The following is a list of companies who operate within the territories of the Russian Empire. Most of the companies listed below have their headquarters either in the capital city of Moscow or that of the Royal Capital of St. Petersburg. Many companies choose to base their headquarters out of these two cities as it allows them to be close to the political action of the Empire. However, while many of the most powerful companies within the Empire are based in Russia proper, some choose to be based out of other territories held by the Empire so as to create a good amount of space between themselves and their competitors.
Zagadka Enterprises[]
Zagadka Corporate Enterprises is a major conglomerate company within the Russian Empire that produces a variety of consumer products for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and the government. Owning several subsidiary companies in almost every major industry within the Russian economy, there is almost no product made in Russia that does not bare the Zagadka logo. The company is headquartered in Moscow within the Emerald Tower, a massive Office tower complex designed and constructed by the Zagadka Company. While formerly known as oZ Corporate Investments, the company was bought out by the partnership of Alexander Zolotov, Anna Zimin, and Konstantine Zinchenko. Through an aggressive maneuver the partnership bought all available stock within the investment firm until the company was their own.
The history of the oZ company is a tricky mess as much of the company’s beginnings have been lost give the destruction of many records. Originally the company was a state-own venture, created in The Eastern Empire and headquartered in the then capital city of Ba Sing Se. A state conglomerate at the time, the oZ company controlled almost all of the major industries of the country. However, around the reign of Sovereign Shoa Conn, the company was sold from the public sector to the private, and came under the leadership of its first private CEO William Scott. While CEO Scott was the public face of the new oZ company, it was no secret that he answered to a Senior Board. What was a secret however, was the identity of those individuals who served of the senior board. Publicly, the company contended that the members of the Senior Board were wealthy individuals who wished to remain anonymous as they enjoyed their privacy and feared that knowledge of their identity would endanger the lives of their families. Privately however, conspiracy theorist contended during the time of the company that oZ was simply a front company for a secret organization. While the reality was that oZ dealt in pharmaceuticals, commercial trade, and International Media; Conspirators argued that the company dealt in the manufacturing and distribution of military grade weaponry. The theories went so far as to say that many of the oZ storage and research facilities which, at the height of the company, were located in Gaza, Nichopolis, Ottawa, and Kanitsu were simply decoys for much larger subterranean facilities located under the building used for the development and storage of such weapons as riffles, tanks, aircraft, and missiles just to name a few. Furthermore, many theories persisted that the Senior Board was made up of some of the most dangerous and tyrannical individuals in the world. From Sovereign Shoa Conn of The Eastern Empire, Emperor-Priest Jorzo Mafil of Scythirus to Doctor Archibald Camizu of Camizu and Archimedes Malfisto of Nag Ehgoeg were implicated as members, but no hard evidence has ever been presented. Likewise, no weapon has ever been found that can be linked as manufactured product of the oZ company. While a powerful multi-national corporation at the height of the company's power, the company did not outlast its first and only CEO, William Scott. Moving into a steady decline, the oZ company lost much of its international assets by the time it was finally bought by Russian investors. Buying what was left of the company at the time, oZ headquarters was moved from Asia to Moscow in Europe.
Though the records of the purchase is not entirely clear, oZ Corporate Enterprises and all the assets that remained with the company at the time it was sold, were purchase by an investment group based in Russia. Moved to Moscow about the time that the Russian Empire was just coming into its own industrial power, oZ Corporate Enterprises was reorganized into oZ Corp. Investments. Under a new name the company quickly began consolidating new assets and becoming a financial powerhouse. The company came under the leadership of Sergei Kulibin, a young business school graduate who carry many degrees that made him perfect for the CEO position. However, much like the former incarnation of the oZ name, CEO Kulibin was merely the public face of the oZ company while a powerful board of Senior Partners were considered the real power of the investment company. Again the senior partners of the oZ company hide behind the company privacy policy, said to protect the private lives and family of the senior partners. Though said to be some of the wealthiest and most powerful private citizens of the Russian Empire, their names were never released by the company to the general public nor were they ever seen during any company press conferences. This secrecy once again led to conspiracy theories about the identity of the senior partners. Perhaps the most popular of the theories were that one or more of the partners were in fact leaders of Red Mafia gangs. No evidence was ever found to connect a Red Mafia gang leader to oZ Corp. Investments and naturally the company did everything in its public relations power to discourage such rumors as such negative publicity was certainly something the company could not afford to have persist. Despite the conspiracy theories surrounding the company, oZ Corp. Investments grew within the Empire to become Russia's number one investment firm, holding shares and other assets in almost every major company within the Empire. The company became a major investor of Russian Industries and was one of the leading financiers of the Russian war effort during the Dominion Wars. Sadly, it was the same war that the company helped fund to fight that eventually led the company to its decline.
After the Dominion Wars, oZ Corp. Investments began losing money on many of its oldest and most solid investments. With the Russian economy in an awkward position of either rebounding or spiraling into a depression, very few investors were willing to buy the assets off the company. This led the company to take many critical losses that in turn led to a steady decrease in the value of the stock. It was during this decline that the partnership of Zolotov, Zimin, and Zinchenko stepped in and began to aggressively buy up as much of the company as its owners were willing to sell. Within a weeks’ time the three partners had acquired the entire remaining assets of the Investment firm and were now the sole Senior Partners of the company. Zolotov, Zimin, and Zinchenko offered CEO Kulibin a handsome retirement package for his decades of loyal leadership to the company, an offer he accepted. With the oZ Company now their own, the partnership went about reinventing the company into a conglomerate Enterprise. Much like its original design, the partnership founded Zagadka Corporate Enterprises, or Zacore for short. Being individually very powerful and wealthy people, the partnership poured millions into the Zagadka name and through tactical methods began acquiring subsidiary companies in almost every industry in the Russian Empire. The companies they bought were much like oZ Investments, they were companies that were on the brink of complete collapse. Through their guidance, these companies were reinvented into leaders of their respective industries.
