AHC: No Russia

Razgriz 2K9

Banned
What can have stop Russia from becoming a nation and grow the way it did.

The objective here is to prevent a unified Russia. That of course would require another powerful Russian state that can actually take on Muscovy without being too overly powerful in that it would conquer it. Novgorod of course is a poor choice without some sort of aid (read: Lithuania or Sweden), so it would have to be from near Mucovy's vicinity, probably Ryazan or Tver.

Alternatively, a Golden Horde that doesn't go into decline the way it did could also do the job, though whether or not it will grow the way it does is up in the air IMHO.
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Have Golden Horde never decline and Muscowy fall apart. Then you have parts of Russia ruled by Tatars, part by Tatar vassal principalities and part by small independent states.
 
Even better, have another group set up shop in what is now Kiev. For example, say Kotrag and his Bulgars made a wrong turn after being ambushed by a Khazar raiding party, and in an act of desperation, Kotrag moves westwards instead of northwards. They somehow arrive in the Dnieper River and cross it before arriving in Kiev. Seeing the divided Slavic population that is living there, Kotrag then takes an opportunity to offer his services to ruling them. So instead of Kievan Rus', we now have Kievan Bulgaria.
 
You would need 2 PoDs to properly butterfly as much as Russia, rather than crushing it when it already appeared.

Weaken Byzantium as much as possible, and make Umayyads and Abassids clearly win the Khazar Wars. You don't need to crush them (I don't think it would be that possible) but to make them convert definitly to Islam (it began OTL, but discontinitly).

Weakening ERE would probably ask for more successful Bulgars on Balkans and Arabs on Anatolia, but everything could be fine as long that Black Sea isn't firmly controled by the empire, and that someone other than them build a fleet on it.

It would be then possible to nerf the Crimea/Kiev/Novgorod trade road at the benefit of Caspian/Volga/Ladoga, that was favoured by Arabo-Muslims merchants. While the influence of Varangians would probably create a Slavo-Finn-Norse ensemble corresponding roughly to OTL Republic of Novgorod, as well influencing south, if Constantinople is less interesting as a diplomatic and/or trade center, and with a Muslim Khazaria and V.Bulgaria, you have more chance to favour their expansion or influence to create a Slavo-Muslim ensemble (if not an expension of Arab trade road states and khanates) and to butterfly Russia as a whole (except to the North, but it wouldn't be Kievan Rus')
 
Top