Unavoidable CTD on turn start

Hello Friends, 

I am sorry for making this post, as I have seen several similar ones - however, nothing that could have solved my problem.

After around 20 hours of gameplay, on turn start, the game crashes to the desktop, no matter how many times I try to progress a turn or what I do beforehand. AI processes take place, the crash happens just as I regain control. Debug.err file replicates this line which I have seen in other posts:

CSDFModelCore::LoadModelData has detected an SDF file that is an older version of SDF than expected: C:\Program Files (x86)\Galactic Civilizations III Villains of Star Control\Gfx\Models\Components\Meshes\ColonyModel_WeaponTexture_A_01.sdf

Another thing I noticed is that right before crashing, a civilization that is on the verge of destruction, suddenly jumps to the second place in the balance of power. At the same time, the debug file shows a great number of Starbases, Shipyards and Hypergates being destroyed. I do not know what to make of this. 

I played several games with many more hours and my RAM is sufficient. I cannot guess at anything other than a corrupted file being called. Due to mods (which have worked perfectly along my other games and are not active), I cannot verify the files, only reinstall the game. I would avoid this, if there is a known fix. 

Please see debug.err and my save here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18EnfGP3qMhHIrMrTMZnAdsAeRbx53nJP?usp=sharing

Thank you in advance!