

Bukharan-Kokand People's Soviet Republic (Kyrgyzstan Annexed)

Karimov: Republic of Kokand (Uzbek-Karakalpak Unification)

Kokand Federation (Kyrgyzstan Annexed)

Ruling Party: Uzbek Kommunistik Partiyasi^note Uzbek Communist Party

Ideology: National Communism^note Communism

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• The Cynic: The tragedies endured by Uzbekistan have struck a cynicism crisis in the population, leaving them apathetic to whatever future Uzbekistan may face.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: When it was formerly part of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan was ignored by its master country in favor of its other Soviet Republics, dismissing their puppet's more limited contributions. This abandonment significantly contributed to the cynical atmosphere surrounding Uzbekistan and its current situation.
• Scam Religion: Some claim that Jadidism - a homegrown ideology of reformist Islamism - is a ploy used by the government to exploit Islam and assert their power over Uzbekistan. So far, these claims have remained unconfirmed, but if they are true, it would spell doom for the ruling government.
• Shown Their Work: The flag of Uzbekistan is an older flag of OTL Uzbekistan, used from 1925 - 1927. Notably, it also contains the acronym for the old, Arabic-influenced, pre-Russified Uzbek language name for the Uzbek SSR, Ozbekistan ijtima'i shoralar jomhoriyati^note Also Romanized as "Özbekiston Ijtimoy Shoro Jumhuriyati"; the Uzbek name for the country was Russified under Stalin, becoming "Oʻzbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasi", written in Arabic script.
• Suddenly Significant City: Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital city, has been turned into an exclave of Uzbekistan after Kyrgyzstan annexed the Fergana Valley. This, combined with its large population, made it even more strategically important than it already is.

Fayzullah Khodzhayev

Role: Head of State

Party: Uzbek Kommunistik Partiyasi^note Uzbek Communist Party

Ideology: National Communism^note Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}It is impossible to describe the human spirit or to give it a solid, cohesive definition. Identifying what makes humanity wake up in the morning to work away at its doings is difficult beyond comprehension, as there is a limitless pool of definitions of what persuades the individual to work and live their life. Not one of these definitions can be found in the hearts or minds of any living soul in Uzbekistan.

Abandoned, ignored, and humiliated would be the only way to describe the minds of those within the Uzbekistani state, as the Central Asian War, the collapse of the USSR time and time again, and the backwards state which the nation has been left in have all taken their toll on the national psyche and even culture of Uzbekistan. This mindset is expressed better by none other than the premier of Uzbekistan; Fayzulla Khodzhayev.

Once an idealistic member of the Uzbek Communist Party, Uzbekistan's limited contributions from the USSR in favor of the varied other Soviet Republics had already left it desolate, though his faith would only falter further until receiving its deathblow when the West Russian Revolutionary Front was crushed forever. Since then, the increasingly apathetic state of the government has solidified and has only crawled further into a worsening state.

Today, Uzbekistan sits quietly in Central Asia, allowing for its cynicism crisis to worsen further and further. With little hope for the Uzbekistani people beyond a silent, apathetic future, nothing can be done for Uzbekistan.

Nothing beyond the people causing the future themselves.

---

• Glory Days: Khodzhayev, once an idealistic member of the Uzbek Communist Party, has found his faith faltering since the fall of the Union and especially after the West Russian Revolutionary Front lost the West Russian War. Now, he is the archetypical representative of the abandoned, ignored, apathetic, cynical Uzbek government.
• Historical In-Joke: In OTL, Khodzhayev was one of the people executed in the OTL Trial of the Twenty-One during the Great Purge, alongside other prominent TNO Soviet politicians like Bukharin and Yagoda.

Islam Karimov

Role: Head of State (Regime change)

Party: O'zbekiston Demokratik Partiyasi^note Democratic Party of Uzbekistan

Ideology: Islamic Conservatism^note Conservatism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}The lower bowels of the Uzbekistani political scene are one saturated with the party politics and power struggles that would seem more at home in the United States of America rather than a state smack dab in the middle of Central Asia. Even still, there is no greater product of this chaotic state of affairs than Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan and puppet of the Jadidi.

Born into a troubled life between an Uzbek and a Tajik, Karimov spent much of his youth in an orphanage, though decided to follow the path which his parents had blazed- that of a civil servant. Throughout his youth, Karimov could not help but look to the disasters which befell Uzbekistan, the broken world in which he grew up. He could not claim to remember the day that the USSR fell, nor can he claim to have been on the frontlines of the West Russian War, Karimov can claim to want the best for Uzbekistan. Even still, with the Jadidi holding most all the legitimate power in the government, Karimov can only do so much for his country and vows to one day make change for his world.

No matter how long it takes to get there.

