Conflict in Magadan

Esto-Hezhen War/Conflict in Magadan
The conflict in Magadan, also called the Esto-Hezhen War in Estovakia, was a two-year armed conflict between the Hezhen Federation and the Federal Republic of Estovakia. The primary cause of the war was a Hezhen invasion of the former Magadan oblast, then in the process of being annexed by Estovakia. Ultimately, it resulted in Estovakia being driven out of Asia.

Relations between the two involved nations soured very shortly after Hezhe gained independence, with the Federation spurning repeated demands for a diplomatic summit by Estovakia and shortly thereafter moving into Khabarovsk. An eventual meeting between Hezhen Commodore Nastasya Liang and Estovakian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeff Bridges failed to result in improved relations, as Hezhe alleged the Estovakian representative had threatened violence and Estovakia accused Hezhe of failing to cooperate. Relations worsened when Estovakia dispatched an army to take control of Magadan in response to Hezhe's movements in Khabarovsk. They then reached a critical low when an armed force, reportedly from Magadan, attacked a town in Khabarovsk, destroying large portions of the town and clashing with Hezhen soldiers before being killed or captured.

Hezhe accused Estovakia of responsibility for the attack, which the Estovakians denied, and two weeks after the incident Estovakia publicly threatened war if Hezhen troops advanced north of the 53.5 parallel before diplomatic talks could be held. On 28 August of 1977, the Hezhen army violated this ultimatum by moving 50,000 troops past the 53.5 parallel and stationing on the border of Khabarovsk and Magadan. That day, Hezhe declared its own ultimatum to Estovakia, requiring that Estovakia signal intent within 48 hours to abandon all Asian territory in 48 hours or face war. Estovakia refused, and on 30 August, 1977, the Hezhen army launched an invasion of Magadan, auguring the onset of the conflict.

The Hezhen army advanced quickly into Magadan and drove Estovakia out of the region within a matter of a couple of weeks, with significant casualties incurred by the Estovakians. The Estovakians withdrew to Kamchatka, and fortified the region against attack, prompting Hezhe to adopt a less aggressive policy; instead of maintaining the relentless assault that had taken Magadan, they settled on a plan of slowly bleeding Estovakia dry and diminishing its ability to fight for its colonies in Asia. After two years of frequent clashes over the border of Kamchatka, Hezhe entered into an agreement with Youtai Minguo and Mongolia, both of which threatened to enter the war against Estovakia. At that point, Estovakia acquiesced, and agreed to withdraw from Asia for good.

The conflict emboldened and divided militant nationalists in the ranks of the Hezhen army, many of whom touted it as a demonstration of Hezhe's ability, right, and responsibility to act in a capacity as a guardian of Asia. Others, however, regarded the war as an ill-advised departure from Hezhe's isolationist stance, and decried it as a first step into playing a larger role in regional and global politics.