It gets weirder even.
Today I joined a friend of mine who had gotten involved in a civil war between a Federal aligned Labour party and a League at Drevlyada. I could accept missions there normally, and indeed took a wing massacre mission to help him out.
When I went to join him in a combat zone, I couldn't actually see any. When he turned on a wing beacon, I could drop in where he was, and fight in the war... which for me didn't exist. A third friend joined in, and the situation was the same for her. She could fight in the war with us, but only by following a wing beacon into the combat zones which were only there for one of us.
Now, these combat zones actually worked correctly. The progress bars were there and they could be won and lost.... only there's was nothing about a state of war between the fighting parties on the system information panel, nor were the two sides locked on the same influence.
What the actual intercourse?