---

• Puppet King: Karimov is a puppet ruler to the Jadidi, the ones truly in power. Karimov himself recognizes this, but he vows to one day benefit his country somehow.
• Young and in Charge: Karimov was born in 1938 and can become Uzbekistan's leader in his mid-to-late 20s. In real life, he only became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan in 1989, and ruled the country until his death in 2016. Karimov's biography lampshades this, noting how he was far too young to even remember the Soviet Union's downfall.

Azim Rakhimov

Role: Military Commander, Head of State (Bukharan People's Soviet Republic)

Party: Uzbek Kommunistik Partiyasi^note Uzbek Communist Party

Ideology: Islamic Marxism^note Communism

---

Vildan Saldovich Khabiev

Role: Military Commander, Head of State (Bukharan People's Soviet Republic)

Party: Uzbek Kommunistik Partiyasi^note Uzbek Communist Party

Ideology: Bolshevism^note Communism

---

People's Republic of Karakalpakstan

^{Flag of the Republic of Karakalpakstan}

^{Flag of the People's Republic of Bukhara}

^{Flag of the Federation of Karakalpak-Uzbek People}

^{Flag of the People's Republic of Central Asia}

^{Flag of the Central Asian Federation}

Official Name: People's Republic of Karakalpakstan, Karakalpakistan United Front (Abdurashit, pre-unification), Democratic Republic of Karakalpakstan (Yusupov)

Abdurashit: People's Republic of Bukhara (Uzbek-Karakalpak Unification)

People's Republic of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan Annexed)

Yusupov: Federation of Karakalpak-Uzbek People (Uzbek-Karakalpak Unification)

Central Asian Federation (Kyrgyzstan Annexed)

Ruling Party: Qoraqalpog Sotsialist Partiyasi^note Karakalpak Socialist Party

Ideology: Revolutionary Front^note Socialism

---

• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: Having long been denied independence since the days of the Tsar, the Karakalpaks were quick to declare independence when the Soviet Union collapsed.
• The Migration: Facing persecution from their homes in Uzbekistan, countless political exiles have fled to Karakalpakstan and provided the support base needed for Abdurashit to consolidate the nation.

Kadyrov Abdurashit

Role: Head of State

Party: Qoraqalpog Sotsialist Partiyasi^note Karakalpak Socialist Party

Ideology: Revolutionary Front^note Socialism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Should you ask anyone what defined the world as they knew it, you would certainly find yourself with a litany of answers depending on who you asked and where they were from. If you asked a young German, he would tell you of the West Russian War, breaking up the world and putting it back together just as it was meant to be. If you asked a young Russian Communist, he would tell you it was the day that the Revolutionary Front started fading. If you asked Abdurashit Kadyrov, he would tell you that the day that changed the course of history was the one that left the Germans at the A-A line.

Even still, as the Russian Armies solidified around Syktyvkar, Kadyrov's dedication to the West Russian Revolutionary Front had only diminished with time, as his homeland grew more and more chaotic. As the West Russian War erupted, however, Kadyrov's dedication was tested, and it took every shred of his will not to send himself back to Karakalpakstan. In the last days of the Front, however, as Kadyrov found himself in the southern front of a collapsing war, he seized the chaos as his last chance back home. Having returned to a collapsed state of his disorganized brethren, Kadyrov took it upon himself to found a Karakalpakstan state alongside his fellow nationals, and the countless political exiles of Uzbekistan, fleeing persecution.

Leading with the respect bestowed upon him through his exploits across the West Russian War and his goodwill accumulated from his actions in the first days of the new state, it is certain that Kadyrov will prove a thorn in the side of all those who would want to tear down Karakalpakstan, bar ensuring the safety of his people.

---

• Historical Badass Upgrade: Kadyrov Abdurashit is a very obscure WWII war hero from Nukus (the capital of the Republic of Karakalpakstan), who is only referenced in an article from the Karakalpakstan website^note Operated by the UNESCO Office in Tashkent. In TNO, he was a founder of the People's Republic of Karakalpakstan.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When things started turning sour during the West Russian War, Abdurashit seized the opportunity to return back to Karakalpakstan and restore order there.
• War Hero: Even though the West Russian War ended in failure, his participation in the conflict still made him beloved enough in Karakalpakstan to become its leader.

Ibrahim Yusupov

Role: Head of State (Regime change)

Party: Qoraqalpog Mustailliga Partiyasi^note Karakalpak Independence Party

Ideology: Liberal Conservatism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Ibrahim Yusupov's father was a religious cleric and a wealthy landowner, which made him a prime target to be arrested and "disappeared" by Soviet authorities in the 1930s. This left Yusupov to be raised by a single mother, and he was forced to work as a child to keep his siblings fed and clothed. This harsh upbringing, however, did not deter him from his love of poetry, and he was able to complete a literature degree when he was twenty.