Zagadka COM[]
Zagadka Telecommunications or Zagadka COM is the second largest cable operator, third largest home internet service provider, and largest digital telephone service provider in the Russian Empire, providing cable television, internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers. The company is located in Moscow within office space provided by the parent company, the Zagadka Company and its headquarters building the Emerald Tower. ZAGADKA COM was formed after the Zagadka Company bought out the Tver Communications for an estimated 1.2 billion rubles. The company was then aggressively reorganized into ZAGADKA COM and now has significant holding in several major cable networks (including the Zagadka News Network, the first 24 hours a day news channel in Russia), distribution, and related businesses.
ZAGADKA COM was originally formed as Tver Communications and was founded by Andrey Donskoys who bought his first cable system in Tver, Russia. While the company remained small for several years, good equipment and quality service allowed for increased revenue and eventually lead to strong expansions of the Tver Communication's service area. After dominating the city of Tver, the company expanded north and soon was the sole service provided for all territories falling between Tver and Saint Petersburg. Seen as the apex of its power and revenue, it was during this time that the Tver Company purchased and installed an overhauled system within this region of the Russian Empire. However, after the outbreak of the Dominion Wars swept through Europe and Russia itself became the target of attack, the Tver Company began experiencing financial difficulties. Air-raids on territories near Saint Petersburg significantly destroyed much of Tver's cable systems in the region. After the Dominion Wars the Royal Russian Broadcasting Company, an apparent rival of Tver Communications though it had never before infringe of the Tver's northern monopoly, capitalized on the Tver's loses during the war and began moving into northern cities above Moscow such as Tver.
This was an economic disaster for Tver Communications who, while financially secure enough to rebuild their infrastructure, soon realized that their assets were being drained during this process while they also lost customers. The main reason for their loss in subscribers in the amount of time it took the company to begin repairs on their infrastructure. Tver Communications would never completely repair their infrastructure, having only 40% of it repaired by the time the company hit its all-time low. While never official announced, analysts believed the company only had 3 to 4 years before it collapsed under its financial debt by the time the Zagadka Company began its negotiations with Tver leadership, Andrey Donskoy. Fearful that the corporate giant would try to steal Tver Communications from him given their economic situation, Donskoy made it apparent that he would not sale the company for cheap. This did not discourage the Zagadka Company who was highly interested in the depreciated Tver Communications assets as they were personally interested in launching their our telecommunications and broadcasting company. After a year-long negotiation the Tver and Zagadka companies agreed to a 1.2 billion ruble buyout. It would be later announced at a joint press conference held by the Zagadka and Tver companies at Zagadka headquarters, the Emerald Tower.
It would take another three months after the announced buy out for Tver Communications to be incorporated into its new parent company, Zagadka. The Zagadka Company would then aggressively reorganize the company and promote in under its new name, Zagadka Communications or ZAGADKA COM. One of the first major developments of the new telecommunications and broadcasting company was its launch of Russia's first 24-hours a day news network named Zagadka News Network or ZNN. Months later more networks were bought out or creation by ZAGADKA COM which included today: Russian Entertainment Television, The Wardrobe Network, Gamer TV, The Hockey Channel and the 24 hour sports network known as Sports24. ZAGADKA COM also has a variety network known as ZAGADKA COM Network or ZCN, available exclusively to ZAGADKA COM and its television service subscribers. The channel shows news, sports, and entertainment. Two years after ZAGADKA COM was launched its parent company, the Zagadka Company, won a major legal battle between itself and the Russian government over the monopoly the technology giant Invisoft had over the extranet service. Having invested and developed the extranet technology, Invisoft held a monopoly on the development, distribution, and service providing of the Extranet. The Zagadka Company petitioned the Russian government to breakup this monopoly and after gaining support from ZAGADKA COM's biggest rival, the RRBC, the Russian agreed to force Invisoft in allowing other companies to provide service to the Extranet. That same year, ZAGADKA COM launched ZAGADKA COM Online to manage operations of their new extranet servicing providing department.
Since being developed by the Zagadka Company, ZAGADKA COM has become one of Russia's largest telecommunications and Broadcasting giants. It subscribers number in the millions in Russia proper alone, with an even greater range Empire wide in some of the farthest territories of the Russian Empire. However, despite very good financial success, ZAGADKA COM over the recent years has also been the subject of substantial amounts of criticism from subscribers and the media for its poor customer service, relationships with local and provincial government, and business practices.
Zagadka Bank[]
Zagadka Bank or Zagadka Banking Company, is the second largest bank in the Russian Empire. Zagadka Bank Bank and its own subsidiaries form a leading Russian financial group- Zagadka Bank Group, offering a wide range of banking services and products in Russia and most of Europe. The company itself is a subsidiary and is located in Moscow within office space provided by the parent company, the Zagadka Company, in its headquarters building the Emerald Tower. The history of the company begins around the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992. In 1990, Russia’s Foreign Trade Bank (Storgbank) was established with the support of the Russian State Bank and the Ministry of Finance. It was set up as a limited liability company with the aim of servicing Russia’s foreign trade operations and promoting Russia’s integration into the global economy. A few months after its establishment, the bank was converted into a public company, with a majority stake owned by the Russian government represented by the Central Bank, which owned a 96.8% share. Not long after the transition the second Russian Civil War began and the company suffered financial losses during this time. After the war, the The bank’s stocks were transferred to Ministry of State Property of the new Neo-Roman Empire.
Under the control of the Neo-Roman Empire, the bank saw marginal gains. During this time period, the bank was able to acquire a majority stake (85.81%) in Novstock Bank, which was struggling with liquidity problems and experiencing serious financial difficulties. The new acquisition was reorganized into a retail bank, higher bank 24. The Russian Renaissance saw another financially difficult time for the bank, stocks slipped and many believed that the financial future of the bank looked grim. The Imperial government took over the bank and transferred most of its assets to the new Russian Central Bank. What little was left of the bank's former assets were sold off at auction. The remaining assets were bought by a small, yet growing bank out of Saint Petersburg, Promsbank, which was reorganized itself into a newer brand, known as North-West Regional Bank. Though the company saw marginal success during the next five years, the success of other banks such as Zubov Bank, began leaving North-West behind. There were many who were greatly concerned over the future of the bank and due to these worries, the Imperial government was forced to step in and force the sale of the company. It would be acquired by Zagadka Corp. Enterprises, who promised to reorganize the bank into a more efficient and stable brand. Shortly after the acquisition, the company's name was change and the Zagadka Bank brand was born. Under a new direction, Zagadka Bank began a aggressive acquisition campaign of other poorly performing banks. Soon Zagadka bank took over Slavonet, Att Bank, and the Stock Bank of Saint Petersburg. This campaign proved successful as investments within the back began increasing bank revenue. After ten years of consolidations and acquisitions, Zagadka Bank quickly rose to become the second largest banking company within the Russian Empire.
