Editing Pirates of the Baltic Sea (section)

===Russia===

Russian Federation is a giant, with 140 million people and a land area of over 17 million square kilometers (6 600 000 square miles). It is the largest country in the world. Although only a tiny part of Russia touches the Baltic Sea, there is no ignoring the country.

Of all the states bordering the Baltic Sea, Russia has the worst human rights management. Corruption is also a significant problem in Russia, impacting various aspects of life. The phenomenon of corruption is strongly established in the historical model of public governance in Russia and attributed to general weakness of rule of law in Russia. For the Buccaneers, this is both a threat and an opportunity. Getting effectively blackmailed by local authorities is always a threat for Buccaneers visiting a Russian port, and doing business in Russia practically demands greasing some palms. On the other hand, gear and services difficult or even impossible to obtain elsewhere can be acquired in Russia if you know the right people and can afford proper gifts.

Various natural resources account for more than 80% of Russian exports abroad. The oil and gas pipelines traversing the floor of the Baltic Sea are of particular importance to Russia, who will go to lengths to ensure that they are not disturbed.
The defense industry of Russia is also a strategically important sector and a large employer in the country. Russia has a large and fully indigenous arms industry, producing most of its own military equipment. The country is also the world's third-biggest exporter of arms. Many military-grade weapons used by the Buccaneers are of Russian manufacture. 

====Saint Petersburg====

With a population of roughly five and a half million residents, Saint Petersburg is the most populous city on the Baltic Sea. It is also known as the Cultural Capital of Russia, and receives millions of tourists every year. The city serves as a home to some bodies of Russian federal government, among others the headquarters of the Russian Navy. Saint Petersburg has three large cargo seaports and two passenger ports for international cruise liners. It is also the financial and industrial centre of Russia, with many specializations of great interest to the Buccaneers. Shipbuilding yards; technologies such as radio, electronics, software, and computers; heavy machinery and transport, including military equipment; chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment. And of course, the city's many local distilleries produce a broad range of vodka brands. The oldest one is LIVIZ, founded in 1897.

What all of the above means is that when Buccaneers have money to spend, it is to Saint Petersburg they will go. As long as they hide any armaments on their boats and bring “gifts” to the port authorities, it is generally safe to do so. Many things difficult to obtain elsewhere can be obtained in Saint Petersburg, if one has enough money and the right contacts. Advanced cybernetics, military-grade weapons and equipment for the ship and crew. Even a new ship, including military vessels.

Then again, some Buccaneers visit Saint Petersburg just to have fun. No matter what your interests, the city has numerous sights and experiences on offer, and while Buccaneers can and will party at home, in Saint Petersburg they can do it with style.

====Ust-Luga====

The largest transportation and logistics hub in northwestern Russia. Unlike the other ports, Ust-Luga is almost entirely under corporate control. Russia had ambitious plans for developing the port, but corruption and inefficiency stalled the development for a long time, and eventually the rights were sold to various corporations, who now have near total control of the port and its traffic. What is especially concerning to some is that Ust-Luga is a transit point for radioactive waste.

Most of corporate shipping to and from Russia goes through Ust-Luga, and is occasionally targeted by Buccaneers. But generally only when they are far from Russian territorial waters. As the seaway to Saint Petersburg, the Gulf of Finland is of considerable strategic importance to Russia, and Russian Baltic Fleet is swift to react to any threats in their area.

====Moscow====

The capital and largest city of Russia stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with over 20 million residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area. Although the city is so far from the Baltic Sea that Buccaneers practically never visit it, it deserves mention as the government and financial center of Russia. Moscow is home to the country's largest banks and many of its largest companies, and Moscow International Business Center is one of the largest financial centers of Europe and the world.

====Kaliningrad====

This city of 500 000 people is a major transport hub, home to the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy, and one of the largest industrial centers in Russia. Kaliningrad's major industries are manufacturing, shipping, fishing and amber products. It has status as a Special Economic Zone, meaning that manufacturers based there get tax and customs duty breaks on the goods they send to other parts of Russia. Many foreign and global corporations have plants there.