Yusupov's homeland of Karakalpakstan had been occupied by the Russian Empire, and later the Soviet Union, for the better part of a century, and their autonomy was gradually eroded over the decades. Unsurprisingly, the Karakalpaks were quick to declare independence and fend off any post-Soviet warlords after the Union fell. They were also fortunate enough to gracefully transition from communist rule to a functioning liberal democracy, free of strongmen and tyrants. While other, more authoritarian regimes may have repressed him, the free nature of Karakalpak society allowed Yusupov's career as a poet and journalist to not only be viable, but also flourish. He worked as a newspaper editor and professor of literature, and eventually threw his hat in the ring and ran for President of Karakalpakstan in 1961. His popularity as an author had gone a long way toward building a voter base, and his rhetorical command ensured that he always came out ahead in debates. But now that he has won the presidency, some question whether he can amount to more than simple poems and whether he can actually implement the policies he so lyrically endorsed.

---

• Rags to Riches: Yusupov grew up as an impoverished poet before his rise to power as a popular author and politician who promotes liberalism.
• Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: In real life, Ibrahim Yusupov (typically spelled in English as Ibrayim Yusupov) was a Karakalpak writer and journalist. In this timeline, he can become President of Karakalpakstan.

Turkestan Legion

^{Flag of the State of Turks}

^{Flag of the Provisional Authority of Turkestan}

^{Flag of the Military District of Turkestan}

Official Name: Turkestan Legion, Turkestan Reclamation Government (Turkestan Unification, Kayyum), State of Turks (Hayit), Turkestan National State (Turkestan Unification, Hayit), Provisional Authority of Turkestan (Turkestan Unification, Muhammad), Military District of Turkestan (Nazar)

Ruling Party: Ozbekiston Milliy Sotsialistik Partiyasi^note National Socialist Party of Uzbekistan

Ideology: Naturalised National Socialism^note National Socialism

A former German collaborator legion led by pan-Turkic and anti-communist ideologue Veli Kayyum Han. The legion moved into Uzbekistan with Afghan support after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and its leader Han seeks to reunite all of Central Asia under pan-Turkic nationalism.

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• Army of Thieves and Whores: The Legion is more of a group of bandits than a truly disciplined army, surviving by raiding lone tribes and travelers.
• Blatant Lies: Their takeover of Central Asia is propped up by the Reich as a "victory for Central Asian self-determination", which is just a massive cover for Germany to begin meddling in Central Asian affairs.
• Les Collaborateurs: The Turkestan Legion originated as a Wehrmacht unit composed of Turkestani collaborators and prisoners of war.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: If the Turkes Kenes conference ends in Turkey's favour and the Turkestan Republic is formed, it will declare war on the Legion; given that they are surrounded said war is pretty one-sided.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: They start out as a pitiful band of disorganized thugs, but with help from Germany, they can become a formidable force.
• I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Many of the Legion's members have little loyalty to their leaders and will join whoever takes over the regiment.
• My Friends... and Zoidberg: Most of the Nazis have forgotten about the Turkestan Legion and only rekindle relationships with them again to destabilize the Turkes Kenes conference and unite Central Asia themselves, hoping to use them as a proxy for the conflict.
• Space-Filling Empire: With some help from Germany, the Legion can conquer all of Central Asia and achieve their pan-Turkic nationalist dream.

Veli Kayyum Han

Role: Head of State

Party: Ozbekiston Milliy Sotsialistik Partiyasi^note National Socialist Party of Uzbekistan

Ideology: Naturalised National Socialism^note National Socialism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Veli Kayum-Khan began flirting with anti-communist and nationalist ideology with the rise of the Soviet Union, which he despised. He would move to Germany to study, but he chose to never return to the USSR. Soon, he rose to prominence in the Turkestani émigré movement for his pan-Turkic and anti-Soviet rhetoric and beliefs. When war broke out in Europe, he would attempt to help the Nazis with his ideology which had much in common. To achieve this, he would help found the Turkestan Legion, a unit of the army composed of Turkestani collaborators and prisoners of war. Even though they were considered "inferior races" by the Nazis, this attitude would quickly change as they wished to exploit the anti-Soviet sentiment of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia during Operation Barbarossa. The Legion would play a minor role in the swift conquest of Bukharin's Soviet Union.

With the end of the war, the country that had oppressed Kayum-Khan's ethnic group for so long completely collapsed, and Uzbekistan finally had a chance to become free. This push for independence would fail and wither into nothing, however, and it would be years until he would find himself with another chance. With time, tenacity, and Afghan support, however, the legion has made considerable gains. Believing in Pan-Turanism, Kayum's ultimate goal is to unite all peoples of Central Asia. Of course, the first step to do that is to defeat all those who stand in his way, no matter which meddling powers stand in his way.