Today, Zagadka Bank is a leading provider of a wide variety of financial services in the Russian Empire. Beyond its financial obligations, Zagadka Bank is also active in sponsoring sports, culture and health care and is very much involved in charity projects. It has been supporting the Moscovy-Master rally team and sponsored several sports teams, including Dynimite Football team, the national women’s basketball team, the national men’s volleyball team, and Russia’s Gymnastics Organization. Zagadka Bank also sponsors the Russian Volleyball Organization. Last year, it founded the Zagadka Bank United League, an international professional basketball league, a joint project with the Russian Basketball Association. Over the past few years, Zagadka Bank has provided support to Russia’s leading museums and theatres. It is a member of the Bolshoi Theatre Board of Trustees. It is also a general partner of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. It further supports Moscow’s Fomenko Studio Theatre. Finally, Zagadka bank’s corporate charity program An Empire Without Tears provides targeted support to children’s healthcare centers.
Apakidze Aersopsace[]
The Apakidze Aerospace Company, is one of the Russian Empires most powerful aerospace companies, engaged in the manufacture, design and sale of military, civilian, and unmanned aircraft. The company was founded by Josef Avtandilovich Apakidze, a aviation hero of both the Soviet Union as well as the new Russian Empire. He started the company after purchasing the Tupolev company that the Russian Empire had previously acquire. Most of the company's current history comes from its time under the Tupolev name. Tupolev OKB was founded by Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev in 1922. Its facilities were tailored for aeronautics research and aircraft design only, manufacturing was handled by other firms. It undertook research on all-metal airplanes in the 1920s. Tupolev ANT-20 Maxim Gorky, the largest airplane of the 1930s, was used for Stalinist propaganda. Among its notable results during the period was the heavy bomber, where Tupolev's design approach defined for many years the trends of heavy aircraft development, civil and military. In World War II, the twin-engined, all-metal Tu-2 was one of the best front-line bombers of the Soviets. Several variants of it were produced in large numbers from 1942. During the war it used wooden rear fuselages due to a shortage of metal.
In 1945, three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses landed in Soviet territory after missions over Japan. They were quickly copied by the design bureau and formed the basis of the first Soviet intercontinental strategic bomber, the Tu-4, which first flew in 1947 and was produced in substantial numbers. This was followed by the development of the jet-powered Tu-16 bomber, based on an enlarged version of the B-29/Tu-4 fuselage, which used a sweptback wing for good subsonic performance. As turbojets were not fuel efficient enough to provide truly intercontinental range, the Soviets elected to design a new bomber, the Tu-20, more commonly referred to as the Tu-95. It too was based on the fuselage and structural design of the Tu-4, but with four colossal Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engines providing a unique combination of jet-like speed and long range. It became the definitive Soviet intercontinental bomber, with intercontinental range and jet-like performance. In many respects the Soviet equivalent of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, it served as a strategic bomber and in many alternate roles, including reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare.
The 1960s saw the ascendancy of A. N. Tupolev's son, A. A. Tupolev. His role includes the development of the world's first supersonic airliner, the Tu-144, the popular Tu-154 airliner and the Tupolev Tu-22M strategic bomber. All these developments enabled the Soviet Union to achieve strategic military and civil aviation parity with the West. In the 1970s, Tupolev concentrated its efforts on improving the performance of the Tu-22M bombers, whose variants included maritime versions. It is the presence of these bombers in quantity that brought about the SALT I and SALT II treaties. Also the efficiency and performance of the Tu-154 was improved, culminating in the efficient Tu-154M. In the 1980s the design bureau developed the supersonic Tu-160 strategic bomber. Features include variable-geometry wings. However, despite the success of the Tupolev company within the Soviet Union, following the collapse the company began to hit on hard times. The influx of capitalist systems within the region made the company unstable and by the late 1990s it was teetering on bankruptcy. Hoping to save a Russian trademark, Tsar Paul Romanov II had the company bought out by the Russian Imperial government. His original plans were to buyout the rest of the aerospace industry and combine them into a government-own conglomerate. However, Prince Josef Apakidze, having only had his title and rank returned to his family within the Russian court a few years earlier, made a request to the Tsar to have the company sold to him. Given Apakidze's contributions to the newly developed Imperial Air Force, Tsar Paul II agreed and the company was sold to the Princely Apakidze family.
Today the company survives under the Apakidze name though it is not quick to forget it esteemed heritage. Though bought by Josef and successful run a few years afterward by him, Josef's death in the Georgian War saw the company's leadership change. Josef's eldest son Sergei, took his father's position as head of the company and has continued the success that his father started.
Evocore[]
Evolution Chemical & Pharmaceutical Corporation or Evocore is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the Russian Empire and the world. The headquarters of the company is located in St. Peterburg. It was established in 1993 as the Russian Second Civil War came to an end. Describing itself as a "a global research-driven pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products to improve human health." Evocore has set up several foundations that have distributed over $480 million to educational and non-profit organizations. The company also publishes several medical manuals and a series of medical reference books that include Evocore Manual on Diagnosis and Therapy, one of the world's best-selling medical textbook, and the Evocore Index, a collection of information about chemical compounds.
Evocore traces its origins to Nikolai Ovechkin who ran a drug store in 1983. Through the collapse years of the Soviet Union, Ovechkin gained ownership over the small store and protected the small business through the turbulent times of the Second Russian Civil War. After Collapse of the Soviet Union and the Second Russian Civil War, Ovenchkin began to gradually build up his small drug store into a company and chemical-pharmaceutical factory that could produced — in addition to raw materials for pharmaceutical preparations — a multitude of other chemicals. By 1994, Ovechkin moved the company to St. Petersburg which was then known as Paradise City, the capital of the Neo-Roman Empire. The company prospered during this time and grew into a major industrial leader in the development of pharmaceuticals. It continued to be a strong force in the Healthcare industry well after the emergence of the second Russian Empire. By the time the Dominion Wars broke out, the company was tasked with overseeing the Empire's germ-warfare research. The information on the research done by the company during the Dominion Wars has since been classified by the Russian Empire.
