The Fourth Disaster Begins at the Dawn of the Millennium

As early as the 1994 presidential election, there were clear factional differences within the party, with the party divided into a faction supporting then-Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma and an autonomous faction that advocated launching its own candidate. The Kuchma supporters believed that cooperating with Kuchma would gain more political resources and influence, while the autonomous faction believed that the party should uphold its independence and launch its own candidate. The result of the struggle was cooperation with Kuchma, which triggered a split within the party.

In the constitutional reform in 1996, the Communist Party of Ukraine relied on parliamentary resources to resolutely oppose the draft constitution proposed by then President Kuchma, which was centered on the "presidential-parliamentary system", and proposed another draft constitution with the main content of "abolishing the presidential system and restoring the Soviet system". The obstruction of the Communist Party of Ukraine made it difficult for the draft proposed by Kuchma to be passed.

However, in June 1996, when President Kuchma threatened to dissolve parliament, some Communist Party members "changed sides" and voted for Kuchma, allowing Kuchma's draft constitution to be passed. This "changed sides" exposed the lack of organizational discipline of the Communist Party of Ukraine and also made the party's split obvious.

After reviewing the history of factional struggles over the years, the factional struggles of the Communist Party of Ukraine can be generally divided into two factions.

The reformists advocated accepting the market economy to a certain extent, carrying out conditional privatization and economic reform, and adopting more flexible campaign strategies to win the support of middle-class voters and young voters. They believed that in the new political and economic environment, it was necessary to adapt to the market economy and democratic politics and carry out certain reforms to improve the party's social foundation.

The conservatives advocated the restoration of state control over the economy, opposed privatization and the market economy, and insisted on adhering to the traditional line of class struggle, emphasizing opposition to the market economy and Western influence. They believed that only by adhering to the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism could they win the support of the working class and old party members.

The top leaders of the Communist Party of Ukraine have conflicts and want to debate. Victor thinks that this is not impossible. So you should just sort it out first, and don't send documents to the grassroots on behalf of your respective factions, forcing the grassroots to take sides. However, when the top leaders of the Communist Party of Ukraine cannot reach a conclusion in the debate, they naturally begin to drag the grassroots into the dispute, letting the grassroots practice their own line, make achievements, and gain more bargaining chips for their own struggle at the top.

"So, who should we listen to? When they sign the documents, don't they even take a look at what they are signing?" Victor said with a wry smile.

"Who knows? Maybe they won't even take a second look. Just like the joke goes, even if the party leaders are seriously ill and need blood transfusions, the doctors will choose to give them ink first, because our leaders are signing documents non-stop, and the ink supply must be guaranteed first."

The dispute between conservatives and reformists has even gone beyond the party and has been exposed to the eyes of people outside the party. For example, the newspapers and periodicals publicly issued by the Communist Party of Ukraine are full of content about "left-right struggles". Conservatives and reformists are doing their best to fight for the right to speak for their factions in the mouthpiece system, so as to influence more people and increase the prestige of their factions.

It is obvious that the Communist Party of Ukraine is now completely unable to achieve "unity-criticism-unity". Factional struggles have substantially affected daily work, even in the absence of materials and manpower.

To some extent, this has led to the gradual abstraction of grassroots work...

Due to factional struggles, central decisions frequently change, and grassroots party members find it difficult to adapt to such changes, resulting in difficulties in implementation. Factional struggles may also cause information to be filtered or distorted during transmission. Superior leaders may only transmit information that is beneficial to their own faction, while ignoring or tampering with information from opposing factions. Different factions may transmit contradictory information to the grassroots, causing grassroots party members to be unable to determine which information is correct and fall into confusion. Some factions may deliberately set up obstacles to obstruct the implementation of the decisions of opposing factions at the grassroots level, further exacerbating the chaos of grassroots work.

The party's policies constantly fluctuate between conservatism and reform, and grassroots party members are unable to determine which line to follow, feeling confused and lost. The inconsistency of policies makes it impossible for grassroots party members to determine standards during implementation, resulting in chaos in work. In the eyes of grassroots party members whose beliefs are not particularly firm, they may relax their compliance with discipline and lose trust in their superiors when they see their superiors fighting for factional interests, believing that they only care about power struggles rather than the party's cause. If even the superiors are like this, then as a grassroots party member, shouldn't I just let it go?

