THE INTRODUCTION

In 1989, 3 years after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) exploded, 7 scientists took advantage of the lack of human habitation to conduct clandestine research on various areas of interest. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone that was mandated by the Soviet Union allowed them to do such research with ease due to the area being mostly sealed off but still open to educational research purposes for tourists.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, many clandestine projects were discontinued, including several scientific research laboratories in the Zone. This resulted in the original seven scientists losing their funding as well, however, they proceeded with their work.

This resulted in the Ukrainian Government receiving concerning reports about illegal experiments being conducted in the Zone. The Security Service of Ukraine was sent in the Zone to make an attempt to take control of the situation and shut these experiments down. However, they were unsuccessful.

Afterwards, these experiments have caused a series of abnormal phenomena within a 10 km radius of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Scientists working under the direction of those original seven scientists decided to break off and form their own group, known as Clear Sky. Clear Sky did not agree with the direction of the research and branched off in order to study and provide an explanation for all unexplained phenomena in the Zone.

SEALING THE CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE

Two years later, the Zone started gaining more attention from outside third parties. This attention came from multiple rumours about strange phenomena occurring in the Zone. In addition, tourists have started disappearing, therefore the Ukrainian Government had to seal off the Zone completely and tighten its security with the State Security Service, by increasing the presence of the Military units in and around the Zone, mainly at the border.

After a few years, the Zone has started to display bizarre weather patterns over the general area. One day, a pulsating ball of electricity appeared in the sky on top of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant for a few hours which resulted in multiple eyewitnesses. This anomaly then exploded. That’s when the State Security Service ordered multiple battalions to traverse further deep into the Zone, rather than being at the borders, in order to find out what happened and put an end to these experiments once and for all.

THE DEADLY SPECIAL OPERATION

As those battalions traversed further into the Zone, the aforementioned phenomena continued to happen more frequently. This resulted in continuous bizarre weather effects all around the Zone. The blinding light started to spread from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant all around the sky. As the light spread, deadly energy disturbances occurred which wiped out most of the battalions that were sent to their slaughter. This left almost no survivors.

After two months of these events, the Zone grew five kilometres bigger after the pulsating anomaly of electricity occurred. This was called an "emission", which is also known as the "Second Disaster", as the first catastrophe was the original CNPP disaster.

That's when the State Security Service attempted to traverse, yet again, into the center of the Zone to destroy it with the usage of nuclear weapons. However, what they were about to face was beyond human understanding. They encountered deadly anomalies and mutants, which eradicated most of the forces of the State Security Service. Those that did survive and reached the CNPP, were consumed by another emission of a smaller size.

The entire special operation was a complete failure. However, there were some survivors that scattered around the Zone and tried to survive in the new harsh environment. However, this did not stop the Ukrainian Government from sending more scientists loyal to their own Government to conduct further research. That's when the Ecologists officially formed.

THE FIRST EXPEDITIONS OF STALKERS

After some time, the Zone gained more interest due to rumours that were being leaked by those in the Ukrainian Government. Those rumours started to spread, which resulted in numerous individuals of all backgrounds willing to go into the Zone for their own benefit. This was at an era of crisis and economic struggle.

Those who illegally trespassed into the Zone either perished from the State Security Service, the Zone's harsh environment, or were fortunate enough to survive. Those individuals were called "STALKERS". 

"S.T.A.L.K.E.R." is an acronym for Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers and Robbers. This was used to generally describe anyone that illegally trespassed in the Zone.

As the years went by, Stalkers were becoming more experienced in being able to survive in the Zone's harsh environment and avoiding the State Security Service. This also included the additional creation of groups formed by Stalkers, with different goals and ideologies.

ORGANIZED GROUPS OF STALKERS

In 2009, as groups of stalkers were starting to form which created enemies between organizations of different beliefs and ideologies. One of the first developed groups at this time were natives, a self proclaimed Brotherhood. They are known stalkers that are criminals of the Zone, disciplining others how they see fit. These stalkers have been referred to as Bandits, considering they take what they want, when they want, from who they desire.

The Brotherhood is frequently at odds with the Ukrainian Military due to their opposing beliefs and disregard for the law, using methods of exploitation and ruthless behaviour to make profits off others. Small groups of stalkers that made attempts against the actions of banditry began to form, with the goal of opposing the threat that The Brotherhood would impose on the weak, the wealthy, and the naive. The stalkers that tried to overcome the Brotherhood suffered many casualties and the numbers of their small units began to wither.

Although most organized anti-Bandit groups have failed to eliminate the Brotherhood, a group in particular began to form. Experienced stalkers banded together with common ideals that derived from their own trials and tribulations they underwent in the zone.

These members refer to themselves as Free Stalkers. This group claims to represent neutrality within the Zone.

The opposers of evil that present danger to the scavengers, adventurers and explorers they encounter. Stalkers have witnessed this group of Free Stalkers aiding others with proper guidance in order to survive the dangerous threats of other stalkers and mysterious phenomena through means of knowledge, minor medical assistance and temporary shelter. This group has been spotted frequently traveling the zone, setting up campsites and temporary fixtures with the intention to attract new stalkers that are lone expeditionists unaware of what the Zone has in store.

The Free Stalkers have not been seen engaging in much violence but openly state they are willing to defend their ideals of equality and the lives of others they support.
As the Free Stalkers continued to spread hope of neutrality within the zone, many other stalkers shared different beliefs.

The Ukrainian Military began launching multiple patrols deeper into the zone, making efforts to obtain samples of reported anomalous activity. Within their expeditions they were seen beating, torturing, and stripping anything of importance from the hands of others, claiming it was government property. 

This encouraged a group of brave stalkers to organize with intentions of researching the true wonders of the Zone, upholding an internal independence, creating an avenue for artifacts to reach the hands of the general population. This gave birth to the Freedom faction. Some view Freedom as fearless insurgents and revolutionary rebels, fighting back against other stalkers they believe to be the oppressors of the Zone. Scavengers and adventurers have witnessed Freedom and Duty at odds due to their opposing ideals, resulting in many fatalities from both organizations.

In 2010 the Freedom organization constructed a headquarters in the remnants of an incomplete laboratory in the south east of the Zone.

After a few months, tensions occurred internally within the Brotherhood due to a few members not agreeing with the direction the leadership was taking them. Those members had their own goals and ambitions, or perhaps simply wanted to cause chaos due to a certain level of insanity.

This resulted in those members splitting and forming their own group, the Renegades. Stalkers who have encountered the Renegades claim that they are ruthless, vicious and in addition cause harm to others for their own enjoyment.

Rumours have surfaced in the Zone that a group of stalkers dressed in white camouflage have been spotted on the outskirts of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and are hostile to all they encounter.

The very few that have survived encounters with these stalkers claim they have remarked to each other about a victory to the Monolith.

THE EVER-SHIFTING DYNAMICS OF THE CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE

On March 12th, 2011, Duty under General Reznov's leadership decided it was time to step it up and make Dutya stronger organization and push further north into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. At the time, tensions with the State Security Service were rising, therefore it was the best decision at the time. They made the choice to either be successful in pushing towards the northern reaches of the Zone, or perish.

General Reznov and his men organized a large-scale expedition into one of the largest bloodsucker nests within the CEZ. This was on the remains of an old industrial site known as "Rostok." Upon their arrival at Rostok, General Reznov and his men cleared out the eastern part of the industrial site due to its numerous habitable buildings and electricity, thus making the eastern part more habitable. In addition to clearing out the mutants, Monolith fanatics attempted to stop Duty from taking over Rostok but were unsuccessful.

Duty claimed victory over Rostok and worked to make the eastern part habitable. The famous 100 Rads Bar opened for business, and Duty welcomed Stalkers into Rostok for trading, bounty collection, and conscription into their cause.