After the Dominion Wars the company underwent steady growth through new leadership and the acquisition of several smaller companies. The companies the Evocore went after were small pharmaceutical labels that had since provided good competition to the Evocore label but began to decline due to poor sales during the wartime period. Through successful close-door deals, the company was able to acquire several new development facilities along with three major manufacturing factories that Evocore paid to be dissembled. The hardware of these factories was then moved to Evocore's newest and largest factory complex built just outside St.Petersburg. The complex, once fully equipped with the hardware acquired through Evocore's buyouts became the largest single-site manufacturing facility in the Russian Empire, an possibly the world. The old factories were demolished but Evocore continues to hold the property in the hopes of selling it to investment firms willing to develop the property into low income housing high rises, public parks, and other philanthropic projects.
Gagarin Energy[]
Gagarin Energy is one of the most successful and wealthiest Russia energy company within the greater empire. The company generates about 91% of Russia's installed electric capacity, and owns 98% of the country's high-voltage grid, and over 89% of its transmission lines. Today's company was Founded by Vladimir Gregorievitch Gagarin, of the Gagarin noble family. What the Gagarin family has built over time is a mini-empire when it comes to supplying power to Russia's companies, cities, and homes. Having investments in Nuclear energy as well as alternative energy, the company has spent billions in research and development for renewable resources such as Hydropower, Geothermal energy, Peat, Solar energy, Wind energy, and Tidal energy.
Today's company traces its history to the design departments of the Moscow Canal Construction Project of the 1930s, and the Hydroelectrostroy Trust, which was formed on October 9, 1930, to coordinate the construction of hydroelectric dams in the USSR during its First Five-Year Plan. The two organizations, after changing their names a number of times, were finally merged in 1962. Until 1950, they were within the ambit of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs; later, under the Ministry of Energy. In the 1980s, the company was divided into three operating divisions, which services Russia and the European satellite States, the Caucasus Satellite States, and the Middle East States. In 1986, the company believe it would be gaining territory by entering Northern Afghanistan but reports on Soviet victories in that conflict were misleading and it soon became apparent that deal was going to fold when the Soviet Union retreated from the country just three years later. Throughout the late 1980s, the company initiated a series of intended expansions into regulated and non-regulated energy businesses, both domestically and internationally. During that era, the company also sought to established itself as a world-class operator of nuclear power stations. The collapse of the Soviet Union spelled the end of government control over the company and eventually the company was picked up by private investors within the newly established Neo-Roman Empire. The introduction of capitalist practices into the company during the 1990s saw the expansion that the company had desired during the late 1980s. Soon the company became one of the largest energy providers within the region as well as one of the largest throughout Europe.
The company was re-branded a final time in 2000, only just a few years following the Russian Renaissance and the establishment of the Russian Empire. The company was bought by Price Vladimir Gregorievitch Gagarin, then patriarch of the restored Gagarin Princely noble house of the Russian Empire. It was under Prince Vladimir's direction that the company was greater unified under the Gagarin label in order to create a more unified energy company. Later, in line with a growing world-wide "green initiative," the Gagarin company began investing in alternative sources of energy, particular renewable such as Hydropower, Geothermal energy, Peat, Solar energy, Wind energy, and Tidal energy. The research the company has undertaken has provided new information into these unexplored areas and has shown promise as being a viable solution to the world's energy problems. The Gagarin company has become a practical house-hold name in the Russian Empire for clean, reliable energy. A giant within its field, many criticize the company for holding an almost complete monopoly on the energy market within the Russian Empire.
Sovacom[]
Sovacom is a public company based in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions. Established in 1992 to provide a software solution to business owners giving them a system that required little or no accounting and development experience, Sovacom rose to dominate first the corporate then home computer operating system market. The ensuing rise of stock in the company's 1995 initial public offering made an estimated two billionaires and 20,000 millionaires from Sovacom employees. Holding the most government contracts of any company in its field, the company has become the dominate provider of operating systems for military technology. Furthermore, the company holds a complete monopoly as the Russian Empire's sole internet provider. Known as the Extranet, the online service is access via a special modem connected to any electrical outlet in the Russian Empire. So far, Russia and its territories are the only known places on Earth that operate this technology.
Established shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequent Second Russian Civil War, Sovacom was the brainchild of Dmitri Nazarov, a Russian born who had been sent by the KGB to study the emerging field of computers. A brilliant mind, Nazarov enrolled and was accepted to Harvard University where he studied technology and software. Nazarov kept a low profile while abroad in the United States but excelled in his classes. He graduated with a master's degree in 1991, just before the outbreak of the Second Russian Civil War. When war broke out, Nazarov was forced to find his own way back to Russia as the KGB network he was a part of, like the entire network, collapse falling the fall of the Soviet Union. With little money of his own, Nazarov was forced to work retail jobs in the United States until he finally saved enough money to get back to Europe. Due to the war, there were no flights into Russia so instead Nazarov flew into Great Britain and then backpacked through greater Europe until he finally returned to his own town of Moscow. By the time of Nazarov's return, the Civil War had come to an end of the Neo-Roman Empire was on the rise. Back in Russia, Nazarov put his education to work by developing software for the emerging businesses of the Neo-Roman Empire. Creating the Operating System, Foundation, the company quickly began to grow as the need for technology grew in the country. By the time of the Russian Renaissance the company had expanded into building its own computers under the Sovacom Label.
Today the company is by far the largest technology company in Russia and one of the largest in the world. However, though certainly both successful and famous the company has not survived without criticism. Today the company continues an ongoing battle based on its monopoly over internet access. The sole license holder of the Extranet and Extranet technology, the company is the Russian Empire's sole provider of internet access. Many have argued against Sovacom's position and has made many petitions to the Imperial government to break up the monopoly and force the company to sell the technology and allow other companies to provide service systems to access the extranet. While some in the Russian State Duma have supported these accusations and petitions against the Technology Giant, each motion taken to vote is overwhelmingly voted against. Many believe that this a sign of corruption, that Sovacom has the government paid off. However, no substantial evidence has ever been brought forward to support these claims.