Even though he rules with an iron fist, Kayum still faces strong opposition. Many are not loyal to his fascist government, with some even harbouring Fayzullah sympathies. If he is to develop power as leader of Turkestan, Khan will need to secure his unstable state, and ensure that all of Central Asia stands behind him through respect, and faith in his pan-Turkic beliefs.

---

• The Alcoholic: His incompetence can partially be explained by his chronic drinking, utterly miserable about his situation and desperate to prove his work to the Nazis.
• Enemy Mine:
  • His pan-Turkic ideas and fierce anti-communist rhetoric was compatible with the Nazi's own ideologies and thus came to work with them during World War II, even though Germany previously dismissed him and his legion as part of an "inferior race".
  • Thanks to Afghan support, Kayyum has made some territorial gains, enough to establish his own fiefdom as the start to his plan of unifying all of Central Asia.
• General Failure: Hayit and the German intelligence note his incompetence as a commander, in spite of his many years of combat experience.
• Nasty Party: Once Uzbekistan is conquered with Speer's help, Kayyum sends an invitation to Hayit for a celebration party. Despite the suspicious circumstances, Hayit falls for it and gets killed, along with the rest of his supporters.
• A Nazi by Any Other Name: Even though he's no longer working for the Nazis, his stark militarism and pan-Turkic ideas have gotten him labelled as a Naturalized Nazi.
• The Purge: If the Legion successfully conquers all of Central Asia and holds power in a Bormann-led German campaign, he'll have Hayit and Muhammad murdered on the charge of being a traitor, ensuring that they won't threaten his position ever again.

Baymirza Hayit

Role: Head of Government (Kayyum cabinet), Head of State (Coup)

Party: Ozbekiston fashistik Partiyasi^note Fascist Party of Uzbekistan

Ideology: Fascism, Revolutionary Nationalism^note Fascism (Coup)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}The greatest Turkic fighting force in the history of the modern world was assembled and unleashed upon her enemies twenty years ago. And for twenty years, the blood and lives of its brave soldiers has been wasted by its incompetent leadership.

Baymirza Hayit was born in Yargorgan, a small village in what is now Uzbekistan in 1917. From a young age, Baymirza had shown a great deal of interest in literature and matters of the mind, only interrupted by the onset of war and his conscription into the Red Army in 1939, right after he had graduated from Tashkent University. For two years, Baymirza Hayit served the Soviet Union in fighting the Germans, until he was captured by those same Germans in 1941. It would not be the Red Army that would come to define the rest of his life, however, but the Legion formed out of Turkic prisoners of war in Germany. The Turkestan Legion.

Though the Second World War had ended, the task ahead for the Turkestan Legion did not. Under Veli Kayum's leadership, they re-entered their homeland, but a mixture of sheer incompetence and greed has led to the Legion only controlling a mere fraction of the nation. The Legion's destiny remains unfulfilled, in spite of all that they have collectively sacrificed. Veli Kayum made much noise about his new plans, the "Yangi Ergenekon" that he had hoped to build, and like every other half-brained scheme he had cooked, it exploded in his face. Now it falls to Baymirza to pick up the pieces and begin the process of fulfilling the grand and glorious Turkic Destiny, the project of unification now in the hands of someone passionate, decisive, and most of all, competent. The path forward is clear, and all that's required now is the strength to see it through to its end.

---

• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Despite being his subordinate, Hayit is a great deal more competent than Kayyum.
• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: If a Speer-backed coup led by Muhammad goes awry, Hayit waits out the situation for Muhammad and Kayyum's men to weaken each other enough for him to take over.
• The Philosopher King: Hayit is the Legion's main ideologue, being the main writer behind their fascist and racial supremacist theories. Naturally, this makes him a loyal ally to Germany and admirer of Hitler.
• Pragmatic Villainy: After potentially colluding in the assassination of Kayyum, he'll organize a funeral for him to throw off suspicion that he was murdered and to legitimize his own succession.
• The Starscream: Hayit despises Kayyum's incompetence and alcoholism for impeding the Legion's success. As such, he'll happily accept Germany's offer to have him assassinated so that he'll take over.

Sher Muhammad Korşirmat

Role: Military Commander, Security Minister (Kayyum Cabinet), Head of State (Coup)

Party: Turkiston legioni (Korşirmat's Clique)^note Turkestan Legion (Korşirmat's Clique)

Ideology: Stratocratic Nazism^note National Socialism, Personalistic Dictatorship^note Despotism (Coup)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}With a stern face, and dark sunglasses, Sher Muhammad-bek Gaza cuts an imposing figure. Few would have expected a mercenary to seize control of the Turkestan Legion. Yet since he emerged from a Russian prison as a boy, he has surprised many who underestimated him.

Muhammad-bek played a critical role in the Fegana Uprising before engaging in guerrilla warfare against the Soviet Union. He built an extensive network on the Afghan-Soviet border, and sold information to Turkey, Japan, and Germany. This network was later used by Germany to assist in restoring the former Bukharan Emir to the throne.

