Servant of the People in Kyiv

Gulenko was fidgeting and looked at Masol, Kravchuk and others, but their eyes were firmly fixed on the old secretary and they had ignored him, the first secretary.

Gulenko could only defend himself by saying, "I arrested the Committee of the People's Movement of Ukraine on the orders of the General Secretary..."

"Ok?"

Shcherbitsky snorted coldly, and Kravchuk hurriedly whispered, "Are you confused?"

Gulenko suddenly came to his senses, and with a cold sweat on his face, he nodded and said, "Yes... I misunderstood the General Secretary's intention... I arrested the wrong person..."

"Hey, it's right to correct your mistakes as soon as you realize them."

Shcherbitsky laughed heartily, looking at the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Security Committee, and the Army who were present at the meeting. He said in a deep voice, "Immediately release the 1133 arrested members of the Ukrainian People's Movement. Then, all troops will enter the south bank of the Dnieper River and block all intersections... A curfew will be implemented tonight..."

Sherbitsky is worthy of being the old secretary of Ukraine. He is a veteran who participated in the Second World War and a promising person who worked his way up from the local to the central government. After he took over the power in Kiev, he first unified thoughts through meetings and silently suppressed the arrogance of Gulenko's faction. Then he issued a series of orders. All participants knew that as long as these orders were implemented, the situation in Kiev could be controlled instantly.

Gulenko sighed inwardly, regretting his decision: "Old Secretary, you are truly brilliant..."

The Ukrainian people's movement is truly a powder keg. The General Secretary ordered me to arrest them, but even after arresting over a thousand core members, they were still able to stir up so much trouble. I'd never believe anyone who says Shcherbitsky isn't behind this...

If I'd known this would be the outcome of arresting Rukh, I wouldn't have said anything... Sigh... If I'd known this a few days ago, I might have just released Haniyev and the others. What's the point of saving face, or satisfying the General Secretary? If I can't protect myself, it's all just empty talk. If I'd made the decision sooner, perhaps the problem would have been solved...

Chapter 221: The Spring Breeze of Reform Blows into the Door (2)

A department of the State Security Committee and a secret prison are hidden in a large forest on the northern outskirts of Kiev's Obolonsky District.

More than 30 high-ranking core members of the "Ukrainian People's Movement Committee" are detained in the secret prison, as well as more than 20 Ukrainian officials at or above the department level who were arrested for opposing reforms and serious corruption.

Since the appearance of the parade and rally composed of members of the People's Movement in Kyiv and intellectuals, students and citizens on December 11, Kyiv has been bustling for several days, but the bustle in Kyiv did not disturb the dozens of people in the secret prison.

Haniyev, Makar, Hershko and others have been living a stable life away from the world, with two meals a day and a regular life.

However, Haniyev is not an ordinary prisoner after all. He receives information from the outside world every day, and he also makes new deployments and remote commands.

On the afternoon of the 11th, Haniyev knew that his remote-controlled operation had been successful, because Gulenko and others who were blocked in the Mariinsky Palace did not immediately choose to mobilize the army to disperse the crowd by force, but instead chose dialogue.

Dialogue is impossible to succeed because Haniyev is behind the members of the Ukrainian People's Movement and the students, and their demands are things that Gulenko and others can never do, such as the unconditional release of all those arrested and Gulenko's resignation.

Haniyev had been planning this people's movement for months, and he was not prepared to make it impossible for Gulenko to step down.

After Gulenko did not choose the correct option to break the deadlock at the first time, he fell into a passive position.

As Haniyev had predicted, news arrived at dusk: "Gurenko came out to talk to representatives of the People's Movement, but the representatives and students not only ignored him, but directly demanded his resignation. Gurenko was so frightened that he fainted..."

Haniyev was overjoyed when he learned about it. Although he didn't know whether Gulenko's fainting was real or just a way to save face, this afternoon's episode marked the great success of the planned "people's movement."

Haniyev told Reuters about the people's movement in Kiev before it even took action. Foreign journalists came prepared and occupied the best positions early on to film, record and report on the people's movement in Kiev. This put the Soviet Union in a very passive position. After the First Secretary of Ukraine, Gulenko, was unable to appease the people, the struggle between the people supervised by international forces and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union reached a deep level, and the balance of the struggle tilted towards the people.