The western part, which they were unable to fully clear out due to the number of anomalies and mutants, was named "Wild Territory." Many Stalkers who ventured into Wild Territory have never returned.

As time went on, General Reznov's ambitions did not stop. He wanted Duty to keep pushing as far north as they could, as his vision was a completely destroyed CEZ. General Reznov's fanaticism for Duty’s cause eventually got the best of him, as a specialized expedition towards the inaccessible Army Warehouses resulted in him vanishing into what Stalkers refer to as a "bubble / space anomaly." General Reznov was never seen again, which put a huge dent in Duty as an organization, as there was an internal power struggle. This resulted in a new General known as "Kaz" taking over.

Two Duty Captains, Dobrenko and Ivanovich, did not wish to accept the new leadership and they staged an internal coup within Duty against General "Kaz" and Major Voytek. The coup was successful, and Dobrenko took over as General, with Ivanovich becoming Colonel.

June 11th, 2011. State Security Service has suffered loss, after loss due to the lack of funding and equipment, and incompetent soldiers being sent to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In addition to this, the State Security Service's 6th Battalion did not have a competent command structure. Colonel Novikov was notorious for lining his own pockets with money. The battalion kept suffering losses, especially within Dark Valley by the Freedom organization. Colonel Novikov's stance against banditry, however, was notorious as he successfully brought the Bandits down to their knees.

Colonel Novikov was excellent at covering his own tracks and reporting back his victories to the Ministry. His reign was about to come to an end soon due to internal changes within the Ministry.

This was no longer enough for the Ukrainian Government, as fighting off local domestic terrorism groups and keeping Stalkers out of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone did not benefit the country.

Colonel Novikov was reassigned to the National Guard, and the entire command structure of the 6th Battalion was either forcefully retired or reassigned alongside Colonel Novikov. A notorious General with combat missions around Syria was assigned to the newly formed 7th Battalion, known as General Moroz.

General Moroz and his leadership cut off all deals any domestic terrorism group had with the State Security Service and declared everyone an enemy. In addition to this, he was able to pressure and negotiate with the Ministry to cease sending conscripts into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone but professional soldiers instead.

This huge reform of the State Security Service put fear into all organizations within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, as what once used to be a weak government entity suddenly started receiving high-grade military weapons, vehicles, and equipment.

As for Duty, during Dobrenko and Ivanovich's leadership, they became more hostile towards Stalkers aligning themselves with Anarchists and attempting to profit off the Zone through artifacts and other equipment Duty considers as "contraband." In addition to this, Duty began forcefully conscripting Stalkers within their cause, and there were several rumors that Stalkers refusing conscription were executed on the spot. Duty became more fanatic to their cause and ruthless. Due to this, however, Stalkers managed to profit off Duty's mutant bounties and thus made Rostok more popular.

Dobrenko and Ivanovich's reign did not last long. During a leadership meeting within Rostok, Freedom had planted an IED in the room which managed to kill both the General Dobrenko and Colonel Ivanovich. Freedom began a full-scale attack on Rostok but were unsuccessful in doing so due to the distance between their resources from Dark Valley to Rostok. However, they were successful in putting a huge dent into Duty due to managing to kill off their top leadership. Duty was able to have new leadership quite fast without any issues due to the huge competency established within the organization during Dobrenko and Ivanovich's reign. Their vision was to put Duty above individual interests. That was when Duty had new leadership appointed, General Derkach, and Colonel Kosov.

On 6th of August, 2011, General Moroz of State Security Service 7th Battalion decided to march upon Rostok and declare Duty as domestic terrorists due to General Derkach refusing to align with General Moroz. General Derkach did not wish to cooperate with the State Security Service 7th Battalion as he saw the Ukrainian Government as opportunists and traitors who left them to die within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, which was true. General Derkach was notoriously known for refusing to align with any organization; he was also the first General within Duty to offer bounties for bringing Monolith and Western PMC scalps into the courtyard. The bounties were very tempting but very hard to achieve, which resulted in the deaths of many Stalkers.

A full-scale war within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone occurred between the State Security Service 7th Battalion and Duty. 7th Battalion was pushed back towards the main headquarters at Cordon. However, it turned out to be a huge mistake due to 7th Battalion's newly acquired equipment, which the Ukrainian Government has generously funded, being widely available at their main base of operations. This mistake was fatal and resulted in General Derkach and many of his men perishing. Colonel Kosov and his men survived and declared Duty's loss. Colonel Kosov was promoted to General and took over Duty.

General Kosov rebuilt the broken organization into one of the strongest organizations within the CEZ. He strengthened the cooperation with the State Security Service 7th Battalion and ensured to stay out of the Ukrainian Government's goals and decided to focus on Freedom, Monolith,Bandits, and destroying the CEZ internally. However, just like any General who has served Duty, his day eventually came and he perished. One of the most notable attempts on General Kosov’s life was made by Freedom Fighter Viktor Varona, who strapped numerous grenades on his own vest and attempted to run into General Kosov. Now, Viktor Varona’s grave overlooks The Barrier, a gas mask on a cross.

Duty is now rumored to be led by General Goldstein and Colonel Novaskrych, two Duty fanatics who are notoriously known for hunting Monolith actively and Western PMCs groups.

It is also rumored that there's a specialized squad within Duty that eliminates all those who encounter them and do not align with Duty's goals and ideals regardless of their intentions or how much contraband they carry, as Duty is known for being able to tolerate those who merely want to profit within the Zone as long as they do not carry contraband.

On August 13th, 2011, a large emission suddenly occurred within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Many paths were made impassable, terrain changed, and the Zone expanded once more. It is rumored that Stalkers observed a large force of Clear Sky venturing towards the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant through Red Forest.

Due to this large emission, the rest of the Clear Sky organization attempted to head further North after their initial group did not make it back from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Stalkers encountered Clear Sky making their way out of the Great Swamps and towards Army Warehouses. Rumors between Stalkers state that Clear Sky managed to take down the psi field around Army Warehouses and open up their path towards Red Forest. Upon entering Red Forest, Clear Sky was never seen again around the Great Swamps or anywhere below the northern parts of the Zone. Many Stalkers do not remember any of their encounters with Clear Sky other than blurry visions, and them waking up outside Red Forest after venturing inside it. The only thing those Stalkers can remember is Clear Sky warning them to turn around and leave Red Forest.

Regular skirmishes between Monolith and Clear Sky within Red Forest have been reported by Stalkers.

Bandits, under the leadership of Branko, entered a full-scale war with the Freedom organization. Freedom did not stand for Bandits taxing Stalkers and attempting to claim the entirety of the southern region as their own. However, Freedom was unsuccessful in fighting off the Bandits due to the numerous organizations being against Freedom at the time. This included frequent assaults from the State Security Service and Duty.

The Freedom Committee and their leaders, Illja, Doc, and Namiya, decided to gamble the entirety of Freedom's future and equipment into making a final attempt to push for the north. Freedom pushed towards Army Warehouses and abandoned Dark Valley completely. This was not easy, however, as Monolith fanatics continuously emerged from The Barrier.

After days of battle against the Monolith, Freedom managed to push them back and take over Army Warehouses, losing Illja in the process to Monolith. Illja’s grave can be found within Army Warehouses compound on a cross. They established a huge trading ground and headquarters within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. However, Monolith continues to emerge The Barrier on a daily basis and regular skirmishes occur between Freedom and the Monolith. Not to mention, General Goldstein's and Colonel Novaskrych’s ambitions to take over Army Warehouses which results in Duty squads venturing towards Army Warehouses on a daily basis.