The top leaders of the Communist Party of Ukraine did not reflect on whether it was their own "wavering" that confused the grassroots. Instead, they accused these party members of lacking the necessary political theoretical qualities and insufficient party education. Some minor setbacks made these party members skeptical about the party's ideas and activities, and unable to work actively and effectively for the party's cause.

-..-......... .- ..-.-

"To be on the safe side, we will implement two routes at the same time, shout two slogans, and not offend either side..."

"No, no, absolutely not! This will not only confuse our party members, but also make the public feel that our party is unstable and unreliable. Everyone has clear and consistent expectations for the party's policies. Shouting two slogans will only make everyone discouraged, and they will abstain from voting in the election or switch to another party..."

Suddenly, there was a loud thunderclap, and outside the window, heavy rain poured down. The rainstorm came suddenly, as if the sky was torn apart. Raindrops poured down, splashing countless water on the ground. People panicked and the streets were in chaos. Some people hurriedly took out umbrellas from their bags, but they were blown away by the strong wind and could not be opened; some people tried to cover themselves with newspapers or clothes, but they were soon soaked by the rain; others simply gave up resistance, letting the rain pour on them, and ran around in a panic to find a place to hide.

At this moment, Alexei rushed into the room and took off his wet clothes, saying, "Victor, today it's our turn to take the initiative. I led everyone to sneak attack those neo-Nazis and beat them up! But this damn weather made everyone in our triumphant team look like drowned rats! The weather in Kharkov changes too quickly, and the rain starts to fall as soon as it's said! When will this damn rain end?"

The rain was still falling, as usual. The world outside the window seemed to be covered by a layer of gray curtain, and the road ahead could not be seen clearly.

Chapter 177: Local “Power Seizing Factions”

"What's wrong? Why are you so sad? Aren't things going well recently? We beat up some neo-Nazis today, so why are all your faces gloomier than this damn weather?"

Alexei, who is like a "sunny and cheerful boy", seems a bit out of place among the depressed members of the Communist Party of Ukraine. In today's hearty battle, he "stretched" his muscles and bones hard, gained some combat experience, and after taking a hot bath, he was "radiant". Alexei didn't understand what made everyone frown. The recent abstract election made the Communist Party of Ukraine famous, and the recent free clinic also gained a good reputation. The "cheap meal" activity organized by the food cooperative recently cured many people's "hunger disease" and won unanimous praise.

The members of the Communist Party of Ukraine present looked at each other in confusion. They all turned their eyes to Victor. After all, Alexei was introduced to everyone by Victor. So, should they reveal these internal affairs of the Communist Party of Ukraine to Alexei?

Victor hesitated, too. Alexei was indeed a talented young man with a quick mind, always able to come up with strange but useful ideas. But the content of his work inevitably reminded people of a prankster who only cared about making money.

Alexey is a typical charlatan. He somehow got in touch with foreign companies, provided intermediary services for veterans to find jobs in foreign companies, and provided matchmaking services for the "retirement" of some military weapons and equipment. In addition, Alexey also trades in bulk goods to make money, such as purchasing medicines and high-end electrical appliances from abroad to Ukraine, and then selling Ukrainian grain and machinery.

However, Alexei does not seem to be a person who devotes himself to making money. He seems to pursue social reputation. He likes to hear people praise him. When he is happy, he will donate more food and cotton clothes to the party organization. Of course, this good reputation is also helpful for Alexei to do business. Many veterans are influenced by the good reputation and old ideology and may be more inclined to sign a contract with Alexei.

As a comedian, Alexei does not have a stereotyped negative impression of the Communist Party and communism. This is not pretended, but he can say a few words from time to time, and he applies what he has learned flexibly. He seems to understand communism better than those ordinary party members who only have a superficial understanding of communism.

"Well, after a while, you'll read the newspapers and find out that these things are almost exposed to the public." Victor said, "Well, we received contradictory instructions from our superiors."