Muscovy Motors[]
Muscovy Motors is one leading automotive manufacturers in the Russia Empire, making high quality vehicles for low prices. The company prides itself of being one of the only automotive companies that has invested a substantial amount of money into alternative fueled cars, a move that has gained the company several awards and medals of distinction both by government agencies as well as private groups. The products of the company range from compact and luxury cars to SUVs and trucks. The company has also made great strides to create more fuel-efficient, a move that targets middle and lower class buyers who sometimes cannot afford the larger vehicles when gas prices rise. Perhaps the only problems the company experiences on its public image and relations are the rumors that have surface now and again that suggest the company's connection to the Russian mafia. Though no substantial evidence has ever been found to connect the company to illegal activity, there are many former works who have testify off the record to seeing company officials involved in what the call "shady business." The Company contends that these rumors and so called testimonies are nothing more than fabricated slander created by competitor companies.
Muscovy Motors was originally established in May 1929 when the Soviet Union signed an agreement with the Ford Motor Company. Under its terms, the Soviets agreed to purchase $13 million worth of automobiles and parts, while Ford agreed to give technical assistance until 1938 to construct an integrated automobile-manufacturing plant at Nizhny Novgorod. Production started on January 1, 1932, and the factory and marque was titled Nizhegorodsky Avtomobilny Zavod, or NAZ, but also displayed the "Ford" sign. GAZ's first vehicle was the medium-priced Ford Model A, sold as the NAZ-A, and a light truck, the Ford Model AA (NAZ-AA). NAZ-A production commenced in 1932 and lasted until 1936, during which time over 100,000 examples were built. In 1933, the factory's name changed to Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, or GAZ, when the city was renamed after Maxim Gorky; similarly, models were renamed GAZ-A and GAZ-AA. From 1935 to 1956, the official name was augmented with imeni Molotova (literally, named after Molotov). Many American engineers and skilled auto workers moved to the Soviet Union to work at GAZ. Hundreds of American workers stayed on after the plant's completion in 1932, often with their families. They had to surrender their American passports, and within a few years became victims of Stalin's Great Terror, exiled to Soviet gulags. Appeals to their embassy for help were rebuffed or ignored. A notable survivor of these expatriates was Viktor Herman who wrote a memoir of his experiences. The GAZ-A was succeeded by the more modern GAZ M1 (based largely on the Ford Model B), produced from 1936 to 1942. The M letter stands for Molotovets ('of Molotov's fame'), it was the origin of the car's nickname, M'ka.
Experience with the A and the M1 allowed the GAZ engineers to develop their own car model independently of Ford. Called the GAZ 11, this more upscale model entered production in 1942 and remained in limited wartime production until 1946. The M2's bodyshell entered limited production in 1941, mounted on a four-wheel drive chassis and sold in small quantities as the GAZ-61 (quite possibly the world's first all-wheel drive passenger car). During the war years, GAZ engineers worked to develop an all-new car model to enter production once hostilities ended. Called the GAZ-M20 Pobeda (Victory), this affordable-priced sedan with streamlined, fastback styling, entered production in 1946 and was produced by GAZ until 1958. (Licensed production under the name Warszawa continued in Polish FSO until the 1970s). GAZ-72, a four-wheel drive version, was produced in low volume. During the war GAZ also assembled Chevrolet G7107 and G7117 (G7107 with winch) from parts shipped from the USA according to Lend Lease agreement.
The company continued on under the GAZ label for the 1960s on until the Second Russian Civil War in 1991. After the Second Russian Civil War the company was remained to Roman Motors, a company name which played upon the new Romanesque atmosphere which encompass much of Russia following the rise of the Neo-Roman Empire. The company remained a strong force in the automotive industry during this time and continued to help lead the market in affordable vehicles. After the Russian Renaissance and the reemergence of the Russian Empire, the company once again changed its name and label to Muscovy Motors, the same label and name the company uses today. This new label was founded by Sergei Gribov, a businessman and entrepreneur who had risen through the corporate ranks of the old Roman Motors to become the company's CEO. While a well-known philanthropist, Gribov has been plagued with rumors of corruption. The most powerful rumor is that he is the leader of the Tenʹ ruki Bratva or Shadow Hand Brotherhood, the oldest and one of the most powerful Russian gang within the Russian Mafia. Many have attempted to connect Gribov to many of the high-ranking members of the gang. This rumors however, have mostly been dispelled by the general public especially given that at least five murders of company employees have been linked to the Tenʹ ruki Bratva. Naturally, these rumors are indeed true though Gribov has taken great care at disproving them. While a most legitimate business, Gribov has also used Moscovy Motors for illegal practices, including the transportation of illegal goods in the trunk of cars the company ships to local dealerships. Despite any hard evidence against him, competitors will from time to time use these corruption allegation against the company in order to take away from their business.
RRBC[]
The Royal Russian Broadcasting Company or RRBC is the largest broadcasting organization in the Russian Empire and one of the largest in the world. Its imperial headquarters are located in Moscow and its main responsibility is to provide quality service broadcasting in Russia as well as the territory that make up the greater empire. The RRBC is an autonomous public service broadcaster that operates under a Imperial Charter. Within the Russian Empire its work are funded principally by an annual television license fee that is charged to all households, companies and organisations using any type of equipment to record and/or receive live television broadcasts; the level of the fee is set annually by the Russian Government and approved by the Tsar. Outside the Russian Empire, the RRBC World Service has provided services by direct broadcasting and re-transmission contracts by television and radio since the inauguration of the Neo-Roman Empire Service in December 1992, and more recently by the internet. Though sharing some of the facilities of the domestic services, particularly for news and current affairs output, the World Service has a separate Managing Director, and its operating costs are funded mainly by direct grants from the Russian government. These grants are determined independently of the domestic license fee. The Corporation's 'guaranteed' income from the license fee and the World Service grants are supplemented by profits from commercial operations through a wholly owned subsidiary, RRBC Worldwide Ltd. The company's activities include program and format sales, magazines, and book publishing. The RRBC also earns additional income from selling certain program-making services through RRBC Studios, another wholly owned trading subsidiary of the corporation.