Freedom to this day stands strong and is able to fully defend the area of Army Warehouses, making it one of the strongest trading areas within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Freedom's ambitions into pushing further north and making areas accessible and "free" do not stop. Notable leadership figures within Freedom are known as Ozzie, who took over after Doc's death while trying to find a way into Jupiter Powerplant. Other leadership figures are known as Bullet and Angler.

The organization of Free Stalkers continued to attract more attention. As Collector and Navigator and their group of Stalkers from "Dark Valley Welding Crew" who initially couped the original Free Stalkers Council were highly ambitious. Not only they were notoriously known for hunting Bandits, they were also known for standing up against anyone who attempts to push Free Stalkers around, compared to previous Free Stalkers Council that was originally based around Chenki. Collector and Navigator were able to establish themselves around Homestead and expand further South in order to recruit more Stalkers to their cause against fighting off Bandits and Renegades.

General Moroz was not going to let this expansion happen and what was once known as Homestead, a southern Free Stalkers base of operations and huge trading outpost, was destroyed with artillery.

Collector, Navigator, and the rest of the Free Stalkers decided to hide within the tunnels. On August 19th, they decided to take advantage of the abandoned institute in Dark Valley and take it over, as their knowledge of Dark Valley was exceptional due to their experience from running the Welding Crew.

Free Stalkers continue to hold a small presence around Chenki; however, Dark Valley is now famously known for being a neutral and strong trading hub within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Free Stalkers continue to establish themselves as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone's veteran Stalkers due to their knowledge of secret paths, which allows them to travel effectively and ambush other organizations effectively when they have to defend themselves. Warden and Hoya are now rumored to be the main figures of Free Stalkers, with the fate of Collector, Navigator, Vano and Jim being unknown.

December 1st, 2011, a large-scale emission occurs after a large expedition of Ecologists and State Security Service 7th Battalion are seeing venturing through Red Forest and into Pripyat. This was under the leadership of Chief Scientists Vinther and Lenkov, which happened shortly after the mysterious disappearance of Chief Scientist Yeger. Their leadership within the Ecologists started off roughly, as a rogue Duty Officer, Major Romanov caused a short term war between the organizations due to the execution of a scientist. State Security Service stepped in and a large scale assault was launched by Duty at the Airfield Ecologist FOB, which was unsuccessful. Chief Scientists Vinther and Lenkov were able to get revenge for their fallen colleague, as Major Romanov was executed. General Goldstein managed to avoid another large scale war through diplomacy with both Chief Scientists and the General of State Security Service. At the same time, a Senior Sergeant from Duty who was in charge of it's medical operations was allowed to retire after a one time approval from General Goldstein and run the clinic within Rostok, this STALKER was Senior Sergeant B. Specht.Specht increased the value of Rostok Clinic's medical operations and it became essential to Rostok, as well as the group of loyal STALKERs Specht gathered. It is worth noting that there is no retirement from Duty, as they execute all those who abandon the cause.

Due to a result of this war and changes within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone due to another emission, the Ecologists relocated to Lake Yantar, where they planned their expedition to the CNPP and started preparing. Stalkers who followed Ecologists within Red Forest spotted highly specialized soldiers known as "Alpha Group," or "Spetsnaz," accompanying Ecologists. They never made it back, and the Zone once again expanded, paths were changed, and anomaly fields started appearing in previously habitable areas. Due to the failure of this operation, after a while, both Chief Scientists were effectively demoted and replaced by Chief Scientist Walaszek and Wyatt.

Clear Sky was spotted around the area of Dead City, which was previously inaccessible due to a strong psi field. Stalkers reported that the city was full of riches and anomalies that produced high-grade artifacts, without any Monolith activity. Renegades have also been emerging more frequently from the old soviet underground tunnel network that connects the entirety of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Stalkers have overheard them talking about producing chemical bombs and extorting organized groups of stalkers, notable figures within the organization and responsible for numerous chemical attacks are known as Grishko Gangster, Gipsy and Vagabond.

This did not last long, however, as in January 2012, an unknown group bearing a Blue Eagle patch on their shoulders started appearing around Dead City and killing anyone who comes close to it. There are almost no Stalkers who have encountered this group and lived to tell the story, as all stories about this group are rumors. The main rumor surrounding this group is that they are mostly western with high-quality NATO weaponry operating all around the northern parts of Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. While there are no notable figures or names to mention due to the secrecy of this group, "Presov" and "Raider" are names that have been thrown around between late-night ghost stories.

Moving into February 2012, upon hearing this, General Moroz, Colonel Momosky and MajorChimaev managed to pressure and scare the Ministry of Defense into doubling the funds for the State Security Service 7th Battalion. The 7th Battalion underwent a significant overhaul, receiving not only advanced aircraft capable of flying through emissions and the 79th Air Assault Division detachment led by Major Khasaev, but also a comprehensive upgrade in equipment.

On March 2012, two Scientists from the Ecologists abandoned their posts and betrayed the Ukrainian Research Institute and their whereabouts were unknown. The State Security Service launched an investigation and it was discovered that both Scientists deserted to Clear Sky. This resulted in a bloodshed of back to back live-leak executions of every single Clear Sky operative within Limansk, facilitated by the State Security Service. Back to back beheadings would be posted in various sources within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. A huge bounty was posted by the State Security Service and a Clear Sky CEZ-wide manhunt was launched, which put a huge dent into Clear Sky’s operations. After a while, the videos stopped being posted and the bounty was taken off. It is safe to assume that both Scientists who deserted were most likely caught and killed. In addition, it is rumored that the content being posted by the State Security Service and all other organizations is kept within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone's isolated network access due to Ukrainian Government being able to shield and filter all content being posted online, as well as marking it as fake and edited.

At the same time, tensions were rising within the city of Chenki. Freedom got a huge footing into all businesses set up within the area and managed to set up a huge spy network which was created by Ozzie and Angler, the leaders of the Freedom organization at the time. During these tension, 79th Air Assault Division began to strike Army Warehouses with precision, which included landing helicopters within Army Warehouses and the entire area turning into a bloodbath. This severely wounded Angler at the time, whereas he was unable to fulfil his leadership duties any longer. Bullet stepped up to fulfil the role and support Ozzie.

Taking advantage of these continuous tensions and business employees, as well as other STALKERs being executed and lined up for live leak episodes, "The Pittstop" was formed by Chuma and Reggie around the area of Cherevach Village near Dark Valley. They were masquerading as harmless STALKERs who were merely selling low tier equipment, while in reality they were in charge of the entire drug underground production network of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone known for their infamous fentanyl and meth production. It is rumored that their drugs were laced with manipulated artifact properties, which resulted into these drugs being used as combat stimulants rather than being sold to junkies. The Bandits and The Renegades were buying these drugs in bulk and pushing them within the Chernobyl Exclsuion Zone.

April 2012, Ozzie decided to push Freedom to gain territory within the South and push the State Security Service down further and away from the North. They publically stated that the City of Chenki was under the control of Freedom, where they utilized two fully functional BTRs to control the area. General B. Moroz ordered Colonel Momosky and Major Khasaev to resolve the situation by taking down Freedom. However, the first squad that was sent into the City of Chenki were wiped out as it turns out the entire city was a meatgrinder to anyone who attempted to step foot in, as Mercenary squads were also lurking around the area led by Presov and Raider. 79th Air Assault Division led by Major Khasaev provided Air Support and dropped highly trained special forces soldiers onto the rooftops of the city, as well as Colonel Momosky leading the ground assault with State Security Service BTR's. Due to the loss of men, Major Khasaev and Colonel Momosky made the decision to retreat and drop a PO-X Chemical Gas Bomb within the City of Chenki, as well as artillery. This resulted into the complete destruction of Chenki. Those who were smart enough to evacaute from Chenki due to Freedom’s announcement managed to set up their businesses near Dark Valley, Cherevach Village.

