The year is 1986. The Soviet Union and NATO are at war. You're located on the island of Volnyrsk, somewhere in the Baltic Sea.

The island of Volnyrsk, originally Wollnirsch, was discovered by German explorer Johannes Bette in the late 15th century. It’s changed hands throughout history, but it ultimately ended up in Soviet hands after World War 2. It’s populated by ethnic Germans, Baltic peoples, and Russian settlers, mostly fishermen. There are several villages on the island, the most notable being Rybar, near the centre of the island, and Bettesburg, on the north side of the island, which is the island’s largest settlement. The island was home to a military radar installation, manned by a small garrison of Red Army troops. After the emergence of hostilities in mainland Europe, the island was attacked from air and sea by a joint U.S. and U.K. force. The original Red Army garrison was caught off guard, but a reinforcing force of Soviet naval infantry assisted by the VDV and some elements of the Soviet ground forces who’d been landed on the island managed to recuperate and fortify a large section of the island’s north. The invading NATO force has pushed deep into the centre of the island, with their first engagement in the town of Rybar ending in victory, and the town’s scarce Soviet defenders’ expulsion from the area, although several men were lost.