With Victor's consent, Alexei, as a non-party member, was able to see some internal documents of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Some of these instructions may require grassroots party members to support workers' strikes in order to maintain the party's working-class base; while other instructions may require grassroots party members to persuade workers to reach a compromise in order to maintain the relationship between the Communist Party of Ukraine and industrial giants.

There are close ties between the Communist Party of Ukraine and the industrial giants in eastern Ukraine.

During the Soviet era, eastern Ukraine was the center of heavy industry, with a large number of industrial facilities and resources. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, these industrial giants still occupy an important position in the Ukrainian economy. The Communist Party of Ukraine was the ruling party during the Soviet era, with extensive political resources and influence. Although the Communist Party lost its ruling position after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it still maintains a relatively close connection in the eastern region due to its historical influence and connection with industrial giants.

First of all, the two sides have close cooperation. For example, the Communist Party of Ukraine has promoted a series of policies that are beneficial to the eastern industry in parliament. It has promoted some tax incentives to reduce the tax burden of industrial enterprises in the east; or proposed some laws to restrict the entry of foreign companies and protect the market share of local companies. In return, industrial giants will pay for some campaign advertising for the Communist Party of Ukraine, or simply use their own media channels to help the Communist Party of Ukraine carry out propaganda and provide transportation for voter mobilization.

Politically, the workers in the eastern regions of Ukraine are the "basic base" that the Communist Party of Ukraine needs, and these eastern industrial giants are the "breadwinners" of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Through their corporate networks, industrial giants help the Communist Party to contact and mobilize a large number of voters, especially industrial workers and their families.

On the one hand, the support of industrial giants, such as political donations and other forms of support, can help the Communist Party of Ukraine gain more votes and political support in the election, and give it a greater voice in parliament, which is very tempting for the top leaders of the Communist Party of Ukraine who want to maintain their dominant position in the Verkhovna Rada. You know, it is a time-consuming and laborious road to do propaganda, contact the masses, unite the masses, and mobilize the masses bit by bit on your own; but if you get the industrial giants, they can directly help the Communist Party of Ukraine get a large number of votes, which is fast and easy. Isn't this more comfortable than the previous road?

but.

On the other hand, as a Communist Party, a party that should lead the proletariat in class struggle against the bourgeoisie, it cannot stand firmly with the workers on many issues. For example, if workers from an industrial giant in the east go on strike, can you firmly support the workers in their struggle to the end? That is impossible, because you have received benefits from the industrial giant!

So, when some people in the top leadership of the party issued instructions to firmly support the workers' strike, other people outside the top leadership of the party instructed grassroots party members to use the world economic crisis to spread the message to the workers: Ukraine is the country most affected by the world economic crisis. Once the workers go on strike, the Ukrainian economy will eventually collapse, and the living conditions and working environment of the working class will deteriorate further. Therefore, the Ukrainian working class cannot go on strike and must live in harmony with the bourgeoisie.

Alexei was not as indignant as many veteran party members, nor did he show a numb expression like some others. As a person who had many internship experiences in large factories, Alexei was no stranger to the problem of "wavering left and right, and doing whatever he wanted". As for the Communist Party of Ukraine persuading workers to live in harmony with the bourgeoisie, this was not surprising. When his senior was treated unfairly and forcibly dismissed, didn't the union also seduce with the leaders?

All the documents here were read, and everyone's eyes were once again cast on Alexei.

"Why, do you need me to come up with some ideas again? Well..." Alexey said with a wry smile, "After reading these documents, I only have one feeling, chaos! Obviously, the leaders above you don't have any core leaders, it's a mess. Sometimes, the truth becomes clearer the more you argue, this is true, but the endless arguments of the leaders above you will only make the party members working below feel confused and tired. Tell me, is this true?"

Many people, including Victor, nodded in agreement. They were fed up with the current situation.

"We can't control the brains of your superiors. I'm afraid that if you get involved in this argument, you'll get so angry that you'll have a cerebral hemorrhage. So how about this, let's hold a meeting and unify our thoughts. Um, you don't mind me, a non-party member, speaking at the meeting, right?"