The battle of Chenki was described as one of the bloodiest battles of the 21st century, with the battlefield being described as a "meat grinder" and a "vortex" for both the State Security Service and Freedom organization. Ozzie was killed during the gas attack, which resulted in Bullet stepping up and taking control of the Freedom organization. Major Khasaev and Colonel Momosky were heavily sanctioned by General B. Moroz due to their unauthorized use of PO-X gas, even though rumors within the Ukrainian Government state that this was covered up and the sactions were merely a slap on the wrist.

May 2012. Duty under the leadership of General Goldstein and Colonel Novaskrych triggered an all-out war against Freedom due to their increased hostilities,, as Duty saw an opportunity to end Freedom once and for all after Freedom’s heavy losses during the Battle of Chenki. However, what General Goldstein did not anticipate was Freedom's alliances within the Chernobyl Exclsuion Zone, as well as the constant attacks from the State Security Service. General Goldstein's decision turned out to be brutal against Duty’s resources, however, Freedom suffered heavily losses as well. Both sides ended their all-out attacks on a stalemate, which resulted into GeneralGoldstein's retirement from Duty, thus spending the rest of his days as a mere advisor and a non-combatant due to his tactical error. As for Specht, it became clear that his ambitions did not align with Duty’s, neither was Rostok a safe place anymore due to this war. That's when the decision was made by Specht to become independent and move into an old farm around the area of Junkyard. Eventually, Specht ramped up the recruitment of his own group and decided to adopt a paramilitary structure, imitating Duty’s ways of law and order within his own organization while having his own ambitions of investigating the Zone, as well as helping other STALKERs out and recruit them to their cause. Specht's ambitions, from a Senior Sergeant in Duty, to the owner of Rostok Clinic, to a group leader of a bunch of STALKERs eventually gave birth to Syndicate and they were able to take the political advantage of leaving Rostok Clinic unscathed due to Duty having more important internal issues to deal with due to the aftermath of the war. This opened a window for Colonel Novaskrych to become the General, whereas he would soon prove to be one of the most feared Generals Duty ever saw due to his ruthlessness and tactical abilities. In addition, Bullet made the choice to appoint Dumpling as his right hand due to Dumpling's efforts within the war.

During this time period, Bandits dropped The Brotherhood name and structure entirely. An internal power struggle occured which resulted in Nicotine killing Branko and taking over as the boss of the Bandits, alongside Goblin. Nicotine was ruthless and ended up wiping out all the veterans within The Brotherhood and that gave birth to Bandits. Nicotine implemented a Russian Mafia-esque structure and organized Bandits by giving them structure, assigning new under bosses and operating like the bratva. Nicotine initiated a war with a group that was becoming weaker day by day, The Free Stalkers within Dark Valley and it resulted in the Free Stalkers losing and Nicotine gaining further access around the area of Dark Valley and increasing his influence within Chenki Village.

Simultaneously, the State Security Service's Alpha Group, one of the most feared elements within The Zone, conducted a special operation to locate and eradicate all western Mercenaries. Leaks within the State Security Service have stated that Presov and Raider are now presumed captured or dead, and the western Mercenary group within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone led by both of them have now ceased their operations. At the same time, a Russian Mercenary group called "Blue Eagle Group" started showing their presence and it is rumored that corrupt deals within the Government were made to wipe out the western competition. Of course, amateur STALKER groups of hired guns still exist, but the "Blue Eagle Group" managed to fill the void of the Mercenaries within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and are extremely selective with who they work with and what contracts they do, making them an extreme rare but deadly force to encounter. This, of course has opened opportunities for STALKER groups to conduct their own mercenary-esque operations and take money from factions for paid work, and fill in the void, as the previous western Mercenaries did all sort of contracts, no matter how small or big, or who wanted to hire to them.

Syndicate took advantage of the downfall of the Western Mercenaries and was able to move their base of operations above Dead City at an old factory, and provide shelter to experienced STALKERs seeking them out. As Mercenaries were no longer actively in Dead City at the time thus making Syndicate able to sneak their entire logistics past Dead City and clear out Meadows Factory.

Specht trained each Syndicate STALKER and turned the paramilitary STALKER organization into a group that has been successful in navigating the political landscape of the Zone and staying out of the middle of conflicts. Specht now goes by the name Dyatel, and his right hand is called Astana.

Syndicate’s modern ambitions however now remain unknown, and the group's cause remains a mystery. The fate of the STALKERs who are able to reach out to them in hopes of shelter far in the North remain a mystery as well.

June 2012, General Novaskrych and Colonel Shevchenko from Duty were close with the Free Stalkers at the time and noticed the increasing influence of Bandits within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, as they were expanding further and decided to wage an all out war against Bandits to seige Depot and kill Nicotine. However, due to Nicotine's increased influence he was able to hire the new Russian Mercenary group, which General Novaskrych did not anticipate. During this bloody period of war, Garbage was almost completely taken over by Duty, however, they were not able to hold the area due to the Mercenaries being able to push them back towards Rostok. Bandits and Mercenaries working alongside each other launched a Rostok siege and managed to push back Duty forces into The Arena, which was one of the bloodiest battles Rostok has seen. General Novaskrych was seriously injured and fell in a coma. Bandits and Duty eventually gave up on throwing all their resources into each other and have now ceased back into their regular skirmishes around the North and the South. Colonel Shevchenko became the General and replaced former General Novaskych. This also gave further insight in how the Mercenaries operate, and code names such as Thrasco and Slavomir being their Commanders, Yaropolk, Nako, Budivoj, Samo, Selibur and Kruto were heard during the Rostok siege. In addition, "Blue Eagle Group" soldiers were seen wearing numerous Russian flags and Orthodox Christian propaganda on their vests which are similar to Major Khasaev’s State Security Service's 79th Air Assault Division patches and insignia.

During this period of wars and various conflicts, Clear Sky launched an all out attack on the Chernobyl Nuclear Powerplant (CNPP) which resulted into numerous Clear Sky key figures dying in the attack, but some survived to tell the tale and a lot of knowledge was gained. This resulted into Clear Sky retreating to Limansk and becoming more visible within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, coming out of completely secrecy. It is rumored that Polar is the current Clear Sky representative within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, however, their ranking structure and their leadership remains unknown.

Clear Sky is nowadays seen working with various factions and are more open to healthy collaboration and trades, however, they've become more deadly and do not tolerate being pushed around and getting involved in petty conflicts. It is rumored that Clear Sky has re-structured their organizations and ways of working, and are now consisted by various talented STALKERs who are able to fight and protect their para-military esque scientists, essentially working as their cannon fodder. For example, 57, 41, 7, and 12 scientists & operators of Clear Sky were conducting various tests around the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to investigate a parasite related to psi-energy driving numerous STALKERs insane which shown a different side of Clear Sky that engages in collaboration to study and understand The Zone.

It is important to mention that due to Clear Sky's actions within the CNPP, a large emission occured which paved ways towards areas such as Radar, Zaton and Red Forest which were formerly closed paths.

It is clear that the state of affairs in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is a never-ending cycle, with internal coups, power struggles, command changes, wars, and organizations becoming better and stronger over time.

October 2012, Freedom and Bandits relations are at an all time high despite various disagreements internally within each organization. A known figure known as Trapper took over leadership of the Freedom faction alongside Dumpling and changed the way Freedom operates. Freedom decided to choose their alliances wisely and become more strategic, tactical and ruthless rather than focusing solely on free access within The Zone. It is also rumored that an internal task force was launched to push into the CNPP and hunt Monolith down, further allowing them to push towards the unexplored area of Yanov, where it is currently inaccessible due to psi emitters. This has resulted into Freedom’s focus being around the area of Radar, Red Forest and dropping their traditional hostilities with the Bandits in order to make more profit and have less enemies.