Following the Nazi victory, Muhammad-bek embraced the life of a mercenary, taking the name "Korşirmat." Yet he realized that it was not wealth he truly sought - but power. This desire led him to the Turkestan Legion - and to seize power when the opportunity arose.

None can say for certain if it was luck, foreign powers, or one of his own schemes that led to his ascent, but it matters not. With the Legion in his grasp, few obstacles stand between him, and a final battle to decide the fate of Central Asia.

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• Ambition Is Evil: Muhammad became a mercenary because he craves power and taking over the Legion is one step to realizing that goal.
• Glory Hound: He loves to boast and exaggerate his achievements. He's interested in conquering the entirety of Central Asia to make himself a legend rather than out of any ideological desire.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Muhammad is frustrated that he's been passed over the position of Marshal in the Legion repeatedly, arrogantly believing that he deserves that promotion.
• Only Known By His Nickname: He took on the name "Korşirmat" when he became a mercenary and everyone refers to him as such.
• The Purge: If allowed to take power, he'll organize death squads to purge any rival factions and cement his authority in the Legion.
• The Starscream: If Speer supports his takeover of the Legion, Muhammad will execute both Kayyum and Hayit, eliminating them as rivals to his leadership.
• Wild Card: Despite his collaboration with Germany, Muhammad is not loyal to the Reich at all and both will betray each other as soon as it's convenient.

Ruzi Nazar

Role: Foreign Minister (Kayyum cabinet), Head of State (Japanese victory)

Party: Turkiston legioni (Nazar's Clique)^note Turkestan Legion (Nazar's Clique)

Ideology: Stratocratic Nazism^note National Socialism, Military Junta^note Despotism (Japanese victory)

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• The Quisling: Nazar is a native Uzbek who is tasked to govern what's left of Turkestan by Afghanistan, if Japan wins the Central Asian proxy conflict.

Kyrgyz Soviet Republic

^{Flag of the Central Asian People's Republic}

^{Flag of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Central Asia}

^{Flag of the Islamic State of Kokand}

^{Flag of the Islamic State of Kyrgyzstan and Federative Republic of Uzbekistan-Karakalpakistan}

^{Flag of the Islamic State of Talas}

Official Name: Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic, Islamic State of Talas (Usubaliev)

Usenbekov: Central Asian People's Republic (Kyrgyz-Uzbek Unification), Soviet Socialist Republic of Central Asia (Usenbekov, Kyrgyz-Karakalpak Unification)

Usubaliev: Islamic State of Kokand (Kyrgyz-Uzbek Unification), Islamic State of Kyrgyzstan and Federative Republic of Uzbekistan-Karakalpakistan (Kyrgyz-Karakalpak Unification)

Ruling Party: Kırgızstandın Kommunisttik Partiyası^note Kyrgiz Communist Party

Ideology: Bolshevism^note Communism

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• Allohistorical Allusion: The flag of the Central Asian People's Republic is the IRL flag used by democracy supporters during the 1991 Collapse of the Soviet Union. Unlike in TNO, it was the proposed flag of post-Soviet Uzebkistan
• As Long as It Sounds Foreign: The TNO flag of the Kyrgyz SSR writes "Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic" in Arabic^note jumhūriyya qirḡizistān l-ištirākiyya as-sovyetiyya, rather than Kyrgyz in Perso-Arabic script. On that matter, the Kyrgyz language only briefly used Arabic script from 1924-28, and switched to a Latin script from 1928-40, and finalized on Cyrillic script since 1941.
• Bilingual Bonus: The flag for the Islamic State of Talas has the Shahada inscribed on it, which is an Islamic creed.
• The Idealist: Though the Kyrgyz people have suffered numerous tragedies since the downfall of the Soviet Union, they remain optimistic about their future, content that they are at least independent and governed by benevolent people.
• Puppet State: If Japan wins the Central Asian conflict, Kyrgystan will become a puppet state to Afghanistan and thereby be aligned to the Sphere.

Kaliynur Usenbekov

Role: Military Commander, Head of State

Party: Kırgızstandın Kommunisttik Partiyası^note Kyrgiz Communist Party

Ideology: Bolshevism^note Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}The tumultuous decades have left their mark everywhere. On Kyrgyzstan, on its people, and most visibly, on the Chairman himself. Born in what was, at the time, the Turkestan Soviet, Kaliynur was raised to embody the ideal of the Kyrgyz man, and being raised on tales of the Tsar's caprice and the cruelty of his bandit-governors, he also grew into the ideal picture of the Marxist-Leninist man as well, and joined in the Red Army to defend his land, his people, and all other lands and peoples.

