Rise of the Reds Update #55: Built to Last news

After the Chinese had put an end to the brutal GLA insurrection of 2028, many things changed in Europe. Exploiting the weakness of the loathed EU central government, popular uprisings and military coups seized the opportunity to retake the sovereignty of their nations. Bit by bit, the overgrown European Union, with its misguided vision of an artificial post-national super-state, was stripped of its powers leading to the creation of the European Continental Alliance, a new framework for future cooperation on the continent, in 2034. One of the first actions of the Alliance was the construction of a massive, fortified "blockade" along the Eastern borders of Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Italy; now the ECA's outermost member states. The reasoning behind the decision was two-fold: To protect the core of Europe from any outside threat and, more controversially, to keep a tight grip on immigration, which was regarded with heavy skepticism in the wake of the GLA attack. Understandably, the former EU countries East of the wall took serious offence to the project, but eventually decided to move away from the ECA sphere of influence to mind their own business, leaving only Hungary and Slovakia as somewhat friendly towards the ECA, if only because of their former historical connections with Austria and the Czechs.

Meanwhile, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia formed the Baltic Commonwealth to better represent their interests in front of a newly liberalised albeit highly ambitious Russian Federation, resulting in an initially awkward but rewarding long-term cooperation. In the South, an irredentist military cadre deposed the civilian government of Serbia and promptly used the country's growing strategic partnership with Russia to settle old scores with its neighbours, making it the leading power of the Balkans while the West turned a blind eye. Finally, the nation of Ukraine, long split by the different mentalities between the Western and Eastern parts of the country, fell into a chaotic civil war after high-ranking government officials tried to bribe their way into a pact with the ECA in 2036. It was at this time that Russia's President Nikolai Suvorov started throwing his military weight into the fray, deploying General Leonid Zhukov and his 20th Army to support the pro-Russian Donetsk Republic that sprung up in the East of the country, thus ensuring its survival. The people of Eastern Ukraine, already Russians at heart and linguistically, were thankful, resulting in a popular referendum that led to the wholesale absorbtion of the short-lived republic into the strong and prosperous Federation. The troubled nation of Belarus soon followed, joining the Ukrainians under the wings of the Russian imperial eagle. By the end of the decade, Suvorov's Federation had accomplished what no other historical incarnation of Russia had ever managed before: To unite a sizeable portion of Eurasia in a stable hegemony with Mother Russia at its helm by means of clever diplomacy and solidarity instead of brute force and intimidation.

Constructed under the supervision of General Willem van der Meer, the Tech Blockade Fortress is the centre-piece of many sectors along the ECA's Eastern border. The heavily reinforced concrete walls can withstand any attack and the structure holds enough fireports to cover every possible angle of approach. In addition, the Fortress comes equipped with a battery of powerful anti-air missiles, allowing it to defy aerial assaults as well. Commanders who find themselves within reach of these looming fortresses are advised to either occupy or demolish them as fast as possible.

In addition to the Blockade Fortress, these heavily sheltered bunker installations act as logistical hubs and defensive strongpoints that can also be garrisoned by infantry units.
You will soon see these structures on a number of dedicated skirmish maps.