During this time, Free Stalkers and Freedom are hostile to each other with Freedom hunting down the Free Stalkers for actively supporting Duty and also being exposed for providing information to the State Security Service in secret. Freedom has started relentlessly attacking Dark Valley and putting out an open bounty against the Free Stalkers.

November 2012, a STALKER known as Riot posts a cryptic video on The Zone's network system where he's seen executing some of the Free Stalker last remaining council members, declaring the Free Stalkers officially dead and inactive as an organization, giving birth to the Bastion organization. It is rumored that Bastion came up from an internal coup within the Free Stalkers, where the entirety of the organization changed from a bunch of veteran STALKERs who can make their own decisions and aim for neutrality, to a hardened gang of STALKERs who adopted a motorcycle gang esque structure with a proper leadership structure where Bastion operates as a single entity. The events of constant fighting, desertion and incompetency within Free Stalkers, led to the formation of this cohesive entity of Bastion. Bastion only guides Stalkers who are deemed worthy of survival and fight banditry, while everyone else is left to be swallowed by The Zone. Dark Valley is now safer as attacks from hostile groups have been successfully repelled by Bastion.

In addition, what was once called Chenki Community, a bunch of STALKER businesses banded together within Cherevach Village was pushed out by a mysterious organization rumored to be led by a figure called Cherevach, therefore, Cherevach Trading Group laid foundation within what was once called Chenki Village, where the original surviving STALKER businesses of the Battle of Chenki fled and set up their operations.

Cherevach Trading Group aims for neutrality due to their ambition of setting up a global trading network dealing in valuable items such as artifacts, narcotics and weaponry. All those who opposed the takeover of Cherevach Trading Group within what used to be Chenki Community have mysteriously disappeared and later found dead in the proximity of the area. While Cherevach Trading Group try to avoid taking sides, they will do so in order to protect their goals and interests, as well as fight when necessary as it was made clear that extortion is not an option anymore to the Bandits or the Renegades after posting a video on the Zone's network, where numerous Renegades were executed ruthlessly.

Numerous Renegades have also shown up dead and tortured due to an internal coup and power struggle which saw the fall of Slingshot and the rise of Loot. Gabber also managed to survive the coup and remains as one of the Renegade Shotcallers alongside Loot. Renegades have recently adopted a more organized structure thus making them even more dangerous than before due to their psychopathic nature as their main difference with the Bandits is that they do not operate solely with the goal of power and profit, but rather enjoyment of torturing others and doing harm. Therefore, an entity like this operating in an organized manner has made them even more dangerous than before.

There is also plenty of evidence within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone that there's an organ trafficking ring operating, as STALKERs have reported having their kidneys and livers stolen. It is rumored that Bandits and Renegades are participating in the sales of those organs and smuggling, but the identity of the actual organ trafficking ring performing the surgeries remains unknown.

At the same time during these pointless conflicts and exploitations within the Zone, Staff Scientist A. Kravchenko from Ecologists was one of the sole survivors of the a CNPP assault, as the helicopter carrying all survivors back mysteriously crashed on Yantar Hillside. However, Kravchenko's luck was short lived as he was eaten by a pseudogiant infront of Scientist Duke Wyatt under mysterious circumstances a few weeks later.

This did not stop the Ecologists from attempting to reach the Chernobyl Nuclear Powerplant, as Chief Scientists Sitnikov and Danko continuously pushed all Ecologists to push North and find an alternative way into the CNPP, no matter the cost or loss of life and have completely abandoned their Southern operations.

Prof. Maksym Korol of the Ecologists was able to breach the Chernobyl Nuclear Powerplant and come out alive without an all-out assault being required, as a secret path was discovered that is no longer active, under the guidance of Chief Scientists Sitnikov and Danko. They brought valuable information to the Ecologist organization of the Ukrainian Government and verifying the existence of the an alien-like artifact alongside discovering the Monolith’s ability to utilize portal technology.

These discoveries were quickly leaked outside of Ukrainian Government which has brought even more negative attention to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, which has increased the presence of Blue Eagle GroupMercenaries who are rumored to be operating under the Russian Armed Forces in secrecy,, as well as the Russian Government / Kremlin itself officially with inquires being opened towards Ukrainian Government. It is unknown what other discoveries were made inside the Chernobyl Nuclear Powerplant, but the effects of officializing the findings has been catastrophical to the political career of numerous ministers within the Ukrainian Government, where an official inquiry was opened.

December 2012 and 1st of January 2013, the sitting Ukrainian Government is struggling to maintain it's authority over the country as an alliance in Ukraine was formed by several political parties and non-partisan individuals and public organizations with the aim of "building a new Ukraine and a new Ukrainian government", called Maidan People's Union. Numerous Ukrainian Nationalist rebel groups have united together, who are actively fighting the sitting Ukrainian Government. Kamenici, a rebel group, within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has been actively ambushing the State Security Service and attempting to disrupt their operations.

The country is currently in civil war, and the current Ukrainian Government who has been known to have strong ties with Russia under the presidency of Yanukovych who has reportedly fled the country. The Ukrainian Military is currently struggling to maintain control of the country and the Russian Government has sent their Military to support the sitting Ukrainian Government.

However, with Yanukovych out of the country and the Ukrainian Government officially dissolving during the revolution, a lot of Ukrainian Military Generals are siding with the Maidan People's Union and rejecting Russian support. However, the Russian population of Ukraine, including Generals in the Ukrainian Military with a Russian background are actively allowing Russian Military to take control of their bases in hopes of avoiding an all out war due to NATO's shadow involvement as well.

Major J. Svaboda and Captain A. Nowak of Kamenici are on their way to officializing themselves within the Ukrainian Military and Kamenici becoming it's own battalion operating under the Ukrainian Government.

While the country seems to be dividing during this chaos and the civil war seems to be dying down, there are also those who refuse to accept the new order and state of things.

It is rumored that the Russian Armed Forces have shown up outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and General Moroz and Colonel Momosky from State Security Service have yet to make a decision if they will reject to support Russia, as well as accepting the fact that prior rebel forces are now becoming branches of Ukrainian Military such as Kamenici, who have now seized control of the Ukrainian Government, and potentially engage in battle with Russian Armed Forces to keep the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone sealed off as ordered by the Ukrainian Government, or defect to Russian Armed Forces and reject the Maidan People's Union, like other notable figures from Ukrainian Military such as Colonel Storozhenko in the area of Sevastopol, who is now a Major General in the Russian Armed Forces and go against the Ukrainian Military and all their new branches. This will also affect the Ecologists, as several science programs and institutions have also defected to Russia or have rejected them. It is clear that outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, there is war brewing and while the country seems to be getting in order and people choosing sides with Russian and NATO involvement, it is a war bubble ready to explode.

It is clear that those within the The Zone continue to navigate through chaos and a puzzle of numerous power struggles.

One thing is clear, that regardless of these events, The Zone will always win and swallow anyone who attempts to gain control, one way or another.

11th of January, 2013 the Ukrainian Military 7th Battalion released a statement rejecting the Ukrainian Government and its leadership. They accused the government of being fascist and controlled by Western powers, and condemned the Ukrainian Military and nationalist battalions for siding with it. They also condemned actions in Crimea and Donbass and said they would not fight against Russian forces.

The Ukrainian Miltiary 7th Battalion declared that they were deserting from Ukraine and pledging allegiance to the Russian Federation.