But eventually, the Union itself was defeated, and Kaliynur had no choice except to return to his fatherland with his comrades. Hoping to recover and recuperate from the devastating defeat in Russia, he and his allies instead only found more conflict. War had broken out between neighboring Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and the Tajiks were taking the worst of it. Kaliynur marched with the Red Army of the Kyrgyz People and fought valiantly, before eventually falling into the hands of a particularly cruel Afghan general. His left eye would be left behind in that cold, Afghan prison.

Rescue from this plight would not come by liberating army, but by the heroics of a single man, Turdakun Usubaliev. Hand in hand with Turdakun, Kaliynur returned to Kyrgyzstan a hero of two lost wars, and has since found his victories in the political arena instead. With the Kyrgyz people at his side, he looks to pave the way for a rejuvenated Central Asia.

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• Chummy Commies: Usenbekov is a communist war hero and politician who is eager to benefit the Central Asian people he rules over and has a highly egalitarian interpretation of Soviet communism.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: It's implied he underwent this when he was captured by a particularly brutal Afghan general during their invasion of Central Asia, in which Usenbekov ended up losing his left eye from the experience.
• Eye Scream: An Afghan general injured his left eye, rendering him half-blind.
• Historical Badass Upgrade: Kalyinur Usenbekov was a Kyrgyz Lieutenant General who served as a junior lieutenant in WWII, was a Hero of the Soviet Union, and worked in military justice post-war. Though he did become a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Kyrgyz SSR later in his life, he never became the head of state of Kyrgyzstan^note The Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Kyrgyz SSR; the position is largely ceremonial however, and real power was concentrated on the head of the party like he did in TNO.^note The OTL head of state of Kyrgyzstan at 1962 was Turabay Kulatov.
• Informed Deformity: While he is stated to have his left eye blinded, he appears to be fine in his portrait.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: After losing the West Russian War and then being crippled during the Afghanistan invasion, Usenbekov has found much more success on the political scene as Kyrgyzstan's leader.

Turdakun Usubaliev

Role: Head of State (Japanese victory)

Party: İslam Respublikasının Ubaktıluu Ökmötü^note Provisional Government of the Islamic Republic

Ideology: Theocracy^note Despotism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Born in 1919 to Kyrgyz peasants, Turdakun Usubalievich Usubaliev was an early convert to the communist cause - though the future he may have once imagined following his graduation from the Kyrgyz National Institute in 1941 came crashing down as the Germans destroyed the USSR and left the peoples of Central Asia to pick up the pieces wherever they fell.

Clearly there had been some fault in communism as it was. Just as clearly, however, it was not all bad - after all, it had granted him, the son of dirt-poor peasants, opportunities of education, employment, and social advancement that nothing else could have. Its main failing, then, was clearly its refusal to acknowledge the power of religion as a unifying force - and this is not a mistake Turdakun would repeat again. To unite the Kyrgyz people once more, what would be needed is not merely repeating the promises of the past, but to use that which has bonded them together for centuries, and which could help in obtaining support from far beyond the seas.

With this ideal was born the Islamic State of Talas, governed along the lines of orthodox socialism with strong religious aspects present in all parts of the government, led by Turdakun holding together this eclectic mixture of ideas - for the benefit of all the Kyrgyz people, of course.

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• Chummy Commies: He's introduced a new orthodox version of socialism that intertwines it with Islam, in which Usubaliev hopes to implement this ideology for the benefit of all Kyrgyz people.
• Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: Turdakun Usubaliev was historically the longest-serving First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, serving as the head of the party from 1961–1985. He is portrayed in TNO as a leader that blends both religious rule and socialism, who can found the "Islamic State of Talas". This portrayal appears to be based on a common internet statement about him being a co-founder of the national conservative United Kyrgyzstan party in 2008; though the statement is poorly sourced, his works do suggest that Usubaliev was quite socially conservative.
• Good Old Ways: Turdakun believes that the fault of communism is its refusal to acknowledge religion as a unifying force, and vows not to repeat it. His Islamic State of Talas, though still governed according to socialism, also mixes it with strong religious aspects, which have unified the Kyrgyz people for centuries.

Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic

^{Flag of the Islamic State of Tajikistan}

^{Flag of the Republic of Tajikistan}

^{Flag of the Tajik State}

Official Name: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, Islamic State of Tajikistan (Hindustoni), Republic of Tajikistan (Berdieva), Tajik State (Abdulkhakov)

Ruling Party: Hizbi Kommunistil Tocikiston^note Communist Party of Tajikistan

Ideology: Communism

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• Bilingual Bonus: The Shahada is inscribed on the flag of the Islamic State of Tajikistan, clearly communicating the country's transition into an Islamic, fundamentalist regime.
• Plot Hole: The flag of Tajikistan, a fully independent country, uses the emblem of the Tajik ASSR which existed from 1924-1929, when it was an Autonomous SSR subordinate to the Uzbek SSR. The emblem even contains "Tajik ASSR" in Cyrillic, and even has "Workers of the world, unite!" written in Uzbek (in Arabic alphabet).
• Puppet State: Tajikistan will become a puppet state to Afghanistan if Japan wins the Central Asian conflict, tying them to the Sphere's influence.
• The Remnant: Tajikistan is one of the few post-Soviet states that still holds to the idea of Soviet communism.