In the following days, Haniyev rarely sent out instructions, but he actively requested information from the outside world to come in, wanting to grasp the latest changes in the people's movement in Kiev and whether the CPSU's response had changed.

The situation in the past few days made Haniyev very satisfied, knowing that the development of the people's movement had been as expected.

However, in the early morning of the 16th, a note was quietly slipped into Haniyev's hand. Haniyev, who was sleeping, suddenly woke up and saw a young KGB policeman.

"Deputy Director Haniyev, please take a look."

Haniyev glanced sideways at the room and saw that everyone was still fast asleep, but the prison door was already open.

With the help of the KGB police's flashlight, Haniyev unfolded the note and saw a line of sloppy and twisted handwriting, which was obviously written in a hurry.

"Moscow and Yalta have reached an agreement over the phone. The old man has come out of retirement and arrived in Kiev before three o'clock this morning to take charge of the situation..."

Haniyev was shocked: it happened so quickly, with reports from foreign media and interference from foreign forces, Gorbachev really couldn't make up his mind to suppress it by force. But the old man was too impatient. What would be the harm in leaving them alone for another day or two?

Haniyev thought for a moment, and the note had been taken away by the agent.

The sound of the iron door closing woke up several fellow prison members. They saw Haniyev sitting at the head of the bed, and they all got out of bed and came over.

"Mr. Haniyev, what happened?"

Haniyev rubbed his hands together and said excitedly, "The winner's MVP award screen is about to begin!"

"what?"

Several committee members were stunned. They didn't understand what Haniyev said and were completely confused.

Hearing the noise, Makar and Hershko also hurriedly got up and came over.

"What happened?" Makar asked.

Haniyev looked up, his eyes shining brightly in the darkness: "Guys, our struggle is about to be won!"

Everyone was immediately excited upon hearing this. Amidst the jubilation, Makar asked, "What's the change? Has Gorbachev compromised with us? Has Gulenko been dismissed, or are they planning to release us unconditionally?"

Except for Haniyev, no one among the members of Rukh knew that he was Sherbitsky's confidant, and no one knew that all of Haniyev's actions were to help Sherbitsky make a comeback.

Haniyev laughed: "Gorbachev thought Gulenko was incompetent, so he asked Sherbitsky to come out!"

"hiss!"

Everyone's laughter stopped abruptly. As Ukrainian intellectuals, everyone knew Shcherbitsky's methods and knew that if this old man came back, he would treat everyone cruelly.

"This...how can this be considered a victory?"

Haniyev couldn't speak the truth, so he lay sideways on the bed and analyzed the objective situation. "You don't understand. Shcherbitsky is the leader of the conservatives. Although we are not conservatives, we are criticizing reform, which means we are attacking the reformists. Whether Shcherbitsky wants to control power in Ukraine, suppress Gulenko, or suppress the reformists, he will cooperate with us this time!"

Makar had long been convinced of Haniyev and obeyed his every word. Upon hearing this, he laughed and told everyone to go to sleep.

Haniyev also closed his eyes, silently wondering whether Sherbitsky would make the choices according to the many plans he had previously discussed with him after returning to Kiev, or whether Sherbitsky would make a choice based on the circumstances.

Now Sherbitzky's comeback is somewhat unexpected.

According to Haniyev's expectations, it will take a few more days to ferment.

Either Gorbachev would have to wait until the three Caucasus countries of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia were inspired by Ukraine and caused some trouble, and then the people's movement in Ukraine would flourish, and then he would ask Sherbitsky to come out. Or, Gorbachev and Gulenko would have to wait until the Soviet Red Army was dispatched to suppress the people's movement in Ukraine by force, causing trouble and adverse effects, and then Gorbachev would have to deal with Gulenko and ask Sherbitsky to come out and clean up the mess.

Chapter 222: The Spring Breeze of Reform Blows into the Door (3)

Haniyev's conjectures and deductions all revolve around Gorbachev's personality, and basically cover all options. As a person of later generations, Haniyev has a clearer grasp of the times than any contemporary people.

Because of this advantage, he was able to turn danger into safety in Chernobyl and Burkina Faso by relying on his understanding of Gorbachev and the influence of international public opinion.

But empiricism can be fatal. The development of things will never be changed by human will, nor will it be carried out exactly as people expect.

Haniyev could not have imagined that the success and large-scale development of the people's movement in Ukraine, coupled with the renewed outbreak of people's rallies and protests in Georgia, would make Gorbachev choose to compromise earlier than he expected.