After defecting, they were reorganized under Russian Command and renamed the 7th Combined Arms Army (Russian Military), serving under Leningrand Military District.

This means that Lieutenant General Moroz and Lieutenant Colonel Momosky were now serving in Russian Military and they received reinforcements outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. After some time, they both retired in Moscow and now Lieutenant General Stankevitch and Lieutenant Colonel Dobronarov are in charge.

Kamenici was later turned into an official Ukrainian Military Battalion recognized by the Ukrainian Government.

However, due to continuous Russian efforts, Maj. J. Svaboda, Commander of Kamenici 3rd Battalion, and Capt. A. Nowak, Deputy Commander of Kamenici 3rd Battalion, were both killed in action.

After their deaths, Ukrainian Military Captain Oktyabrsky, a former Captain of the Ukrainian Military 7th Battalion who refused to desert to the Russians when the 7th Battalion defected, took over command. Because of his knowledge of the internal ways of working and how his former comrades now traitors in his eyes operated, he was promoted to General and the Kamenici Battalion was officially disbanded and reorganized into the 3rd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, with it's own Special Operations Forces attached and a Secret Security Service.

This means that at the moment, there are deserters of Ukrainian Military who have sided with the Russians, serving under Russian Military, and those who stayed loyal to their country despite the Maidan Revolution, who are now serving in 3rd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

It is rumored that Ukrainian Military wants to shut down the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and destroy it, hence why they are on good terms with Duty. While the Russian Government wants to fully manipulate and take into advantage of all the powers that The Zone can provide.

In addition, the Ecologists (Ukrainian Military Science Division) have formally been taken over by the Russian Government. Chief Scientist V. Sitnikov, became a Lieutenant General and his Assistant Chief S. Danko became a Lieutenant Colonel due to Russia's Militarized Structure. After some time, both retired, and all scientists who were formerly working for Ukraine were swapped out for Russian Scientists, to ensure that the Scientist Division doesn't turn on them in the future, such as Scientist Vitalij Tokar, who rejected working for Russian Government and deserted. Rumors of human experimentation began circulating and many STALKERs who once used to trust Ecologists, are very weary of them.

In short, the Ukrainian Military wants to shut everything down, Russian Military & Government want to take it over to build super weapons.

During these events, The Cherevach Trading Group took advantage of the full out invasion and war inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and set up their trade operations inside Dark Valley.

In addition, a new group called "The Bar Keepers" set up in a container facility in Yanov, where it was named "The Bar". This group was one of the best traders that The Zone has seen in terms of maintaining neutrality and working with everyone. They opened up apartments and provided STALKERs with shelter and set up the whole foundation for Yanov.

At the time, Freedom and Duty tensions were rising once more. Gen. I. Shevchenko of Duty, Colonel Sokolov and Major P. Sokolova held a firm stance against Freedom and wanted to end them once and for all. A prominent leader, Saffa, with his right hand Austin at the time was present and was increasing bombing attacks in Rostok by utilizing "AW Militia" and "AW Militia", two sub factions of Freedom. Also, the constant attacks from Russian Military to push Duty out of Rostok did not help at all.

Due to the constant back and forth between Freedom and Duty, Freedom decided to move further North towards Chenki, a city that was gassed in 2011 by Ukrainian Military. Gas had cleared out and the area was habitable. However, once the Russian Military got intelligence of their setup and movements, the second bloodiest battle in The Zone occured in the same area. Buildings were destroyed, Helicopters were falling out of the sky and an entire VDV Battalion was wiped out by the Freedom Organzation who managed to claim Chenki, above Red Forest and set up a solid base of operations there.

Saffa and the Freedom Council of Commanders, once they set up the base of operations, had a further interest in Zone exploration and were actively opposing to Clear Sky holding Limansk closed from the general population, as Limansk contains areas such as Duga and other mysteries. This meant the start of the war between Freedom and Clear Sky.

Freedom engaged in an auction based bidding between Clear Sky to acquire Blue Eagle Group''s support. Once Freedom paid a total of 150 million rubles to Blue Eagle GroupClear Sky fate's was sealed. Clear Skylost to Freedom and their leadership was wiped out. This meant that Freedom had free access to Red Forest, Limansk and Northern Limansk without needing any sort of permission or needing to inform Clear Sky. The area was no longer sealed, and Clear Sky was weakened once more.

Some say that Blue Eagle Group was an unecessary hire due to Clear Sky's general incompentence under the leadership of Polar, but it in the end it proved useful due to Ukrainian Military and Duty getting involved into the conflict. Regardless, Uran stepped up and took over Clear Sky. Clear Sky quietly spent time rebuilding, until Saffa and Austin decided to spend their efforts in other endeavors after they were done with Red Forest. Eventually, Saffa and Austin shut down the Fort in Chenki and the whole area was sealed, as they were directing their focus on the East.

Saffa was eventually captured alive during an operation conducted by Russian Military forces in Army Warehouses under Colonel Dobronarov and General Stankevitch. Shortly afterwards, reports began circulating across the Zone that Saffa was executed within Fort Kovalsky and put on a cross to rot. This allowed the rise of Trapper back to power within Freedom.

As Syndicate continued collaborating with numerous factions, selling information, spying on organizations across the Zone and prioritizing profit above all else, tensions with Freedom reached a breaking point. Refusing to tolerate Syndicate’s neutrality and political games any longer, Trapper personally led an assault on Meadows Factory with the usage of a captured BRDM. The compound was destroyed during the attack by Freedom and numerous Syndicate members were killed attempting to defend it. This marked the effective end of Syndicate as an organized force within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

Following Freedom’s dominance in the North under Trapper’s leadership, a joint expedition between Freedom and Clear Sky was launched with the goal of breaching the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant once more.

Uran, the leader of Clear Sky at the time, agreed to cooperate despite internal concerns regarding Freedom’s growing ambitions and the risks of another CNPP assault.

Numerous veteran fighters, scientists and operators from both organizations ventured through Pripyat towards the CNPP. However, the operation turned into a complete disaster. Monolith overwhelmed the expedition deep within the northern reaches of the Zone. Uran was confirmed killed during the assault alongside numerous experienced Clear Sky operators, while Trapper was captured alive by Monolith forces. Shortly afterwards, a disturbing video surfaced on the Zone’s network allegedly showing Trapper being executed with a Gauss Rifle inside the CNPP by Monolith fanatics.

The deaths of Uran and Trapper created major instability within both organizations. Dumpling officially stepped up and took control of Freedom alongside Koka, while Austin was forced to take a step back due to the power vacuum and internal instability left behind after the failed operation. As for Clear Sky, the organization once again suffered catastrophic losses and nearly collapsed entirely. Dionysus eventually took over leadership and pulled the surviving members away from major conflicts in order to rebuild the organization after losing a large portion of its experienced fighters, scientists and logistics personnel during the CNPP assault.

During the continuous warfare between Russian Military forces and the Ukrainian Military within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, General Stalko and the 3rd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade suffered huge losses attempting to halt Russian Military advances further North. General Stalko himself was seriously injured during an assault against Russian Military forces and was forced away from the frontline. The Ukrainian Military presence within the Zone was nearly wiped out during these brutal engagements, resulting in numerous outposts and checkpoints being abandoned due to the lack of manpower and resources.

During this chaotic period, Duty suffered another major internal blow after General Shevchenko due to his ambitions and false impressions that Duty was ready to destroy the CNPP and end the Zone once and for all. Like anyone else who has tried this, General Shevchenko perished, his last words and radio transmission had something to do with hearing a “come to me” sound from a glowing rock. This death created a power gap inside Duty at a time where the organization was already overstretched from constant warfare against Freedom, Bandits and Russian Military forces. This eventually allowed General Seskov and Colonel Jeslov to rise through Duty’s ranks and take control of the organization, promising to rebuild Duty’s strength and restore order within Rostok.