Bobodzhan Gafurov

Role: Head of State

Party: Hizbi Kommunistil Tocikiston^note Communist Party of Tajikistan

Ideology: Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Few men are as loyal and devoted to socialism as much as Bobodzhan Gafurov. Gafurov is well-known as a hardliner, faithful to communism ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, and is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. Initially a historian, he quickly climbed the ranks of the Party to become its leader. While the country may have seceded from the Soviet Union as it was falling under the German jackboot, he still holds out for another communist power to resurge and take back control.

Even as the West Russian Revolutionary Front and the Kazakh Red Army collapsed in the West Russian War and its aftermath, Gafurov kept his loyalty and still maintains close ties with the neighboring Kyzylorda. Even though he knows he is not the best to lead his nation through these turbulent times, seeing as he is not an expert in politics, he still has declined to give away his power to anyone. This is not due to his autocratic tendencies, but his ideology and beliefs: Gafurov has not found anyone he has deemed worthy of bearing the torch of socialism in the country, and so has kept control.

Still, day by day; the General Secretary's control is slowly slipping away. The members of the Politburo, the small governing body of the nation, begin to lose loyalty to their leader. Meanwhile, dissidents opposed to the government prepare to take matters into their own hands and bring down the system which has so clearly failed. Gafurov's reign might soon be coming to an end.

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• 0% Approval Rating: His unwillingness to deviate from the old communist system or pass down power has made him deeply unpopular in Tajikistan. Primarily, the Politburo is growing increasingly disloyal to him by the day, while dissidents have begun openly revolting against him.
• Allohistorical Allusion: Unlike most other leaders of the Central Asian SSRs, who weren't the First Secretaries of their local Communist Parties, Gafurov was actually the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, though only from 1946-1956. Apparently he just didn't step down after 1956 in TNO.
• Failure Is the Only Option: Gafurov will inevitably lose power each game and fail in his mission to keep the torch of socialism alive in Tajikistan.
• Reluctant Ruler: Gafurov is not a politician by career and knows that he is not the best leader for his country, but still sees it as his duty to keep control, as he has not found anyone deemed worthy of bearing the torch of socialism in Tajikistan.
• Undying Loyalty: Gafurov is unwaveringly loyal to the communist cause, implementing the old Leninist system in Tajikistan and even maintaining ties with some old remnants of the Soviet Union like Kyzylorda.

Mawlawi Hindustoni

Role: Head of State (Japanese victory)

Party: Hizbi Nahzati Islomii Tojikiston^note Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan

Ideology: Fundamentalism^note Ultranationalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}'Hindustoni' - or Hindustani, an ephithet given to Muhammadjon Rustamov, who left Central Asia during the Bolshevik revolution to continue his studies of Islam first in Afghanistan and then in India (sometimes referred to as Hindustan). Such an education has but redoubled his determined faith and resolve to maintain the old ways in his home country, as they have been for decades prior.

If the titanic catastrophe that has befallen the people of Tajikistan is indicative of anything, it is only the side-effects of their previous trial's completion. Decades of godless communism and oppression were the test for true believers, and those who have remained steadfast and firm can now carve a truly Islamic state from the ashes of that which was always damned to collapse. Islam was never the movement of radicals or extremists - it was and is the faith of those quiet, determined men who can withstand persecution from all quarters and come out as faithful as ever.

Now, Hindustoni stands as the guarantor of the Islamic State of Tajikistan - a moderate, conservative, traditionalist nation founded on those ideals that have served the Tajik people so well in the past. Getting caught in the heady winds of revolution or radicalism is a recipe for disaster - and so he will defend the nation against those winds until the fruits of slow, steady, and steadfast labour reveal themselves.

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• Gameplay and Story Segregation: Hindustoni is described as advocating for moderate, conservative Islamism in his bio but is classified as an ideological Fundamentalist, ostensibly joining the ranks of the insane religious fanatics who are his only peers in the subideology.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His birth name is Muhammadjon Rustamov; Hindustoni (or "Hindustani") is his epithet (referring to his years of study in India), and Mawlawi is his Muslim scholarly title.
• Only Sane Man: Unlike other radical Islamists, Hindustoni knows that overt extremism would be a death knell for Tajikistan and pursues more moderate approaches to achieve his goals.