Seeing that no one minded, Alexei said:

"Okay, then let me talk about some other topics in the next meeting. I asked Master Victor, it seems that since the reconstruction of the Communist Party of Ukraine in 1993, it has been moving forward in a muddle without looking back. Let's summarize the historical lessons learned from the upheavals in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. After this period of getting along, I, a layman... also saw a little bit of the door. I am going to say three points, you can also compare and see if what I said is right. I think that first, the Leninist party building principles have been destroyed; second, the basic principle of the party - democratic centralism has been destroyed; third, the party's cadre work principles have been distorted...

Chapter 178: You guys fight for the Verkhovna Rada, I will go to the local areas to seize power

In a simple meeting room, dozens of grassroots party members gathered together, waiting solemnly. A red party flag hung on the wall, and the bright color was particularly eye-catching under the dim light. Alexei stood straight on the stage, holding the edge of the podium with both hands.

“The failure of the party was largely due to the violation of the Leninist principles of party building!”

Alexei spoke, his voice echoing in the room.

"First, a formalistic attitude towards class principles was formed within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, ignoring Lenin's requirements for maintaining the purity of the party's ranks and preventing the infiltration of those who are unsteady, dishonest and degenerate. Secondly, the party's basic principle - democratic centralism was violated, the rights of party members were restricted, and there was a lack of supervision over the party's leading bodies and top figures. Finally, the party's cadre work principles were also distorted. When selecting cadres, the ideological, political and moral qualities of the candidates to be promoted were ignored. As a result, a group of officials appointed by superiors who were divorced from the people and ordinary party members were formed."

The party leadership was overbearing and arrogant, and could not correctly view the monopoly of the country's only political party. This eventually led to the Soviet Communist Party gradually losing its "form" as a political organization and falling into the situation of an "arrogant party". It changed from a combative, vigorous and recognized people's vanguard to a politically and ideologically lax and unorganized party, so that in the sharp contest with various political forces, the party was unable to maintain its position as a political leader. "

Alexei's voice was deep and powerful, with an urgent emotion. When he wanted to emphasize an important point, he would slap the podium heavily with his palm, and the sound would echo in the room, as if to wake up every sleeping soul (because some people really stayed up late to watch the game and fell asleep). Victor followed closely and continued to speak. If Alexei, an "outsider", was more likely to receive applause for his speech, then Victor, an acquaintance, could resonate with everyone.

“Today, I stand here with a heavy heart but full of hope. We have all experienced the turbulent years after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, witnessed the collapse of the system we were once proud of, and felt the opportunities and challenges brought by the new era. As members of the Communist Party of Ukraine, we feel more deeply than anyone else the impact of this great change on our country and our people.

Our motherland, Ukraine, is at a crossroads. Economic difficulties, social unrest, and political uncertainty are enveloping our people. At such a time, our Communist Party should be the mainstay of leading and serving the people. However, it is sad that our party is deviating from its original aspirations and gradually losing touch with the masses.

Comrades, let us ask ourselves: why did we join the Communist Party? To fight for power in the parliamentary halls of the Verkhovna Rada? To collude with industrial giants and betray the interests of the working class? To engage in endless factional struggles within the party? Obviously not! However, facts tell us that a section of our party is gradually deviating from these original intentions.

Let’s face reality!

Some top party leaders have become addicted to the game of parliamentary politics and have devoted a lot of energy to the struggle in the Verkhovna Rada. They seem to have forgotten that the real political foundation lies in the people, not in seats in parliament. While our leaders are busy with political games, who is listening to the voices of workers, farmers, teachers, and doctors? Who is concerned about the lives of the unemployed, retired people, and families in difficulty?

Some high-ranking party officials have begun to compromise with industrial giants and have abandoned their fundamental duty to protect the interests of workers. They have sold out our principles for short-term gains............."

Seeing that the atmosphere created by the speech was almost right, Victor finally took out the "new program" that he and Alexei had written overnight, which could also be said to be a new proposition. The "new program" clearly pointed out that the grassroots Communist Party members in Ukraine were tired of the repetition and endless quarrels of the top leaders. If the top leaders could not establish a path that the majority of party members could trust and clearly point out the direction to move forward in the future, then we will use the "new program" as a blueprint, contact the grassroots party branches, and persuade the grassroots party members to support the "new program".

