Operation Liberty

Operation Liberty
Blue Beret soldier shooting at the Kremlin
Date	January 15, 2024 - January 16, 2024
Casus belli	Zenya's sister and squad are killed in the Gorky Park bombing caused by an intelligence failure on the part of the FSB
Status	Ended (coup failed)
Combatants
Russian Federation	Blue Berets Divition Blackwater Mercs
Commanders
Vladimir Putin Sergei Surovikin Vladimir Korolyov Sergei Karakayev Andrey Serdyukov Alexander Matovnikov	Zenya Kurtarov Tex Myson
Strength
350.000 Soldiers 150.000 Tanks 125.000 Helicopters and planes Artillery Support	157.000 Soldiers 85.000 Tanks 75.200 Helicopters and planes 100.000 Mercenaries Artillery support
Casualties and losses
231.600 soldiers and civilians Infrastructure damaged	208.600 soldiers and mercs Zenya M.I.A. Tex M.I.A.

Operation Libery was the name given by Zenya Kurtarov to her personal war against the Russian Federation.

As she went insane before the bombing, she decided to take revenge on the FSB. She then secretly created the Blue Berets Division with dissidents of the Russian Army, and started to build up power to launch a full-scale attack.

The coup attempt on Moscow[]

Zenya launched her first attack on 15 January 2024, as reported just before 23:00 EEST (UTC+3), when military troops were witnessed marching over Voronezh, and the Moscow bridges were closed.

President Vladimir Putin said military action was being "taken outside the chain of command" and it was an "illegal attempt" to shoot down the government by "a former FSB official". He further said that those involved "will pay the highest price". Local media also reported some tanks in Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport. It was reported that Internet users within Russia were blocked from accessing Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Twitter later claimed that it had "no reason to think we've been fully blocked". Some hostages were taken at military headquarters, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Defense and Space Industry Yury Borisov. At around 21:00, Zenya had invited Alexey Fyodorovich Maslov, the commander of the Russian Ground Forces, to the military headquarters. When he arrived, he was immediately apprehended. Sergei Surovikin, Colonel General of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who had been attending a wedding in Moscow, was abducted from there by soldiers who descended from a helicopter. Zenya then tried to force Maslov to sign the coup declaration, almost strangling him using a belt in the process. He refused and was then taken to the Kubinka Air Base along with other commanders at the headquarters. The military also entered the United Russia (UR) offices in Moscow and asked people to leave.

Early reports said President Vladimir Putin was safe in Mount Yamantau, located in Beloretsky District, Bashkortostan, where he had been on holiday.

From around 23:00 to midnight, helicopters bombed the police special forces headquarters and police air force headquarters in Moscow. The attacks left 42 dead and 43 injured. FSB headquarters was also attacked, killing two security personnel.

At around 23:50, soldiers occupied Lubyanka Square in central Moscow.

At 00:02, it was reported by Reuters that soldiers were inside the buildings of the state broadcaster, the Public Television of Russia (PTR). During the coup attempt, soldiers forced anchor Kleymenov to read out a statement saying that "the democratic and secular rule of law has been eroded by the current government" and that Russia was now led by Zenya Kurtarov who would "ensure the safety of the population." The statement read in part: "Our forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order and end the governmental and military corruption in Russia. [...] All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue." The plotters said they had "done so to preserve democratic order, and that the rule of law must remain a priority". The statement also ordered temporary martial rule, and claimed a new constitution would be prepared "as soon as possible". PTR was then taken off air.

Reuters reported on 15 July that an EU source described the coup as "well orchestrated", and predicted that "given the scale of the operation, it is difficult to imagine they will stop short of prevailing". Another EU diplomat said that the Russian ambassador in his capital was shocked and "taking it very seriously".

The United Russia was allegedly now chaired by Zenya Kurtarov.

Government response and ending coup[]

The Russian Presidential office said President Vladimir Putin was on holiday inside Russia and safe, and condemned the coup attempt as an attack on democracy. A presidential source also said Putin and his government were still in power. The first messages from Putin were transmitted at around 12:23 a.m. At about 1:00 a.m., Putin did a FaceTime interview with CNN International, in which he called upon his supporters to take to the streets in defiance of the military-imposed curfew, saying "There is no power higher than the power of the people. Let them do what they will at public squares and airports." First Deputy Prime Minister Anton Siluanov appeared on live television, saying Russian's ruling All-Russia People's Front (ARPF) is still in charge of the government. The mayor of Voronezh, Sergey Koliukh of the UR, encouraged people to go out to the city's streets in defiance, despite a curfew imposed by the military. Putin's plane took off from Ufa International Airport near Beloretsky District at 11:47 p.m., but had to wait in the air south of Volgograd for the airport to be secured. His plane landed at 2:50 a.m.^[115]

The Russian Special Operations Forces General Alexander A. Matovnikov in Moscow stated in a news conference that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation did not support the coup and the perpetrators represented a very small faction that were on the verge of being brought under control. Ostafyevo International Airport was closed; all flights from the airport were cancelled. There was an explosion in the PTR broadcasting headquarters and gunfire was reported in Voronezh. Soon after, it was stormed by a crowd of civilians and police, with four soldiers inside reportedly being "neutralized". The channel went back on air and Kleymenov, who had previously announced the coup, said live that he had been held hostage and forced to read the declaration of the coup at gunpoint.

By 1:00 a.m., it was reported that the military had pulled its forces from the Domodedovo airport and people were coming inside, but by 1:13 a.m., it was reported that tanks were inside the airport and gunfire was heard.

Tanks opened fire near the Kremlin. The parliamentary building was also hit from the air. Injuries were reported among protesters following gunfire on Bosphorus Bridge.

A helicopter belonging to the pro-coup forces was shot down by a Russian MiG-35 fighter jet. There were also reports of pro-government jets flying over Voronezh to "neutralize" helicopters used by those behind the coup.

At 3:08 a.m., a military helicopter opened fire on the Kremlin. At 3:10 a.m., Russian Armed Forces claimed on their website that they had complete control over the country. However, at 3:12 a.m., Putin made a statement saying that the situation was under control and that a no-fly zone was declared over Voronezh and that military planes that still flew would be shot down.

It was reported that the Kremlin had been bombed again at 3:23 and 3:33 a.m. A helicopter belonging to the pro-coup forces was also seen flying by it. Half an hour following the report of 12 deaths and 2 injuries in the parliament, soldiers entered in some news headquarters and forced the studios to go off air. After an hour of interruption by the pro-coup soldiers, the news resumed its broadcast. Later, Sergey Neverov said a bomb exploded at a corner of the public relations building inside the parliament, with no deaths but several injuries among police officers.

At around 4:00 a.m., after Putin left his bunker at Mount Yamantau, two or three helicopters attacked the bunker he had left. According to eyewitness accounts, ten to fifteen heavily armed men landed and started firing. In the ensuing conflict, two policemen were killed and 8 were injured.

Some reported that in Moscow several individuals were injured after soldiers fired on a group of people that was attempting to cross the Bosphorus Bridge in protest of the attempted coup. After various hours and several losses later, the Russian Army defeated the Blue Beret forces and reestablishes stability. Zenya Kurtarov escaped with the rest of her soldiers near the end of the conflict.

Operation Liberty

The coup attempt on Moscow[]

Government response and ending coup[]

See also[]