The assassin was very skilled and daring, as he assassinated the president in front of all the Soviet leaders. The assassin's method was sophisticated, and even his position was calculated.
The guards around were not to be trifled with. Although they were a step slower than the attacker, they still managed to pull Gorbachev away two seconds after the attacker grabbed his neck. Several of them pressed him to the ground. The guards thought the attacker just wanted to strangle Gorbachev, but after pulling the attacker away, they found it was too late. Gorbachev collapsed to the ground, his breath gradually weakened. At this time, everyone subconsciously looked at the attacker's hand, and they found that there was a needle hidden in the ring on the attacker's right hand.
"Call the doctor over quickly!" Shening said angrily.
The attacker, who was restrained by two or three people, sneered and said, "Don't waste your time. This is a special toxin made by the KGB. Gorbachev's heart will stop beating in thirty seconds. Oh, and there are only twenty seconds left."
In a rage, Varennikov punched the attacker's still young face hard and said angrily, "Who ordered you to do that?"
"Yeltsin! For Russia, Gorbachev must die!" the attacker said righteously, and he did not hesitate to name the mastermind, which made everyone present feel depressed. However, what no one noticed was that the last person to enter the room and witness the scene, the director of the KGB Technical Bureau, Vacheslav Genoranov, secretly recorded the assassin's actions and words with a small camera. Afterwards, he raised his head and made eye contact with Plekhanov for a while, and the latter nodded to him in a very subtle way.
Like all conspiracies that had just begun to emerge, if someone had been willing to pay attention, they would have found that Yanayev had commented on Plekhanov in public seven months ago, calling the director of the Ninth Bureau a loyal, brave, and overall person. It is said that the two had held a secret meeting in private, and as for what they said, only the parties involved and God know.
The assassin had been taken away and was under strict guard. When the doctor rushed to the living room, Gorbachev's heart had completely stopped beating. Although he was given emergency treatment immediately and was to be sent directly to the nearest hospital by a special plane, Gorbachev's personal doctor still revealed to the leaders present that the hope of President Gorbachev's recovery was slim and hoped that everyone present could make plans.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Such a sudden change was not within their scope of consideration. Shen Ning even asked a stupid question to everyone present, "What should we do now?"
"What can we do? The plan will be implemented as normal." Plekhanov began to lead the group's voice, taking advantage of the fact that everyone was at a loss to make the plan develop in the direction he had set. "We originally wanted to make President Gorbachev unable to serve as president due to health problems, and all power would be handed over to Vice President Yanayev. And President Gorbachev's assassination at this time is just in line with this point, isn't it?"
Then Plekhanov said what no one dared to say. "Gorbachev is dead. The biggest obstacle to our implementation of the State Emergency Committee has disappeared. Even if Gorbachev is not dead, it will take a month to rescue him. We can use this month to completely sideline him."
No one was talking, which was equivalent to tacitly agreeing with Plekhanov's point of view. At this moment, all people had to do was to rush back to Moscow and declare a state of emergency, instead of staying here and worrying about Gorbachev's life. Perhaps these people all hoped that Gorbachev would never wake up again?
Bolkin looked out the window. At this moment, the sky over the Crimean Peninsula, which had been peaceful for almost 47 years, was shrouded in the suspicion of political conspiracy. Would Gorbachev's death, like a powder keg in the Balkan Peninsula, ignite a war within the Soviet Union and conflicts between the member states?
Before leaving the Foros villa, Shenin reported this unhappy "good" news to the members of the State Emergency Committee in his office in the Foros villa. After receiving the bad news, the members of the State Emergency Committee immediately held an emergency meeting in the Kremlin.
On the afternoon of August 18, 1991, in the corridor of the Kremlin that carried more than a hundred years of history, Soviet leaders hurriedly walked across the smooth marble floor and headed for the highest conference room. Everyone's face looked gloomy, as unpredictable as the weather on Moscow's Red Square.
After closing the heavy mahogany door with intricate carvings, members of the State of Emergency Committee gathered around a table. The eight-member committee members, Yanaev, Pavlov, Baklanov, Yazov, Pugo, Kryuchkov, Starodubtsev, and Tiziakov, will further discuss the subsequent declaration of a state of emergency in the country.
"Comrade Yazov, please convene a meeting of the commanders of all military regions and issue targets: maintain order and strengthen the vigilance of military facilities according to the situation; in other situations, pay attention to listening to the radio and reading newspapers. And when necessary, troops can be dispatched to suppress areas where unrest occurs." Yanaev said seriously.
"It's just martial law, there's no need to suppress it, right?" Tijakov said hesitantly, "After all, those are the people we swore to protect."
"Comrade Tiziakov, open your eyes and see clearly. These guys who gather on the streets and try to deny the legitimacy of a regime through street politics are only worthy of being called thugs!" Yanaev sneered disdainfully, "And Comrade Kryuchkov, there is no need to keep the news to yourself at this point. It's time to tell us about the news of the impending riots you received."
KGB Chairman Kryuchkov was stunned for a moment. He did not expect Yanayev to know more about the news he had just received than he did. He nodded and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, a major disaster is about to happen in the Soviet Union. According to the news received by the KGB, someone is going to launch an armed riot. Those who intend to overthrow our regime will surround some strategic locations in the capital, including the TV station headquarters, the railway station and the two hotels where the parliamentarians live. I also found a blacklist. The blacklist contains the names of some government officials, including the vast majority of the participants. These government officials and their families will be executed."
Kryuchkov's words hit everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. This kind of bad news is so heavy that it makes people breathless. If Moscow is overthrown, the Soviet Union will inevitably fall into the quagmire of civil war.
"So Moscow must be under martial law. We need to mobilize three mechanized infantry regiments, a tank regiment, and a reconnaissance battalion from the Manta Division."
Yanayev had become the supreme leader of the Soviet Union at this time, and he issued orders to his colleagues in an orderly manner, "And Comrade Pugo, your secret police from the Ministry of Internal Affairs have also been mobilized to station in Red Square, and important areas such as the Kremlin and the White House are under martial law. Remember to have them carry guns. Once a situation occurs, shoot on the spot without mercy. I don't care who the guns are pointed at, as long as they violate the supreme will of the Soviet Union and attempt to cause unrest in the country, they must die."
"Will we be alienated by our friends and relatives if we do this?" Pugo was worried that doing so would push the State Emergency Committee into the abyss of public enemy.
Yanayev said coldly, "Why? Can MacArthur of the United States bloodily suppress the veterans of World War I, and can the Gwangju Incident happen in democratic South Korea, but we are not allowed to take up arms to protect our motherland? Comrade Pugo, if you are too soft-hearted, you will be exploited by people with ulterior motives."
Interior Minister Pugo was speechless after the rebuttal, while Defense Minister Yazov expressed support for Yanayev's approach, saying it was time to awaken those ignorant fools through iron and blood.
Yanaev was not afraid of those who turned against him at the last minute. Major Yevdokimov and Major Agayev, who supported Yeltsin, had been transferred out of the Moscow Guards Division by Yanaev half a year ago under one excuse or another. Lieutenant General Grachev and Konstantin Kobets also became political victims three months ago. The top brass of the Guards Division had long been replaced by reliable generals loyal to the Soviet Union. It could be said that there was no one around Yeltsin who could protect him from the wind and rain.
"The last mission is to assassinate the Soviet traitor, Boris Nicholasevich Yeltsin."