If the Communist Party of Ukraine wants to seize power, it must unite as one and must use the unified and concentrated power of the proletariat to counter the entire unified and concentrated power of the bourgeoisie.

Of course, this "new program" is not a particularly perfect program. It is actually quite a hodgepodge:

For example, in terms of party management, in the past, party members had to obey their superiors unconditionally. Any major decisions were made behind closed doors by the top leader or a few leaders, and then forced to be implemented at the grassroots level. In this regard, the "New Program" says screw it. From now on, major decisions must be discussed and voted on collectively, and the party's major decisions and important activities must be made public. The party's financial situation must also be made public to win the trust of grassroots party members.

For example, in terms of economy, the "New Program" rejects the previous vague "recognition of the current privatization situation and conduct limited reforms" and also says "Fuck it!" The "New Program" advocates re-examination of the results of privatization and clearing up the crimes committed in the privatization process.

The "New Program" also said that the struggle needs to unite with other left-wing forces, but under no circumstances can it "join forces" with the allied forces in parliament.….......…..-.

In a shabby basement, several Ukrainian Communist Party members gathered together. They wore heavy coats, woolen hats, and gloves. The cold penetrated the walls and penetrated their bones. The basement was dimly lit, with only an old table lamp emitting a weak light in the corner, illuminating the leaflets in their hands. Stacks of leaflets printed with the "New Program" were scattered on the table, and the paper still smelled of fresh ink.

A middle-aged party member, wearing a pair of reading glasses, was carefully reading the contents of the flyer. His fingers gently ran across the paper, and he whispered something. Others also lowered their heads to read, and everyone's expression seemed particularly serious and focused. A young party member raised his head, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

But some people also showed a worried look. This "new platform" not only did not intensify the factional struggle within the party, but it might make the struggle more intense in the future. Look at those people with excitement in their eyes. Those who are worried about the future of the party said worriedly: "The party is becoming radicalized, and the divisions are not only not bridged, but also intensified."

The "new program" is secretly spreading to cities such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Mariupol, etc., and is gradually spreading new ideas and programs among grassroots party members through secret printing and distribution of propaganda materials and organizing small-scale secret discussions.

In 1999, Alexei had to go to other places to recruit veterans. With the help of his connections in the Communist Party of Ukraine, it was more and more convenient for Alexei to recruit these military personnel. It was also convenient to recruit people from other places. Alexei's sudden departure this time was related to the fact that another group of players had problems recruiting veterans in Russia. Those players who recruited soldiers in Russia had a setback, which caused the Universal Group, which was originally preparing to make trouble in Africa, to suddenly have "insufficient troops". Alexei had to immediately set off to other places to make up for the shortage.

When they parted, Victor assured Alexei that the party organization would make good use of the $50 left by Alexei, and that according to the new program, financial expenditures must be made public. Then Victor changed the subject and talked about the imperfect new program, saying: "The new program allows some party members to join in the movement."

"It's good to be excited, but you must not act blindly," Alexei said with a smile, "The support we have now is not broad enough, and not enough people agree with it. Well, the main reason is that everyone still has illusions about the top leaders, thinking that they can go all in, win the parliamentary struggle, and take the presidency. At this time, don't do any tentative public activities... It's better to lay a good foundation first. When everyone is disappointed with the strategy of the top leaders, more people will agree with the new program. Although the Communist Party of Ukraine is the largest party in parliament, it can only barely control the majority of parliament by uniting with other left-wing parties. Once it splits with other left-wing parties, or unites with other center-right parties, the power comparison in parliament will be reversed instantly."

"Yes, I understand. Let them fight for the Verkhovna Rada. We will seize power at the local level."

Chapter 179: No training yet! How come you're already on the job?

"What's going on over there? What do you mean there's an emergency and I can't get away?" Alexey asked on WeChat. "I have to go somewhere else to recruit more people to make up for the vacancies you caused."

Another player (game ID: Makarov) replied: "That's right, we were originally here for on-the-job training, and after the training we signed a labor dispatch contract and were dispatched to Africa. Yes, that was the original plan, but how the hell did we know that those Chechen militants would attack us? It was really out of line!"