RRBC owes its historical beginnings to television and radio services begun in the Soviet Union. Television in the Soviet Union was owned by the state and was under its tight control and Soviet censorship. The governing body in the former Soviet Union was "USSR State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting", or USSR Gosteleradio, which was in charge both of Soviet TV and Soviet radio. Soviet TV production was classified into central, republican, and regional broadcasting. Regular TV broadcasting in the USSR started in 1938, first in Moscow and Leningrad only. Because of the Soviet Union's size, a few problems had to be overcome. The first was geography: the European area of the Soviet Union was typical of Eastern Europe. Then there were the mountains such as the Urals. There were also the taiga and steppes of the east and the north. Another problem was time. The Soviet Union encompassed 11 different time zones, and thus what would be shown at 6:00 p.m. in Moscow would be different from 6:00 p.m. in Kyrgyzstan. The population too was unevenly spread out - there were more people in the European areas of the country than there would be in the eastern, Asian areas of the Soviet Union. In addition, the Soviet Union also relayed their programming to other Warsaw Pact states. As a result, the Soviet television system, while similar to the Soviet radio system, was a combination of ingenuity to overcome the problems mentioned as well as transmitting programming to the Communist world.
The Soviet broadcast television standard used four channels (called "programs" in the typical European fashion then). The first channel (1st Program) was the main channel. It was also the most adaptable for the republics to utilize. Other channels were the All Union Program (the second channel), the Moscow Program (the third channel aimed mostly at Moscow), and the Fourth Program (the fourth channel). Not all channels were available everywhere in the Soviet Union. Many regions only had access to the First Program and the All Union Program until after perestroika. In addition to the national television channels, each SSR and ASSR had its own state radio and television company or state broadcasting committees, although other regions were allowed regional state radio and television companies/state broadcasting committees. However, there would be a difference in that in the First Program, the Company/Committee was allowed to broadcast regional programming alongside the official First Program schedule. Depending on the political status of an administrative division, the Company/Committee would either broadcast the regional programming in either Russian or the local language. Alongside Canada's ANIK satellite system and the U.S.'s satellite system, the Soviet Union could boast having the largest domestic satellite system in the world. Part of the ingenuity lies in the programming itself. The Soviet Union was a master in time-shifting programs so that everyone in the Soviet Union could enjoy television programming. The Soviet domestic satellite system was also known as Orbita - in 1990 there were 90 Orbita satellites, supplying programming to 900 main transmitters and over 4,000 relay stations. With the right equipment, people outside the Soviet Union who used TVRO satellite television could receive Soviet television programming.
The state's control over Television and Radio continued until 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Following the Second Russian Civil War, the Neo-Roman government picked up the state-owned company and made it their own Neo-Roman Empire Network. Though the Neo-Romans privatized the company, they remained highly influential in the programming that went in to the broadcasts. Covering a much smaller territory than the Soviet Union, the Neo-Romans only serviced what was effectively the European half of old Russia. Adding a multitude of new channels and programs, it was Russia's first look at programs outside the tightly controlled Russian programs of the old Soviet System. It was not until after the Russian Renaissance that the company was renamed the Royal Russian Broadcasting Company or RRBC. Completely privatized, the company was sold to Natalia Karsavina who oversaw the company's growth into becoming an even larger corporation that it had become during the Neo-Roman Empire. With the expansion of the Russian Empire, the company's service area also grew. The advent of the internet and then extranet opened new venues that had been previously untapped by the company. Today RRBC prides itself as a leader in Russian telecommunications and the number one source for quality programming in the Russian Empire. Highlighting such quality television as Moscow Nightly News, Russia's number one source for premier broadcast journalism and up-to-date news from around world and the Empire, the network holds high standards for all the programs it showcases.
Slavco[]
Slavic Oil Company is one of the largest extractors of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company, second only the oZ Corp. Conglomerate. Slavco was created in 1989 under the label Gazprom when the Ministry of Gas Industry of the Soviet Union transformed itself into a corporation, keeping all its assets intact. The company was later privatized in part, but remained in control of the government of the Neo-Roman Empire. It wasn't until after the Russian Renaissance that the company was finally completely sold off and privatized. In the first year after the Dominion Wars, the company produced 549.7 billion cubic meters (BCM) of natural gas, amounting to 37% of the worldwide gas production. In addition, the company produced 32 million tons of oil and 10.9 million tons of gas condensate.
A separate Soviet gas industry was created in 1943. Large natural gas reserves discovered in Siberia and the Ural and Volga regions in the 1970s and 1980s enabled the Soviet Union to become a major gas producer. Gas exploration, development, and distribution were centralized in the Ministry of Gas Industry, which was created in 1965. In August, 1989, under the leadership of the Minister of Gas Industry Viktor Chernomyrdin, the ministry transformed itself into State Gas Concern Gazprom, which became the country's first state-corporate enterprise. The company was still controlled by the state, but now the control was exercised through shares of stock, 100% of which were owned by the state. When the Soviet Union dissolved after the Second Russian Civil War in 1991, assets of the former Soviet state in the gas sector were transferred to newly created Imperial Oil Company or Imperico. Imperico kept assets located in the territory of Russia, and was able to secure an almost complete monopoly in the gas sector. Imperico grew during the prosperity years of the newly developed Neo-Roman Empire. Committed to economic reform, the newly formed imperial government of the Neo-Roman Empire set about privatizing Imperico, creating a joint-stock company and started to distribute shares under the voucher method, where every Neo-Roman citizen received vouchers to purchase shares of formerly Soviet state-owned companies. Though 33% of the Imperico's shares had been sold to members of the public, the remains were purchased and retained by the Imperial government, creating a semi-privatized company.
