Soviet Union 1991

Moscow Mayor Luzhkov carried a cup of coffee and walked to the office as usual. This was an ordinary day for him. He finished the work at hand as before and then drove home from get off work and returned to the building in Moscow. A villa in the suburbs, thinking about where to go fishing on the Moskva River in the suburbs on the weekend.

But there was a small accident today. When he saw Pugo, the Minister of the Interior who was about to retire, at the door, he stopped in his tracks. He frowned in confusion, not knowing what happened.

Pugo waved to him and motioned for Luzhkov to come over. The mayor, known as the "absolute leader of Moscow", actually took a step back when the person opposite waved, and the idea of ​​​​escape came to his mind. A strong sense of foreboding gripped my heart.

"Good morning, Minister Pugo, but why are you here?" Luzhkov finally greeted him, and tactfully hinted that this was his office and that he had gone to the wrong place.

Pugo didn't care what Luzhkov was thinking. In fact, he no longer cared about what the other party was thinking. According to Yanayev, all those who block the progress of the times must be prepared to pay the price.

"I'm not Minister Pugo now."

Pu Ge smiled helplessly, looking at the other party's somewhat relieved look, and added the bad news, "I am now the head of the Central Special Inspection Commission, so you understand why I am here."

At this point Luzhkov could no longer laugh. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down.

Officials throughout Moscow knew exactly what the Central Special Inspection Commission was. If the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is a loyal servant of the entire Political Bureau, dedicated to dealing with common enemies who block everyone's progress, then the Central Special Inspection Commission is Yanayev's sharp blade specifically used to cleanse corrupt elements. It is different from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in that it is completely independent of any department and is only responsible to the General Secretary. As long as Yanayev is willing, even his 819 comrades who are fighting together can eradicate them all. The political situation is no longer a collective leadership since the Stalin era. The particularity of the August 19 coup made Yanayev a leader above ten thousand people.

Any traitors who stand in the way of the times will be sniffed out and executed.

Minister Pugo sat down in Luzhkov's office. His voice was not loud, but Luzhkov heard every word clearly.

"I have heard this saying, time is moving forward, the country is changing, Moscow is changing, only Moscow Mayor Luzhkov remains unchanged. Do you know what this sentence means?"

Minister Pugo's rhetorical question made the other party shudder. I don't know if it was because he was the Minister of the Interior or because he was already a member of the Special Inspection Committee. He subconsciously shrank his neck and shook his head to deny the rumor. Luzhkov pointed to the ceiling and said with certainty, "I have never done anything to disgrace the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. I swear to God."

Seeing the other party's funny performance, Pugo shook his head helplessly, "You don't need to swear to God. In fact, as long as you are loyal to General Secretary Yanayev, you will turn a blind eye no matter what you do. Including your independent kingdom of Moscow, and your Greedy wife Yelena. You have contributed a lot to the reform and opening up, including your hard-working leadership team composed of experts and doers. These people do not like to show up, work hard, and are willing to obey the unified command and unified will of the party.”

Luzhkov’s absolute control over power can be seen from the fact that the media rarely discloses the contradictions and factions within the Moscow city government.

"But General Secretary Yanayev is very troubled. Although he praised your ability to create capital profits unparalleled, it has even reached the point where 4 out of every 10 rubles in the Soviet government's revenue are created by the city of Moscow. But Yanayev It’s time for General Secretary Yev to clean up the ‘worms’. Starting from next year, the leadership group will be replaced. Neither you nor I are the pioneers who adapt to the development of the times. Sitting in this position will only become Yanayev’s. Obstacle."

Luzhkov clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "The political bureau cannot treat me like this. I have created enough wealth for this city! I am Yanayev's hero!"

"You are indeed Yanayev's hero, otherwise do you think you can sit in this position for so many years?"

Pugo looked at the poor guy in front of him and said sarcastically, "General Secretary Yanayev is a meritocracy, so even if you are sitting in that position to seek personal gain with your power and enrich your own pockets, he chooses to turn a blind eye. Oh, by the way, he He also expressed his gratitude for creating a stable, united, and practical leadership team for the Moscow City Government. Now you can retire from this position and hand over this group of people.”

Luzhkov worked hard for many years, but in the end he only laid the foundation for future leadership.

"You want me to retire now?" Luzhkov was shocked. "No, I can't leave now. Moscow still needs me! I can't leave this position."

People who have been in power for too long will never let go of power.

Pugo looked at him with disgust. Luzhkov still hadn't understood what Yanayev was thinking, and he deserved to be the first target in this purge.

"I must reiterate a point, a very important point. Your retirement is the best ending, not the worst ending. The worst ending may be that you and your wife are sent to the gallows together."

Pugo replied coldly, "Retirement is conditional, that is, you must fully explain all the crimes committed by the interest groups behind you, otherwise you will not be able to walk out of this door today."

Pugo clapped his hands, and then the entourage who came in gently closed the door. He and the other party were the only ones in the entire office. Pugo leaned back on the sofa and regained the fierceness he had when he was the Minister of the Interior.

Anyway, the task Yanayev gave him was to offend everyone.

"Give you paper and pen, and tell me all your names. If you don't want your wife Yelena and children to have any accidents, tell me honestly. Start with the Ministry of Internal Affairs Police Station, and then the deputy mayor. The municipal party committee secretary, etc., all the sins of everyone must be written clearly, and only after they are clearly explained can you step out of this door. "

"You are truly a loyal defender of the party..."

Luzhkov's eyes were bloodshot because he was too angry, and he wanted to execute the guy in front of him on the spot. But thinking of the huge shadow behind Pugo,

This is the general secretary who single-handedly turned collective leadership into one-person leadership. In terms of strength, the navy, land and air forces are all loyal to him. In terms of power, no one in Moscow is his opponent. The other party doesn't even need to use conspiracy, just tell him directly that I am going to deal with you, and there is nothing you can do about it.

"Write it, Mayor Luzhkov. For the sake of the future of your children and wife, do you want to see their tragic end? The Special Inspection Committee on the matter between your wife and the Ministry of Energy has long been clear about it. At least You don’t have to die yet.”

Luzhkov sneered and said, "If I hand them over, I will still die. Even if the Party Central Committee agrees to let me hand over all my assets and escape unscathed, these people will not let us go."

Luzhkov didn't even dare to run away. In 1991, the director of the Labor Bureau and his family fled to Miami, thinking that they would be safe. In order to make a warning to others, Moscow directly sent agents into the United States to kill the whole family of traitors to the motherland in a hotel. After that, they even accepted disciplinary inspections. No one dared to step outside the committee's investigation.

"I don't know what will happen to you after that, but the safety of your wife and your children depends on your thoughts."

Pugo's unconscious narration made Luzhkov shiver all over. He believed that the lunatics on the Special Inspection Committee could do anything, especially since they firmly believed that what they were doing was a just cause.

The two of them stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Luzhkov sighed and said in despair, "I will write and I will explain everything. But I just hope that General Secretary Yanayev will let him go because of his commitment for so many years." my family."

"certainly."

Pu Ge pushed the pen in front of the other party, said with a smile, and decided everyone's death or life in an understatement.

"What happens to your family depends on this document."