"What? Chechnya? Why are the Chechen militants so bored that they come to attack us?" "This... is a long story, so I'll make it short."

A small town on the border of Dagestan is calm and dull, as if it has been forgotten by the world in the cracks of time. Several "cooks" who have retired from the Russian army walked together on the dusty streets, planning to buy some food in this town to prepare dinner for their comrades in the camp.

"I can't believe we're going to Africa," one of the cooks said with emotion. "There are wars everywhere in Africa. Who knows which war we'll get involved in? Sierra Leone Civil War? Angola Civil War? Congo Civil War?"

"Don't worry," another soldier patted his shoulder, "The intensity of the war over there is limited, and the risk is generally low. Besides, the labor dispatch company that signed the contract with us promised that the military contractors who received us would have heavy firepower support, and the probability of dying on the battlefield is not high. I am more worried about the infectious diseases over there..."

When the cook was bargaining with the butcher, gunshots suddenly rang out not far away. At first, the veterans thought it was firecrackers, or that they had misheard, or that there was simply a shooting in the town. But soon, the gunshots became more and more frequent, coming from all directions, mixed with people's screams and cries.

This is definitely not a shooting case, this is a fucking large-scale armed attack.

Not far from these veterans, there was a group of people wearing black uniforms, with black turbans on their heads, and AK-47 assault rifles in their hands spewing flames. They were typical "Wahhabi" militants. The militants rushed into the town like wolves and tigers, and they mercilessly shot everything on the street. Several policemen tried to resist with small pistols, but they were soon shot into sieves by dense bullets, and blood splattered on the gray walls.

These retired soldiers did not transform into "War Wolf" or "War Bear" to turn the tide. What a joke! They just came to the town to do some purchasing. They didn't even have a gun, so how could they possibly fight head-on? In the final analysis, they were at most light infantry. Facing an unknown number of armed elements, fighting head-on would only result in their lives being killed.

What else can I do? Run!

The cars parked at the entrance of the vegetable market were under the gunpoint of the militants. The retired soldiers could only follow the panicked crowd and flee in another direction in the hail of bullets. They saw a mother holding a crying baby in her arms. The mother's abdomen had been pierced by bullets and blood was flowing out. She could only squat in a corner and hold the baby to avoid being trampled by the crowd; they saw an old man fell in a pool of blood and struggled weakly; they also saw a young couple hugging each other tightly, unwilling to separate even in the face of death.

"We have to help......." "You can't help!"

But the admonition came too late. One of the veterans actually picked up an egg nearby and threw it like a grenade, hitting an armed man on the head. The furious armed man gave up shooting at the baby, the old man and the couple, and instead adjusted the muzzle of the gun and fired at the veteran. The bullet whizzed over their heads, and the veteran almost subconsciously ducked his head, allowing the bullet to fly past his scalp instead of being shot in the head.

Run, keep running, there is no way to turn back, you have to run for your life! At the same time, these veterans' comrades were running in the wild outside the town, practicing a 5-kilometer cross-country run. Of course, their running speed could not be compared with these "cooks", after all, the latter had bullets behind them to "urge" them.

Outside the town, the "cooks" had almost exhausted their physical strength, with sweat running down their cheeks and soaking their army green training uniforms. However, just as they were concentrating on training, the sound of gunfire from the town in the distance broke the silence.

"Did you hear that?" The captain frowned, stopped, and pricked up his ears to listen carefully. The other team members also stopped and looked around vigilantly.

"It was gunfire, and it came very quickly..."

"I remember that the cook who was in charge of our dinner seemed to go to this town to buy food..."

"Sokabile! It looks like there's going to be a problem with dinner!"

The team members all looked at the captain, who was a talent who had "graduated" from the GRU and was sent to society. He looked around and saw an open area. At the moment, everyone was in a state of low physical strength. If they ran, they might not be able to outrun the other party. Although they didn't know whether the other party was an enemy, they could hear the continuous gunfire and knew that since they could kill the civilians in the town, they must not be good people. Once the other party found that they were weak, they would probably not mind killing them together.

"Find favorable terrain! Prepare for battle!"

"Fight? Captain, are you serious? We are holding blanks! You have dozens of live rounds..."

"That's enough, follow the orders!"