At the same time, Sherbitsky, who had been out of power for more than two years, could no longer hold back and made a comeback as soon as Gorbachev extended an olive branch to him.

Although the development of the situation was somewhat beyond Haniyev's expectations, it was always developing in a positive direction. Haniyev felt that his efforts were not in vain after the old man's comeback. He estimated that he would be able to regain his freedom soon and then become the first secretary of the Kharkiv Oblast as he wished.

While Haniyev was thinking about the situation in Ukraine and imagining a bright future, he fell asleep unknowingly.

After an unknown amount of time, Haniyev was suddenly awakened by the harsh friction sound of an iron door being opened.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the strong light of the flashlight. With the help of the light, he could clearly see that it was Boladanov, the top head of the National Security Council of Ukraine, who walked in with a team of agents.

Boladanov was the deputy chairman of the Soviet State Security Committee and chairman of the Ukrainian State Security Committee. He was an important figure in the Soviet KGB. However, such a person was dismissed by Gulenko and Gorbachev not long ago because of his close relationship with Sherbitsky.

As the head of Ukraine's intelligence and security department, Boladanov never believed that the Western approach could save the Soviet Union. Therefore, he and many senior KGB officials were not reformers. It was only because of their loyalty to the party and the country that they had to obey the arrangements of the General Secretary.

After seeing the high-spirited Boladanov appear, Haniyev sat up and smiled. He knew that the old man must have reinstated Boladanov after returning to Kiev to take power again. So he came to him most likely to vindicate himself.

Boladanov had met Haniyev several times in Villa No. 12. He had not paid much attention to this young man whom the old secretary trusted and valued before. He only cooperated with him and Nikolay for the old secretary's face. However, the recent changes in Kiev shocked Boladanov. He knew that all this was manipulated by Haniyev behind the scenes.

After learning tonight that Sherbitsky had really returned and Gurenko had been benched, Boladanov's attitude towards Haniyev changed greatly. He knew that this was a person who was destined to rise, so after receiving the order to reinstate himself and release Haniyev and others, Boladanov decided to pick up Haniyev in person to do him a favor.

After shaking hands with Haniyev, Boladanov conveyed Sherbitsky's orders.

After hearing this, Haniyev chuckled, knowing that it was just as he expected.

"Comrade Haniyev, now that the old man has returned to Kiev, you're going to be very successful."

"Only when the old man comes back can Ukraine get back on track, and we can contribute better to the Soviet cause, right?"

Haniyev shook his head slightly. "No matter what position you hold, you should serve the people. Our Soviet cause cannot withstand repeated turmoil."

Boladanov didn't know what Haniyev meant by this, but he didn't want to delve into it. He smiled and pulled him out.

"I'll send a car to take you home. I guess the old man has something to say to you tomorrow morning."

Haniyev nodded and looked at Makar and the others who had already gotten out of bed. "Secretary Shcherbitsky has returned. He has now taken over the highest power in Ukraine. He has ordered our release and overturned Gulenko's conviction of us as counter-revolutionaries."

Makar whispered, "The Ukrainian People's Movement was also banned by Gulenko before. Can it be restored?"

"Don't worry about this. Shcherbitsky is the leader of the CPSU, not Rukh. But even if we don't have a legal organizational identity, as long as it doesn't affect our development, wouldn't it be the same if we went underground?"

After hearing what Haniyev said, Makar realized that he had been overthinking it. He nodded and said, "Okay, we'll listen to you."

"Just listen to me and get out first. Go home, take a shower and have a good rest, and wait for my next instructions."

After saying this, Haniyev followed Boladanov out.

Boladanov pulled Haniyev into his car. It was already early morning and the car was driving on the wide streets. It didn't take long for them to get from the northern suburbs to the city center.

"What day is it?"

Haniyev did not take his personal belongings when he came out of prison. He subconsciously looked at his wrist and realized the problem, then asked.

"I've sent someone to pick up your belongings, and they'll be delivered to your house tomorrow morning."

Boladanov checked his phone and said, "It's 6:23 a.m. on December 16th. Comrade Haniyev, do you have any questions?"

Haniyev chuckled and said, "It turns out I've only been in jail for 11 days, but it feels like months."

"Comrade Haniyev has suffered a lot. Don't worry, Gulenko's faction has lost power. You are the old man's most trusted confidant and backbone. You will be given important positions in the future!"

