Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: January Coup (1)
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As the confrontation between the two superpowers, Korea and the United States, took shape, the position of the third party caught in the middle—the Soviet Union—grew all the more critical.
"Regardless, we should stick to our stance leaning toward Korea, our nominal ally."
Brezhnev and the conservatives, along with the military, believed it would benefit the federation to bolster their traditional ally Korea and hold their current position.
'If we join hands with America to isolate Korea and Pyongyang weakens, won't we become the next target?'
Fundamentally, the Soviet conservatives harbored no trust whatsoever in the West.
Shelepin's faction didn't dismiss Brezhnev's faction's view as mere paranoia either.
'Even if we reconcile with America, cutting ties with Korea is a separate issue.'
With both factions in agreement on maintaining relations with Korea, the Soviets gladly accepted the loan Pyongyang had proposed.
But their perspectives on relations with America diverged sharply.
Brezhnev's faction didn't entertain reconciliation with America at all.
In contrast, Shelepin's faction argued for making peace with America to break the blockades from both superpowers and cut back on fiscal spending.
"Absurd nonsense. Is my comrade trying to drag the federation's already tarnished prestige through the mud?"
Brezhnev made it clear he could not agree to reducing fiscal spending.
The conflicts between the two factions, which had clashed over various issues up to now, crossed an irreversible point here.
'Even patience has its limits.'
Shelepin began preparing a political coup through the Communist Party Central Committee Politburo.
Shelepin had extensive networks in the Politburo and the KGB backing him.
He planned to use this formidable intelligence apparatus and connections to sweep away Brezhnev's faction in one fell swoop.
On January 30th, Shelepin seized the opportunity while Brezhnev was away on an overseas trip and convened a Politburo meeting under the pretext of "fiscal issues."
Shelepin's preparations were so thorough that Brezhnev remained completely oblivious to the coup until the very moment the meeting began.
Just as Brezhnev was wrapping up his meeting with the East German party secretary in East Berlin, he received word from Shelepin that the Politburo meeting had been called.
"A Politburo meeting over fiscal issues?"
Brezhnev sensed something off here.
They had agreed to discuss fiscal spending again next month.
There was no reason for an urgent agenda to pop up in the meantime.
This was a ploy to hide the 'real objective.'
He knew this because he had considered similar scenarios when plotting a coup against Khrushchev.
Shelepin demanded that Brezhnev return to Moscow immediately, promising to arrange a plane.
The moment Brezhnev grasped the situation, he ground his teeth.
If he complied with Shelepin's demand, he'd be forced into retirement like Khrushchev.
If he refused, he couldn't guarantee the safety of his close aides.
Either way, it was a distasteful path.
After agonizing, Brezhnev made his decision.
'I won't return to Moscow.'
Brezhnev borrowed a plane from the East German side and headed to Warsaw, Poland.
There was a reason for choosing Warsaw.
Warsaw housed the Warsaw Pact command headquarters and a communications network linking all of Europe.
Upon Brezhnev's arrival, Warsaw Pact Supreme Commander Marshal Ivan Ignatyevich Yakubovsky came out to greet him.
"General Secretary Comrade. Welcome to Warsaw."
"No word from Moscow?"
"There was, but we ignored it."
The conservatives who controlled the Soviet military didn't blindly obey orders from Moscow.
Brezhnev felt relieved seeing Marshal Yakubovsky's attitude, but that didn't mean the situation was fine by any means.
The opposition had seized the capital Moscow and the party's authority.
If things went south, Moscow could use the official chain of command to sever the conservative military's limbs.
"Let's assess the situation first."
Brezhnev wanted to figure out if Shelepin had made his move.
It wasn't long before Brezhnev learned that Shelepin had arrested conservative generals in various military districts.
"He even mobilized the GRU?"
Shelepin's connections went beyond what Brezhnev had imagined.
Shelepin had deployed senior GRU officers to swoop in and arrest the generals, cutting off the conservatives' limbs.
Even if Brezhnev tried to counterattack by some slim chance, he'd made sure it was impossible.
"General Secretary Comrade. This is getting dicey."
Marshal Yakubovsky judged that with most of the military forces neutralized by Moscow, it would be hard to turn things around by force.
Brezhnev racked his brain for a way to reverse the situation.
'Wait a minute.'
Come to think of it, there had been a similar case recently.
The Argentine coup.
Back then, the Argentine president had fought back against the military that seized power in a coup by waging a battle for public opinion.
Through that public opinion campaign, he turned the tables and drove the military out of the country.
There was no reason the Soviets couldn't do the same as Argentina.
'The problem is that Shelepin's side hasn't openly used military force.'