Buccaneer vessels are generally not welcome in Kaliningrad. The Baltic Fleet considers them suspect and does not like them close to their base, and the corporations have a lot of influence over the port authority. However, Baltic Fleet sailors on shore leave can be very good sources of information about what is going on in the Baltic, and this is where they are most easily found. Some buccaneers dock their ships in Polish ports and take advantage of the small border traffic law – an agreement between Poland and the Russian Federation, whereby residents of Kaliningrad and some of the Polish cities may obtain special cards permitting repeated travel between the two countries, crossing the Polish–Russian border. While the cards are not easily forged, if you do manage to obtain a convincing copy, they are so common at the border checkpoints that as long as you look the part you are unlikely to come under much scrutiny.

====Navy====

Although Russia has the largest navy of all Baltic Sea states, the Baltic Sea coast, for all its importance, is just a tiny fraction of the Russian coastline, and in practice Buccaneers will only have to worry about the Russian Baltic Fleet, the ships being divided between that and four other fleets in regions too far from the Baltic to be a cause of worry. Then again, the Baltic Fleet is a cause of worry in its very own right.

The Baltic Fleet is subordinate to Russia's Western Military District headquartered in St. Petersburg, which also incorporates Russia's strongest ground and air formations. The Kaliningrad region between Lithuania and Poland serves as the principal base area for the Baltic Fleet and therefore hosts significant land and air forces, both to defend Kaliningrad and to extend Russian shore-based air and sea denial capabilities into the Baltic Sea region.

The flagship of the fleet is an anti-ship and anti-aircraft guided missile destroyer that also has torpedo tubes and four 130 mm naval guns. In addition to the flagship, there are 2 frigates, 16 corvettes, 6 landing ships supported by 6 other landing craft, an attack submarine, 17 minesweepers, 9 missile ships, an anti-saboteur ship and 5 intelligence vessels.

The Baltic Fleet is also supported by extensive air and ground forces, although their role is coastal defense, and except for some of the aircraft they are not a threat to ships in the open sea.

However, while the Baltic Fleet looks impressive on paper, the truth is that not all the ships are operational. The flagship and one of the frigates have been officially “undergoing repairs” for years, and some ships have not left port for a long time. Determining which ships are operational or in refit can be difficult, but the fact is that some ships have little capability, but remain flying an ensign so that crews are entitled to be paid.

Even the operational ships are in many respects badly outdated. It is debatable whether they could face the modern vessels of other Baltic Sea nations. Even the Baltic states, that never had very powerful navies, are now served by advanced Triton mercenary vessels. The truth is that Russia's domestic shipbuilding industry has been in decline as to their capabilities of constructing contemporary hardware efficiently. Some analysts even say that because of this Russia's naval capabilities have been facing a slow but certain "irreversible collapse".
Indeed, the open secret is that Russia has quietly started using Triton for Baltic operations as well. The nation has not decommissioned its own fleet – Russia has always been touchy about prestige – and officially Triton vessels are contracted by various Russian corporations. But the majority of those corporations are owned by the government, so no one is fooled about where the orders come from. While some Baltic Fleet vessels still go out on patrol, only the direct safety of Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg is still under the direct authority of the Baltic Fleet, and open sea patrols are little more than parade, with the ships under strict orders not to engage even the Buccaneers or the Raiders of Thule. Raiders in particular are fond of openly taunting the crews of the Baltic Fleet.

For the Buccaneer crews, this has caused a funny situation where the crews of the Russian Baltic Fleet can be their best pals. The crews, badly paid to begin with, have not taken getting sidelined by the mercenaries well. The Baltic Fleet has a long and proud history. Some people have left and joined the Buccaneers, and those who still serve can be good sources of information and assistance as long as you are friendly and respectful. Buying a few drinks for Russian sailors on shore leave can provide good tips, especially of the sort that can get Triton or the Raiders taken down a notch. And a Russian patrol ship might be willing to perform a “sea rescue” and tow a damaged Buccaneer vessel to Ålandic waters, particularly if the crew gets something for it. If you can get extra friendly with some ship’s crew, they might even “misplace” weapons or gear, or agree to act as cover or distraction. 

Buccaneer wisdom on Russian Baltic Fleet: “Imagine a drunken bear. It may not move much and half the time can’t see where it’s going when it does, but if you laugh at it and it starts heading your way, you will find that it still has claws and teeth and you had better have a bottle of vodka to offer it.”