The company remained successful and under government control until the Russian Renaissance when the newly formed Imperial government of the Russian Empire moved to completely privatize it. It was a move greatly welcomed by the people and while the deal was never completely disclosed to public records, it is believed the Imperial Russian government sold their shares of Imperico for billions. The government itself kept 20% of the company, 35% of the stock was bought by several wealthy individuals including a small number of noble families emerging in the new Russia Empire. However, the largest amount of stock bought by one person was 45% and it went to Emmanuel Spassky, a wealthy Russian investor who had made much of his fortune selling old Soviet fishing vessel and then investing the money in small business ventures during the Neo-Roman Empire. Being the largest shareholder, Spassky took over the company as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Under his leadership the company's name was changed to Slavic Oil Company or Slavco and its assets were greatly expanded. Though the company experienced strains with the loss of Georgia as the Russian territory and during the long Dominion Wars, the acquisition of the West Indies helped the company rebound after the Dominion Wars ended. Today the company strives at becoming Europe's largest oil and natural gas provider, a goal that borders on a desire to completely monopolize the market.
TransRussia[]
The TransRussia Railway Corporation or simply TransRussia is a privately owned national rail carrier of the Russian Empire, headquartered in Moscow. Though privately owned, the Russian government holds about 49% of the company stock, making the crown a major stockholder. TransRussia operate over 86,000 km of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it one of the largest network in the world. TransRussia is also one of the largest companies in the world employing 950,000 people. Due to the government's stake in the company and its historical past, TransRussia holds a monopoly within Russia for railway services. TransRussia owns 50% of Aeropress, an operator of air rail link services in Moscow. The company is a relatively young corporation, whose history goes only back to the fall of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Railways ended operations in 1991, due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. By 1992, the Ministry of Russian Railways was founded, to operate railways within the Russia. However, the Russian Civil War that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union impeded the Ministry's work. Russian Railways were declining rapidly, mainly due to loss of direct government support. Investments were cut and funds were dropped. The railways declined greatly because there weren't enough funds to repair rolling stock, stations and maintain rapidly aging track. By the first years of the Neo-Roman Empire, freight traffic fell by 60%. Passenger travel also declined greatly. Many trains were taken out of service and the passenger sector was heavily subsidized to the freight industry. The decline greatly affected the country's economy, since railways were the only reliable transportation system within the country. Since the railways were a vital social importance to Russia, due to low usage of automobiles, heavy usage by low income citizens, lack of roads, great distances and connections to remote parts of the country, the railways needed to rebuild and modernize the system to meet the demands of the country. The Railways were privatized by the Neo-Romans, though the government maintained 50% of the stock in the new company, Regional Rails. Under new leadership, the company looked into developing a program to greatly restructure the nation's railways. Regional Rails looked into programs used in the Soviet Union and Russian Empire as well as other countries in Europe, Asia and North America. The program was set into motion by the beginning of the 21st century, when it was approved by the government. Initial expansion and modernization was successful, however, the program was never finished under the Regional Rails Company as the outbreak of the third Russian Civil War and the Russian Renaissance would once again change the landscape of the nation. Once the second imperial period began, the new Imperial government took back Regional Rails. Under the crown, the company was once again reorganized and the a new name to the company was given, TransRussia Railways.
TransRussia was then sold by the government at auction, though the Russian crown did retain 49% of the companies stock. The company was bought by several investors and a new CEO, Fyodor Laptev. Under Laptev's leadership, the company was able to resume the efforts begun under its old label, Regional Rails. The general plan, first established by Regional Rails, to modernize and expand the rail industry to meet the demands of the economy, was continued by TransRussia. Many tracks were rebuilt with cement ties and expanded to two tracks or more. Today, TransRussian Railways accounts for 2.5% of Russia's GDP. The percentage of freight and passenger traffic that goes by rail is unknown, since no statistics are available for private transportation such as private automobiles or company-owned trucks. Seven years ago, about 1.3 billion passengers and 1.3 billion tons of freight went via TrnasRussia Railways. That same year, the company operated state-owned 19,700 goods and passenger locomotives, 24,200 passenger cars (carriages) and 526,900 freight cars (goods wagons). A further 270,000 freight cars in Russia are privately owned. Russia (as of four years ago) has 86,000 kilometers of common-carrier railroad line, of which about half is electrified and carries most of the traffic. Almost half of the total is double track or better. TransRussia operate commuter rail and/or regional rail services throughout the Empire, using mostly electric trains as well as some diesel ones, on the non-electrified railway sections. As of last year, 4085 commuter trains a day (in each direction) were running on the TransRussia Railways network; 1069 of them, in Moscow metropolitan area. Recently, TransRussia announced that in its next yearly investment program had increased to 3.15 billion Roubles, and announced an energy efficiency partnership with Gagarin Energy. It also announced a plan to buy 1250 new locomotives within the next two years.
Volkov Dynamics[]
Volkov Dynamics Defense Industries is one of the Russian Empire premier weapon development companies, holding an almost complete monopoly on the arms manufacturing industry of Russia for the Imperial Military forces. The company maintains several weapon manufacturing facilities all over the greater Empire and has under their employment several highly intelligent an innovative development teams. The company manufactures products in all areas of military hardware: land-based, Aerospace, and Naval Weapons an Systems. Due to the company's wide variety of weapon development products, the company maintains a variety of shipyards, airfields, target ranges, and tank testing fields. The company was founded by Josef Volkov , who after inheriting his own family's Tank Manufacturing company, began buying out many of the more prominent companies of the military industry including Izhevsk Mechanical Works.
The history of the company is fairly recent, but due to the fact that the current company incorporates many former companies that have existed in Russia for generations, the company has inherited this history as well. The most prominent of these historical companies that were merged to form Volkov Dynamics was the Izhevsk Mechanical Works or IZHMASH which was a weapons manufacturer based in Izhevsk, Russia. The company was founded in 1807 at the decree of Tsar Alexander I, and over the years became one of the largest corporations in its field of weapons development. During World War II it got the rights to make the famous Kalashnikov series of assault rifle, along with a host of other Russian arms, including medium cannons, missiles, and guided shells. It was a powerful weapons company during the first Imperial era as well as the Soviet era of Russia. Following the second Russian Civil War, the company fell into some hard times which lasted well through the time of the Neo-Roman Empire. However, by the time the second Russian Empire emerged the company began to improve and soon regained its status as a powerful company, mostly due to that fact that it heavily supplied the Russian Imperial Forces with much of its hardware. Perhaps the highest point of the company's manufacturing power was during the Dominion Wars, when military hardware was desperately needed. While the Dominion Wars boosted sells, it would also cause the company's eventual decline. This came from the fact that the company had over-produced and soon found itself with an over abundance of products that, after the Dominion Wars came to an end, they could not sell. This led to a decline in the company, as stocks and prices for the military hardware began to plummet. Like many other weapons companies, IZHMASH was facing bankruptcy and closer.