Although the team members were somewhat nervous, they quickly deployed into battle formation amidst their trepidation, then skillfully checked their weapons and loaded bullets without much verbal communication between them.

A few minutes later, two pickup trucks were seen speeding on the dirt road, their bodies shaking and raising clouds of dust.

"Ah, those bitch Chechen armed forces, I've seen them before..." The armed men sitting in the pickup truck, holding automatic rifles, stood in the car, with fierce eyes, and mercilessly fired at the civilians fleeing along the road. The bullets made a sharp whistling sound in the air, splashed dust on the ground, and made a dull "bang bang" sound when they hit the trees. The civilians screamed in fear and fled in all directions. Some fell in a pool of blood, and some hid in the bushes beside the road, trying to escape this sudden disaster.

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire sounded, and the driver of the pickup truck in the front suddenly tilted his body, lost control of the steering wheel, and the car went off the road and hit a tree, and the militants in the car were thrown all over the place. In a moment, the driver's head drooped weakly, and blood flowed from his forehead, staining the steering wheel red.

Then, the group of veterans who were crawling on the ground behind the bushes and rocks on both sides of the dirt road quickly revealed their figures. They were wearing a mix of camouflage uniforms and camouflage paint on their faces. Almost the moment they leaned out, the soldiers immediately pulled the trigger, the gunshots became continuous, and bullets poured out like raindrops.

Of course, the main thing is to listen to the sound...

The real power came from the live ammunition fired from the captain's rifle. Mixed in with the "overwhelming" sound of blank firing, he killed several Chechen militants in succession through bursts of fire. When the remaining militants saw that they were ambushed and their comrades were killed one after another, they had to immediately climb onto the second pickup truck and retreat in a hurry.

"Why are Chechen militias in Dagestan? Sukabul! Where are the Russian border guards? Did they all run away?"

Chapter 180 What? Calling for peace talks?

This is not the first time that Chechnya has gone to war with the Russian Federation.

As early as the first Chechen war, the Russian Federation and Chechnya signed the Khasaviurt Agreement, in which both sides agreed to unconditionally stop using force and postpone the discussion of the status of Chechnya and the Russian Federation for five years, that is, to hold a referendum in 5. In addition, the Russian army will withdraw from Chechnya, and at the same time, a temporary committee composed of representatives of the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic will exercise government functions to achieve the transition from a state of war to a period of peace.

However, many Russians believe that the agreement is a surrender to the Chechen separatists. The leader of the Chechen armed forces, Dudayev, was blown up. Why did the Russian Federation compromise? Fight the Chechen armed forces to the end!

However, at that time, with the 1996 Russian election approaching and the Russian federal army still not gaining full control, Yeltsin decided to take some practical actions to quickly resolve the Chechen issue, improve public opinion polls, and win votes. As early as May, Yeltsin asked the army to withdraw most of its troops and even declared that he was personally willing to go to Chechnya in May to express his sincerity in hoping that the two sides of the war would sit down and negotiate.

Ironically, as soon as Yeltsin sent out a signal of peace, Chechen militants launched a large-scale attack on the three most important cities in Chechnya, Grozny, Gudermes and Argun, and brutally beat the few Russian troops stranded in Chechnya.

In 1997, in the presidential election of the Chechen Republic, Maskhadov won more than half of the votes and was elected president. His rivals Basayev and Yandarbiyev received % of the votes.

What’s funny is that these three people are all “independence advocates” and none of them wants Chechnya to remain in Russia. The only difference is that some want “peaceful independence” and some want “armed independence”.

But even the "peaceful independence" faction, Maskhadov's faction, was increasingly not tolerated by the other faction. Dissatisfied with Maskhadov's moderate policy toward Russia, the "armed independence" faction quickly withdrew from the cabinet. Then, they simply declared that they would not recognize the results of the election and would continue their armed struggle for "independence". They issued a declaration:

"When our leaders signed the ceasefire agreement, I and the troops of General Dudayev, under my leadership, fought against the Russians. We have never and do not intend to sign any kind of peace agreement... No one except Allah has the right to order us to stop the struggle for national liberation... We have decided not to condone what Russia has done in Chechnya."