Nusratullo Abdulkhakov

Role: Military Commander, Security Minister (Gafurov cabinet), Head of State (Regime change)

Party: Quvvahoi Musallahi Tojikiston^note Armed Forces of Tajikistan

Ideology: Communism, Military Junta^note Despotism (Military coup)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}The Tajik people have been betrayed more times than anyone can count. First the Russians came dressed in gaudy Imperial robes, and squeezed the nation for all it was worth. Then, they came in the clothes of peasants, proclaiming the unity of the working classes and the triumph of the proletariat - but in the end their goals remained the same as before.

But when they fell, destroyed by the Germans in their hubris and frailty, it was the Tajik nations' brothers in blood - enslaved under the Afghan Kingdom - who came knocking once more for the riches of the land. The communists who knew how to lick the boots of Moscow's elites faltered and failed abysmally at serving the people in those dire times - how could they do anything but, having only ever served an alien master - and finally, the people have spoken. They will have naught to do with foreign masters or foreign ideologies.

They have chosen to raise as their leader Nusratullo Abdulkhakov - a true man of Tajikstan, who will unite under their banner all the Tajik people scattered as they are across the lands. Finally, for the first time this century, the people are ruled by one of their own, and the time is ripe for the nation to take its rightful place in Central Asia.

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• Patriotic Fervor: Sick of the Russian and Afghan oppression that has been inflicted on the Tajik people, Abdulkhakov swears to uphold their nation's independence and reunite them under a single flag.

Buriniso Berdieva

Role: Head of State (Regime change)

Party: Hizbi Non va Demokratija^note Bread and Democracy Party

Ideology: Agrarianism^note Conservatism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Buriniso Berdieva is a young woman for politics, only born in 1927 in Penjikent, the world she knew was one quickly undone by the upheavals of the Twentieth Century. Many of her generation could easily be considered lost, between the devastation of the Second World War and the following wards, many Tajiks have considered the age they are born in to be utterly lost to them. Buriniso, on the other hand, has risen above her circumstances.

She remained in Tajikistan, rather than fleeing to the Kyrgyz, or Afghanistan to the south. The first Tajik journal- known as Knowledge and Civilization- was penned by her press. Not only was this a way for the common Tajik to remain up-to-date on the ever-changing matters of the day, as well as granting the Tajik people another piece of common ground upon which they could unite. It should be no surprise then, that in some way, she is seen as a mother to the young nation.

With the democratic revolution complete, Buriniso has defied the odds, and in spite of the conservative tendencies of her people, found herself elected to the head of the Tajik nation. Her mandate is simple as it is sweeping, to build up the nation and its civic spirit, to revitalize Tajik culture, and to secure the nation's long-term viability in the process. Buriniso does not have an easy road ahead of her, but the road ahead has never been easy for Tajikistan, and as before, so now, she will rise to the challenge, and so will her people.

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• The Determinator: Though the challenge will be immense, Berdieva will not waiver in her goal to liberalize Tajikistan.
• The Idealist: Unlike most of her generation who grew up in the upheavals of the Soviet Union's dissolution, Berdieva hasn't given up on her dream of turning Tajikistan into a stable democracy that will revitalize the Tajik culture.
• Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: In real life, Buriniso Berdieva was a Tajik newspaper and magazine editor whose actions led to a revival of the Nowruz holiday in Soviet Tajikistan. In TNO, her influence in the Tajik intelligentsia and paper media allows her to be elected as the head of state of a democratic Tajikistan.

Anarchies

Turkmen and Uzbek Territories

Full Name: The Vast Stretches of the Turkmen and Uzbek Territories

In-game Description ^{Click to Show} How does one erase a national idea so thoroughly? How does one pick the strong pillars of a nation, a history, and wreck it even worse than the collapse of the USSR did?

The answer, if you ask the Afghan and the Japanese, is to systematically break every single pivot that made a country work and broadcast live the murder of their dream.

How can a country supply itself, when the heads of its chain of production was murdered in their sleep? How can country pass laws and legislation, when those responsible for it seemingly vanish from thin air? When your heroes and symbols of unification all turned to ash, in a grand explosion for the world to watch?
You can only break a people's spirit so many times before they return to a system that works. These territories have returned to a tribal local economy, heavily distrustful to an outside world that, twice, broke their world and left them to pick up the pieces.

Whatever may come from the Turkmen and the Uzbek Territories, one can be sure, that the crimes other countries committed against them won't ever be forgiven, nor forgotten.

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• The Cynic: Having collapsed into anarchy again since the Soviet Union's dissolution, the Turkmen and Uzbek people have withdrawn themselves from the world, losing any hope of national unification.
• Downer Ending: With their supply chains decimated under extensive Afghan and Japanese suppression, modern civilization in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan completely collapses, as every settlement within them breaks down, reverting back to a local tribal economy.
• Small, Secluded World: All contact with the outside world ceases, with every Turkmen and Uzbek settlement distrustful of any foreigners who would oppress them again.

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