Boladanov spoke casually, and Haniyev smiled and nodded, and then the car turned a corner and arrived in the center of Kiev.

When Haniyev saw the streets of Kiev again after more than ten days, he felt that everything seemed familiar and new.

The closer to the city center, the more troops, tanks and armored vehicles there were. Because the car Haniyev was riding in was a National Security Committee bus, the soldiers would let him pass at every checkpoint at an intersection.

There was a lot of garbage on both sides of the road, but few pedestrians. The windows of many houses were smashed, and the exterior walls were covered with graffiti, some of which vilified Gulenko and Gorbachev, and more of which were texts and slogans of Rukh's propaganda.

Pointing to the Soviet Red Army troops blocking the intersections and standing ready, Haniyev asked, "They've blocked every intersection in the city. Are they really preventing citizens and members of the Ukrainian People's Movement from passing through?"

Boladanov smiled faintly. "How could they possibly stop people from passing? These checkpoints were set up this morning to maintain public order. As long as there's no looting or burning, they won't interfere with anyone's normal passage. However, the presence of these troops seems to have scared off quite a few of the students who were rallying. They've been much more disciplined this morning. Usually at this time of year, there would be quite a few students roaming around causing damage, but we haven't seen any along the way, have we?"

Haniyev breathed a sigh of relief. "I've seen that the windows of these roadside houses were probably destroyed by young people participating in the people's movement. They may have mistakenly supported the reforms we promote, but their motives for participating in the people's movement may not be pure. However, we can never guarantee the purity of the revolutionary ranks. As long as the core members are loyal and sincere, that's enough..."

Boladanov pondered Haniyev's words, and considering his own intelligence work, he felt they made perfect sense. He exclaimed, "Comrade Haniyev, although you are young, you possess extraordinary wisdom. I feel truly honored to be your friend."

Haniyev noticed Boladanov's overtures and smiled, "Chairman Boladanov, you're too polite. I've long admired you. We brothers should interact more often in the future."

Ten minutes later, the convoy stopped in front of Haniyev's house.

Looking at the familiar and dilapidated two-story building of his home, Haniyev's mood became very calm. When he thought of his wife and son, Haniyev became a little excited again.

After getting off the car, Haniyev said goodbye to Boladanov and walked to the iron fence. Before he knocked on the door, his mother Natalia, who heard the sound of a car downstairs, had already opened the door.

Natalia's eyes immediately turned red when she saw her son. She hugged her son tightly and said, "You are finally back, my dear Weijia is back!"

After a while, Haniyev, with saliva all over his face, was pulled into the room by Natalia.

"Valodia (Vladimir's nickname), Tatyana, Sidlov, Viktoria, Viktor is back!"

Natalia's cry was so loud and powerful that it penetrated the walls and wooden door of the room. Almost a second later, Haniyev heard the sound of doors being opened upstairs and downstairs and the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the stairs.

His father, younger brothers and sisters appeared shortly thereafter. They hugged Haniyev and shouted in surprise, expressing their joy for his freedom and return home through body language.

A few seconds later, Tatiana, holding a little boy, stood in front of Haniyev. After not seeing her for many days, Tatiana looked much thinner, and her eyes were sparkling with moisture.

"Can you please come and see your son Paul?"

Haniyev walked over to his wife, gently kissed Tatyana on the lips, and then looked down at his son.

The little guy was already 11 days old, but it was the first time for Haniyev to see his son.

Little Paul has dark brown hair and bright eyes. He looks more like Tatyana and is very beautiful, but his expression also has the calmness of Haniyev.

"My son is so beautiful, he looks like his mother."

Haniyev kissed his son gently on the cheek. The long stubble that had not been taken care of for more than ten days pricked Paul, and he immediately started to cry.

Haniyev embraced his wife with his right arm and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Tanya, my dear love."

Chapter 223: The Spring Breeze of Reform Blows into the Door (4)

After returning home, Haniyev first washed and shaved with the gentle help of his wife Tatyana. After looking refreshed, he returned to the restaurant to have an extremely sumptuous breakfast.

Vladimir, Natalia and other family members knew that Haniyev was not suffering in prison, but they still felt sorry for him.

After asking, they learned that it was Sherbitsky's return that released Haniyev, and Vladimir and the others breathed a sigh of relief.