During these events, while most major organizations were fully occupied with warfare and territorial conflicts, Cherevach Trading Group quietly expanded their influence further North and successfully took over Yanov Station.

Bandits under the leadership of Vityaz and Ace eventually pushed The Bar Keepers out of Yanov and seized control of The Bar, turning the once neutral trading hub into a center for Bandit operations within the North. Their leadership era was marked by constant raids, extortion and large scale assaults across areas such as Army Warehouses and Rostok, marking one of the biggest bloodshed eras of the Bandits within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

A Mercenary organization known as Ward 6 eventually emerged within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and established a strong presence around Dead City. Unlike previous hired gun groups, Ward 6 openly offered their services to organized factions, allowing anyone with enough money to hire them for raids, assassinations and territorial warfare. Freedom initially maintained cooperation with Ward 6 through various contracts, however, the relationship collapsed after Ward 6 allegedly betrayed Freedom during an operation, resulting in heavy casualties.

Every attempt by Freedom to launch retaliatory assaults on Dead City was met with bizarre emissions and anomalous activity surrounding the area, leading numerous STALKERs to believe Ward 6 had knowledge of the Zone or have discovered some form of method of establishing emissions, which was surprising given incompetency. This method of establishing emissions had to do with some anomalous metallic structures found around the Zone, some of them being around Homestead. Major Khasaev and the Federal Security Service (FSB) destroyed the metallic structures.

Afterwards, General Stankevitch, Colonel Dobronarov and Major Khasaev of the Russian Military launched a full-scale assault on Dead City in order to wipe Ward 6 out entirely. Ward 6 was destroyed during the operation and the leadership of Ward 6 were publicly hanged upside down within Dead City, where their bodies remain to this day as a warning to others. Ward 6 earned the nick-name “IKEA Mercenaries” by some Nordic Freedomers.

Following the destruction of Ward 6, a group of STALKERs known as Brigada slowly began infiltrating Dead City and moving out of their Army Warehouses apartments, and attempted to establish themselves as the new Mercenary force within the Zone after making contact with Ward 6’s former employer outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. However, Brigada quickly gained a reputation for incompetence, failed contracts and poor leadership, resulting in continuous operational disasters. Eventually, the employer responsible for funding them had Brigada’s leaders, Yuri and Pad, executed for their failures, while the remaining members scattered and disappeared throughout the Zone, though it is rumored some of the competent members have been absorbed by another organization.

Freedom eventually grew tired of Cherevach Trading Group’s constant backstabbing, political games and Syndicate-like behavior within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. While publicly presenting themselves as neutral traders, Cherevach Trading Group were rarely seen conducting actual trade and instead were rumored to be working closely with Duty leadership and exchanging intelligence behind closed doors.

Viewing Cherevach Trading Group as opportunists manipulating conflicts across the Zone for profit and influence, Freedom launched a full-scale assault on the Dark Valley compound defended jointly by Cherevach Trading Group and Duty forces.

Rumors quickly spread across the Zone that chemical agents were utilized during the battle for Dark Valley, as numerous STALKERs suddenly began emerging from the Dark Valley apartment blocks and underground areas to defend Cherevach Trading Group. Many of these individuals were never previously seen by anyone within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and appeared fanatically loyal to Cherevach Trading Group for unknown reasons

After intense fighting, Freedom successfully captured the compound and routed the defenders from the area. The surviving leadership figures of Cherevach Trading Group were dragged deeper into Dark Valley where they were subjected to a brutal tribal Rhodesian-style humiliation ritual before ultimately being stabbed to death with sharpened sticks by Freedom fighters, under the guidance of Dumpling, Koka and Hunter.

After continuous territorial wars under the leadership of Vityaz and Ace, internal tensions within the Bandits reached a breaking point as numerous members became frustrated with the organization losing money and manpower over pointless territorial expansion they could not realistically maintain.

Constant warfare across Rostok, Army Warehouses and Yanov heavily damaged Bandit profits and disrupted the flow of narcotics, weapons and extortion rackets that originally made the organization powerful.

Bandits eventually lost their foothold within Zaton due to relentless assaults conducted by General Seskov and Colonel Jeslov of Duty, further weakening confidence in Vityaz and Ace’s leadership. Eventually, both were internally voted out and replaced by Chenovniy, with Kruk becoming his right hand and one of the most influential figures within the organization.

Under Dumpling and Chenovniy, Freedom and Bandits unexpectedly signed a ceasefire in order to stabilize the northern regions of the Zone, though numerous STALKERs claim Kruk was the one who secretly orchestrated the agreement behind closed doors. After all, the money had to flow, and this marked a new era of profitability for the Bandits as they expanded narcotics production and distribution operations throughout the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

The ceasefire between Freedom and the Bandits did not last long, however, as internal instability within Freedom rapidly started surfacing. Koka was becoming increasingly power hungry and ambitious to fight everyone in the Zone, while Hunter was far more focused on unlocking the secrets of the Zone surrounding Radar and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant rather than maintaining political stability. At the same time, Dumpling was growing older and struggled to maintain control over the increasingly divided Freedom Committee, which had become disorganized and filled with internal disagreements, personal ambitions and competing visions for the future of the organization.

As the Russian Military continued expanding its influence within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the Ukrainian Military began receiving increasing NATO support and assistance in order to contain the Zone and prevent Russia from fully taking advantage of it. Rumors across the Zone state that part of Russia’s ambitions within Ukraine involve utilizing the anomalies, artifacts and secrets of the Zone to develop unknown experimental weaponry and classified military programs.

The Russian Ministry of Science and Ministry of Defense deployed some of their most experienced personnel into the Zone, including Lieutenant General D. Semyonov and Lieutenant Colonel E. Orlova from the Russian Science Division: Ecologists.

The Ecologists became increasingly notorious and ruthless during this period, openly cooperating with anyone who could advance Russian interests regardless of morality, while rumors began circulating regarding a classified unit conducting human experimentation in parallel with regular scientific research. It is also rumored that the reorganized Ecologists possess multiple internal military directorates and even their own attached special forces elements tasked with securing research operations and eliminating threats. While many STALKERs still seek work and protection from the Ecologists due to their resources and influence, cooperating with them is considered extremely dangerous due to their unpredictability and lack of ethics.

In response, the Ukrainian Military deployed some of its most capable officers into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in order to reorganize operations and push Russian influence back. General O. Shevchenko was appointed Commander of UAF Personnel within the CEZ, while Colonel A. Kharkiv took control of the 3rd Separate Rifle Brigade.

It all began with a major assault around Rostok, Ukrainian Military forces successfully eliminated Duty General Seskov and Colonel Jeslov, severely destabilizing Duty’s command structure once more. However, afterwards, Ukrainian Military leadership chose diplomacy over prolonged conflict and established a pact with the remaining Duty command in order to bring the organization closer towards alignment with Ukraine once again. Despite this cooperation, the Ukrainian Military remains focused on destroying all organizations within the Zone deemed a security threat, while strategically maintaining temporary alliances whenever necessary due to the impossibility of fighting every hostile force within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone simultaneously.

At the same time, Chenovniy and the Russian Bratva structure of the Bandits managed to restore strong relations with the Russian Military and the newly restructured Ecologists.

Due to the nature of the invasion and the legal gray zone surrounding the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Russian Military command openly considered anyone fighting against them within the Zone outside officially recognized Ukrainian Military as foreign mercenaries rather than lawful combatants.

