In 1987, American journalist Devlin Winchell was reported captured by Borovian secret police. A small group from the G.I. Joe team -- Stalker, Snow Job, Quick Kick and Outback -- were sent into Borovia to rescue Winchell. Posing as foreign businessmen, the Joes made their way to the Hotel Grod in Krogdnz. In a nighttime raid, the Joes snuck into the State Security building where Winchell had been held, only to discover he was no longer there. Since the Joes began their mission, the State Department had made a deal with the Borovian government to free Winchell. As they attempted to escape, the Joes were discovered. In the fight that followed, Snow Job and Quick Kick were injured. Stalker had to stay behind with them, but ordered Outback to escape on his own and get word back to the United States. Outback fled through the sewers of Krogdnz and eventually made contact with the U.S. Embassy in Russia. Though Outback returned home, the government ordered the Joes not to make any rescue attempt for the others. The three Joes would remain imprisoned in Gulag 23 for months before Scarlett and Snake-Eyes undertook an unauthorized mission along with Storm Shadow, Billy, Jinx and the Blind Master and liberated the gulag.

A few years after the liberation of Gulag 23, Borovia succumbed to the chaos that came after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Rioting broke out in Krogdnz's Lenin Square, incited by a man name Metz who was hoping to gain power by reigniting the old ethnic conflict between "upper-Borovians" and "lower-Borovians". Borovian Security Police were preparing to gun down Metz -- to stop his rebellion -- along with the rioters, but were stopped by Snake-Eyes, sent on a commando mission to rescue US representative, George Strawhacker. During the mission, Metz shot and killed Metz is front of a crowd after threatening a small girl. The crowd turned on Metz, and he was nearly hanged by the people. His death was stopped by Snake-Eyes and locals Magda and the White Clown.

In the years that followed, a provisional government was put in place, ending the chaos for a time. Magda was elected president but the government collapsed afterward, partly due to the revolutionaries known as the Lower Borovian Separatist Front. The nation was again in turmoil and fighting broke out in the streets between the Separatists and the Borovian Secret Police, who were now acting on their own. Hawk and Lady Jaye found themselves trapped in Krogdnz during the fighting. With the help of the White Clown and Magda they fought the Bezpos until a group of Joes came to the rescue. The Joes finally got out of Borovia, but the warfare continued.

Magda formed under a new government led by the Liberal Democrats, with the help of the White Clown. The nation was renamed "Borigia / Krazny-Marengo", in keeping with it's traditional name, not used since before the communist revolution. But, the strife never ended, and an army of extremists led by old rebel Metz continued to fight the Liberal Democrats for years. Eventually, Metz decided the only way to win the war was to get outside support and turned to Cobra for help. After a battle in the capitol, an armored column of Cobra tanks, led by the Commander himself, defeated the last of the Liberal Democrats. Magda and the White Clown were brought before Metz, and he intended to spare their lives, remembering they had once saved his. Cobra Commander had other ideas. He casually gunned them both down with a machine gun. He intended for Metz to be merely a puppet leader, with Cobra taking control of the country. With Borovia now subdued, the Commander moved on through Europe, first taking Darklonia. The next nation on his list was Wolkekuckuckland, but advisors for the G.I. Joe team were there, aiding W-land's leader, General Liederkranz. After a long battle, Cobra was driven off and defeated.

Cobra Commander soon decided to get rid of Metz altogether, and sent Zartan to do assassinate him. Posing as General Liederkranz's weaselly aide, Wolfgang, Zartan set explosives inside the Hotel Grod. When Metz came inside, the bomb was set off and Metz was killed. Zartan made his escape, but Wolfgang was blamed for the assassination. But when a mob of Borovians tracked down Wolfgang, they praised him for killing Metz, chanting "Long live Wolfgang!" Incredibly, Wolfgang was soon made president of Borovia. No doubt, Cobra decided to use him as another puppet. In recent years, little contact has been made with Borovia, but the region still remains in turmoil.

(GI 61-66, 103-106, 128, 129, 145-151)