In Tarkov, one of the largest cities of the region, a transatlantic corporation became the ground zero of a political scandal. Six months later, the political standoff escalated into an armed conflict involving UN peacekeepers, Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and two private military companies. The region's borders were sealed off, and those trapped in the middle of flaring up local warfare were isolated from the outside world.
The most active forces in the Norvinsk region are two private military companies, hired by the sides of the initial conflict. USEC, employed by the notorious TerraGroup international corporation, vigorously engages in armed clashes, hindering the investigation of TerraGroup activities, carried on by local authorities. Moreover, according to intelligence agencies, USEC provides armed cover to illegal work and research of the foreign companies, whereas BEAR, allegedly created on direct orders of the Russian government, is employed by the Norvinsk region officials to uncover any evidence of the TerraGroup's illicit activities.