This effectively created a loophole which allowed Russian Military and affiliated units to conduct atrocities, executions and experimentation without concern for international conventions or outside oversight. And in addition to this, The Zone is a black-box with communication to the outside world, and any videos leaked online are treated at the same level of credibility like LiveLeak, that Ukrainian Military used to post many years ago.

The Russian Military tolerated cooperation with the Bandits largely because Chenovniy’s structure consisted primarily of Russian citizens and organized criminal elements whose ambitions were viewed as insignificant compared to the Russian Federation’s larger goals within the Zone.

Unlike the Bandits expected ambitions of a Russian Mafia, both the Russian Military and Ecologists were fully focused on exploiting the anomalies, artifacts and secrets of the Zone in hopes of developing a weapon or scientific breakthrough capable of changing the balance of the world entirely in Russian Federation's favor, much like the discovery of nuclear weapons once did.

Everything within the Zone comes with a price, however, especially when dealing with the Russian Military and the Ecologists. As previously seen with the Ecologists’ methods, numerous Bandits operating under Chenovniy’s structure began mysteriously disappearing during FOB assignments, security operations and northern expeditions, where they were often utilized as expendable cannon fodder for Russian objectives and experimental operations.

Chenovniy has no issue with sacrificing his own men as he is expanding his influence, strengthening ties with the Russians and eliminating political opposition within his own ranks by shifting blame onto Russian Military command.

One of the most notable disappearances was Kruk himself, Chenovniy’s right hand, who suddenly vanished without explanation after rumors spread that he had been conducting too much political maneuvering behind Chenovniy’s back. Afterwards, Butcher stepped up within the organization while Vityaz and Ace slowly became more visible again around Bandit operations, as Chenovniy attempted to find a balance between territorial warfare, expansion and profitability rather than allowing the organization to destroy itself through endless conflict once more.

At the same time, Austin and Hunter led another expedition deep into the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Austin’s goal was to locate and rescue Trapper after rumors surfaced that he was still alive somewhere within the anomalous northern sectors of the CNPP, while Hunter became increasingly obsessed with uncovering the secrets of the Zone for his own ego and ambitions.

Dumpling meanwhile had almost completely stepped away from Freedom leadership due to worsening dementia, spending most of his remaining days underground peacefully smoking and growing weed while leaving the organization in the hands of younger and more ambitious figures.

During the expedition, Austin and Mazay eventually managed to locate Trapper alive within the CNPP outskirts, heavily wounded and mentally broken after his captivity.

Hunter however separated from the group after repeatedly claiming he could hear a voice speaking to him from behind the walls deep inside the CNPP complex. He ventured further into the anomalous core alone and was never seen again, with his fate remaining unknown due to the constantly shifting paths and spatial anomalies surrounding the center of the plant.

At the same time, countless rumors continued circulating throughout the Zone that the Central Intelligence Agency was secretly backing Freedom, especially Trapper himself, similarly to how the Mujahideen extremists in the Middle East were supported by the CIA against the Soviets decades earlier.

While NATO broadly supports the Ukrainian Military, the CIA specifically utilizes Freedom as a chaotic proxy force to counter Russian ambitions within the Zone and prevent the Russian Military and Ecologists from discovering anything that could drastically alter the balance of global power.

Many describe it as classic CIA strategy: backing multiple armed groups operating in the same conflict in order to create instability, attrition and endless internal warfare. Freedom itself increasingly became filled with American volunteers, former US Marines, veterans of Middle Eastern wars and thrill seekers who viewed the Zone as the ultimate battlefield rather than merely another war.

Trapper in particular became notorious for constantly boasting about alleged American support, jokingly referring to the Zone as the “51st state” while loudly praising Barack Obama and claiming the Zone would become "the next Rhodesia" though he always avoided directly acknowledging any alleged CIA connections.

Numerous Freedom members began mockingly giving themselves fake state-style titles such as Lieutenant Governor, State Attorney and Police Commissioner as a joke aimed towards both the Ukrainian Military and Russian Military command structures.

The Free Stalkers eventually returned under the leadership of Seeker and Rio, and slowly re-established themselves within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone by rebuilding Homestead and reorganizing scattered veteran STALKER groups under a more disciplined structure. Their renewed presence quickly became noticeable due to successful operations against Bandits, Renegades and various criminal groups operating throughout the southern regions of the Zone. However, despite the organization rebuilding effectively, Seeker and several key Free Stalker figures made what many considered a strategic and egoistical mistake driven by morality rather than political survival.

The Free Stalkers publicly accused the Russian Government and Lieutenant Colonel E. Orlova’s specialized units of conducting human experimentation and atrocities within the Zone, releasing footage and statements directly onto the Zone’s network systems. This resulted in nearly a week of violent conflict, threats and targeted retaliation from Russian Military aligned forces until the Free Stalker responsible for publishing the material was eventually captured and executed publicly as reparations, after which the video mysteriously disappeared from all known Zone networks. Despite being forced to back down publicly, rumors persist that Seeker has not forgotten the incident and is quietly rebuilding the Free Stalkers with long term revenge in mind while continuing to strengthen Homestead and expand the organization once more.

Trapper and Austin eventually declared full scale war against the Bandits after openly accusing them of becoming puppets of the Russian Military and assisting Russian operations throughout the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. However, what Trapper did not anticipate was the increasing involvement of Russian organized crime and their connections outside the Zone. The Russian Bratva managed to finance and support the rise of a newly established Mercenary group led by the legendary mercenary Kruto, a veteran operator who previously served under Blue Eagle Group during its earlier operations within the Zone. Kruto changed the tides of the war.

After Blue Eagle Group’s Russian operations quietly collapsed and shifted priorities, Kruto changed employers and successfully established his own Mercenary organization while still maintaining the operational roots, experience and methods inherited from Blue Eagle Group under a new and significantly more powerful backer.

May 2014, The war between Freedom and the Bandits quickly escalated into one of the largest conflicts the Zone had seen in years, however neither side was able to achieve total victory and the conflict eventually ended in a bloody stalemate with catastrophic losses on both sides, including the death of FreedomerNikola Koka, as he was captured in Depot and it is rumored that Vityaz choked him in Butcher's golden toilet.

Despite the chaos spreading throughout the Zone, Duty under General Kovalenko, Colonel Bagrilov and Major Nazarenko entered a new era of strength and expansion.

Through relentless shock operations, aggressive recruitment and coordinated military campaigns, Duty managed to restore order around Rostok and significantly expand its influence throughout the northern territories.

Rostok itself became more alive than ever before, attracting countless STALKERs through trade, protection and even organized Arena fights where fighters could earn money and reputation. However, many STALKERs believe these events merely serve as propaganda tools designed to lure vulnerable STALKERs into Rostok and slowly indoctrinate them into Duty’s ideology that the Zone must ultimately be destroyed no matter the cost.

THE FATE OF THE SURVIVORS AND THE ECOLOGISTS ESTABLISHMENT

Some of those survivors managed to form their own group within the Zone that is dedicated to fighting against the "evil creations” of the Zone, with the ultimate goal of destroying it. That's when Duty was officially formed by deserters who abandoned the State Security Service. This was due to the fact that their superiors abandoned them and left them to die, rather than trying to rescue them when they were lucky to survive the deadly operation.

After a few years, the Ecologists managed to develop special devices that allowed them to traverse deeper into the Zone. With the protection of a specialised team, they were able to traverse a few kilometres into the Zone and return without any fatalities. 

The Ukrainian Government deemed this a success sending more soldiers and scientists into their respective posts. This resulted in the Ecologists managing to eventually traverse even deeper into the Zone than the original Ecologists, and set up a base of operations near Lake Yantar. The Ecologists took an interest in that area due to a rumoured scientific research laboratory, like other stalkers have mentioned as a place full of riches and danger.