On the surface, Shelepin hadn't staged a 'coup.'
He'd merely set the stage to chop off Brezhnev's head if he returned.
After thinking it over, Brezhnev decided to try a public opinion war.
'No matter what they claim, I'll push the narrative that it's a coup.'
Brezhnev first gathered the press and announced that a coup had occurred in Moscow.
"A coup?"
"It's shameful, but yes."
The world was stunned by this revelation.
Both Korea and America had barely caught wind that a coup was brewing, so it was like fire on their feet.
The CIA and the Korean intelligence agency both started crunching the numbers to respond to the situation.
"What if Shelepin takes power? Would that be advantageous for us?"
Regrettably, Korean intelligence didn't get a positive answer.
'Shelepin is the one advocating reconciliation with America.'
Fewer enemies for America meant more pressure on Korea.
'So how should we move?'
Korea decided to first make a move while closely watching Brezhnev and Shelepin.
Through covert channels, Korea provided Brezhnev's side with ideas for the public opinion war.
"You must first announce the dismissal of Shelepin and his faction from their current positions."
"Strip them of official status? Without due process?"
"These are extraordinary times. In extraordinary circumstances, extraordinary measures are needed."
It was an illegal move without a Politburo meeting, but in a coup situation, quibbling over procedure was pointless.
Following Korea's advice, Brezhnev's camp stripped Shelepin's faction of their positions first.
In response, Shelepin's side declared Brezhnev impeached through a "Politburo meeting."
'If we just sit back, we'll lose the battle for legitimacy. No choice.'
This clarified the picture.
Everyone now recognized that Shelepin's faction had launched a coup against Brezhnev.
The first step in crushing a coup was making the "fact of rebellion" known to all.
With the first button fastened, it was time for step two: appealing to the masses.
'But the appeal itself is tricky.'
To call for disobedience against the coup forces, Brezhnev's own regime had the original sin of coming to power via a 'coup.'
How ironic was it for a coup-installed power to appeal against another coup?
There was only one way.
Create legitimacy out of thin air.
How?
Package it well.
"The great leader Comrade Stalin who led us to victory in World War II. Without him, not only the Soviet Union but the Slavic peoples themselves would have been exterminated by the Nazis. Who insulted that great leader?"
"It was Nikita Khrushchev, the bald leader who knew nothing. The reactionary who ruined agriculture and the economy."
So, wasn't the coup that crushed that reactionary a legitimate act to set the Soviet Union right?
Absurd logic, but people were ready to buy into it.
Nostalgia for the days when they ruled as a superpower dividing the globe.
Korea used nostalgia for the Stalin era to patch up Brezhnev's lack of legitimacy.
"Even in the 21st century, where the dictator's underbelly has been fully exposed, nostalgia for Stalin remains absolute. How much more in an era when Stalin's glory still lives."
Thanks to Yi Seong-jun's machinations, Brezhnev repackaged his image as the 'legitimate ruler.'
Of course, Shelepin didn't just sit idly by while Brezhnev wrapped himself up nicely.
"Brezhnev isn't even a Politburo member, let alone a Communist Party member."
Shelepin made it clear that Brezhnev was an unqualified figure dismissed without a Politburo meeting, and claiming to be the Soviet head of state was a criminal act in itself.
"I appeal to the people. Do not obey the orders of criminals trying to usurp the legitimate regime through illegal means."
"Brezhnev staged a coup, but we are different. We merely 'legally' dismissed Brezhnev."
Brezhnev and Shelepin both claimed legitimacy, but public perception leaned toward Brezhnev.
The reason was simple.
The title of 'General Secretary.'
In reality, there was no superior-subordinate relationship between Shelepin and Brezhnev.
But appearances suggested otherwise.
No matter how you looked at it, Shelepin's impeachment was an underling overthrowing his superior—a grave insubordination.
Brezhnev actively exploited this image.
"In Argentina too, the people rose up to protect their legitimate ruler. Is the Soviet Union inferior to Argentina?"
As a result, the public opinion war turned against Shelepin.
"Why can't we control the broadcast stations?"
Shelepin fumed over this, but given the sheer size of the Soviet state, it was unavoidable.
Shelepin's networks and capabilities lost much of their power outside Moscow.
In contrast, Brezhnev's forces had widespread influence even in the provinces.
As the situation dragged on for three days without resolution, things began to shift subtly.
There were already strong voices within the party fearing the return of a "progressive Stalin."
Shelepin had to admit that to turn this around, he'd inevitably have to resort to military force.
"No choice but to handle it messily. Deploy troops to the major cities."
Shelepin resolved to settle the matter by force if necessary.