Luckily of the IZHMASH company and many others, Josef Volkov stepped in and offered to buy the company's remaining assets up. The sell was one of the biggest in Russia commercial history, as Josef Volkov bought IZHMASH for 50 million dollars. Once the sell was complete, Volkov began consolidating IZHMASH with the other weapons companies that he had bought out from the Russian Military Industrial Complex. The companies combined would form Volkov Dynamics and would come to employ some of the most brilliant military hardware designers and engineers the Russian Empire had to offer. While Volkov would base the company out of Moscow, he would retain many of the facilities that he'd obtain through his various purchases. These would include some of the largest airfields and shipyards in the Russian Empire. Once Volkov Dynamics grew, Josef would expand their facilities and construct a large naval shipyard in Hawaii, and an impressive aircraft testing facility just outside Novogrod.
Narodbank[]
Narodbank or People's Bank, is a Russian multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Saint Petersburg. Narodbank is the largest bank in the Russian Empire, and is ranked by S&P Global as one of the largest banks in the world by total assets. As a "Bulge Bracket" bank, it is a major provider of various investment banking and financial services. Narodbank is considered to be a universal bank and a custodian bank. The Narodbank, under its historical Saint-Petersburg Society of Mutual Credit brand, is used by the investment banking, asset management, private banking, private wealth management, and treasury & securities services divisions. Fiduciary activity within private banking and private wealth management,credit card services, the bank's retail banking activities, and commercial banking is done under the aegis of Narodbank.
The history of the bank can be traced to two historical financial institutions of the Russian Empire. The first dates back to Saint Petersburg in 1864. A massive fire that took place in Saint Petersburg in 1862, when many city residents and traders, lost their properties. This got the attention of Evgeny Lamanski who, after studying Western systems of bank crediting of small business, suggested to the then minister of finances Count Michael von Reutern a project of a society of mutual credit. The idea had support from many bankers and merchants. On April 9, 1863, the Russian Emperor signed the Charter of the first Saint-Petersburg Society of Mutual credit. On March 17, 1864, the Society started operating, with small Russian traders saving the need to take loans from foreign banks. The first Society of mutual credit had triggered similar organizations throughout the empire. The Society offered services from bill issuing to loans and deposits. The company was first in Russia to have introduced bank checks and running accounts. The Society attracted many large companies and organizations. It often gave loans to the State Bank of Russia, the central bank of the Russian Empire at the time. The second was the Vilnius Land Bank which was founded in 1872.
At the time of the Emancipation reform of 1861, there were no credit facilities available to landowners. The State Bank of the Russian Empire (predecessor of the Central Imperial Bank) was founded in 1862 but did not deal in mortgages. A new law was passed in May 1872 which allowed the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire to approve new banks with less than 5 million Russian rubles in capital. That greatly simplified approval procedures as new banks no longer needed approvals from the State Council or the Tsar. However, Finance Minister Mikhail Reytern was afraid that a rapid expansion of the banking network could cause banks to fail. He prohibited from establishing new banks in cities where one already existed and limited the number of banks to two per province. Therefore, entrepreneurs hurried to establish new banks in various regional centers. In total, eleven land banks were established in 1871–1873. Their initial combined equity was 13.5 million rubles. Vilnius Land Bank was approved on 9 August 1872 and began operations in December. It was founded by the same group of people who founded the Vilnius Private Commercial Bank. It was established by the largest landowners in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Peter Wittgenstein, son of Ludwig zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Nikolay Zubov of Zubov family, and Adam Plater. The founders raised 1.2 million rubles in capital (down from initial plans of 1.5 million). It was allotted the territory of the Northwestern Krai and Pskov Governorate. It held monopolistic privileges in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Grodno Governorates until 1886 when St. Petersburg – Tula Land Bank was allowed to operate in these territories as well. In the 1870s, the largest shareholders were business people from Saint Petersburg, including Vladimir Giuliani (665 shares or 14%) and Leon Rosenthal (600 shares or 12.5%), while local nobles Zubov and Plater only had 30 shares each. The ownership later shifted with local nobles becoming the majority shareholders. In 1905, the bank was governed by a 5-member board elected for three years. The initial five members included four founders, namely Giuliani, Zubov, Wittgenstein, and Mikhailovsky. During World War I, the bank was evacuated to Petrograd (Saint Petersburg). In 1917 the Russian Civil War began, stranding the bank in Petrograd until 1922. After the war, 4 of the 5 members returned the back to Vilnius, with the Zubov's remaining in Petrograd.
The Zubov's took their shares of the bank and merged their assets with the Saint-Petersburg Society of Mutual credit which by 1922 was on the verge of collapse. The merger bore a new, restructured bank known as the Zubov Mutual Credit Bank. The bank was a major force in modernizing the Russian Financial system. It was a major creditor and investor during the Second World War as well as during the Cold War years. However, in the 1970s, the bank began experiencing financial instability. Poor management and invests from the 1960s had place the bank in financial jeopardy. A merger was announced in 1980 between the bank and Peasants' Land Bank former Narodbank. By the time of the Soviet Union's collapse in the 1990s, Narodbank was a sprawling entity with over 40,000 branches and nearly 90% of household savings. Although it paid interest rates that were often lower than the rate of inflation, Russians who wanted a bank account continued to deposit their money in the familiar institution. Narodbank also worked to modernize its operations and add new services. It signed deals that allowed it to computerize all its branches and implement a central clearing system. Its first ATM for the company was opened in Saint Petersburg. With the expansion of the Russian Empire into Moscow and the former Soviet Union, Narodbank expanded as well and help to clean up the financial problems left by the former Communist Government. Today, Narodbank is the largest bank in the Russian Empire and has become a household name.