Russia's history is largely the same as *here* up until the Russo-Japanese War. *There*, Japan was more successful, and the war lasted longer. Japan captured the entire island of Sakhalin, as well as parts of the Russian Far East. Upon invading the Far East, they freed political prisoners, who fought alongside Japanese forces as the Free Russian Brigade. A provisional government, the Republic of Siberia, was set up. Rebellions sprung up all over Russia. The Baltic states and Finland seceded, as did Poland, the Ukraine, and Caucasian states. Japanese troops marched almost unopposed into Asian Russia, making the Urals the western border of their puppet Republic of Siberia. In European Russia, chaos ensued. Tsar Nicholas abdicated in favor of his brother, Michael, and fled to Britain. Russia,