On The Edge Of The Precipice D+24 (2 August, 1987) 1100-1530 Zulu

1100 Zulu- In Western Poland Marshal Snetkov learns of multiple Soviet divisions in West Germany surrendering to NATO forces. Unfortunately for CINC-West, communication disruptions make it almost impossible to verify the authenticity of the reports. 1115 Zulu- Similar claims of Soviet surrenders are making their way to SACEUR in Belgium. Only his reports come from …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 1730-1800 Zulu

Moscow, USSR 1730 Zulu (2130 Local Time) Another meeting between two senior members of the Soviet government was starting just as the one in Dolgikh’s dacha was drawing to a close. This one was happening in the general secretary’s residence inside of the Kremlin compound. Grigori Romanov was seated in a comfortable leather chair near …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0005-0030 Zulu

Moscow, USSR 1 August, 1987 0005 Zulu (0405 Local) Viktor Chebrikov was not a man familiar with indecision. The sixty-four-year-old KGB Chairman’s career had been constructed on a foundation of swift, decisive action in times of high pressure. Now, when the fate of the State hung in the balance, Chebrikov waivered over a decision so …

Politics of Armageddon: The Politburo Returns D+21 (30 July, 1987)

In the early part of the afternoon, the first Politburo members returned to Moscow following their short trips. The bleak and uncertain atmosphere they found the city in mirrored their own attitudes and feelings sharply. The rides from the airport to their residences took them through Moscow and separately, the men who ruled the Soviet …

Politics of Armageddon: Preparations For A Crackdown D+20 (29 July, 1987)

By 2100 hours Moscow time, seventy-five percent of the Politburo’s members were either preparing to depart from Moscow or had already left. Their collective task was to observe events and conditions in whichever theater of operations for eight hours. Afterwards, they would return to Moscow and report their findings to the General Secretary and the …

The Politics of Global War: A Crucial Day in Moscow Part IV

The KGB Chairman revealed the deceit and fraudulence in the Defense Minister’s reports from earlier in the afternoon, as well as those from previous days. Yazov had knowingly sugarcoated the facts to make them more palatable. His motivation was simple; Buy time until the fortunes of the Soviet military were reversed. Yazov, for whatever reason, …

The Politics of Global War: A Crucial Day in Moscow Part III

Author’s Note: Apologies for the lateness of this post and the quality. As most of you know, Ida’s remnants blew through NJ Wednesday night, leaving a trail of destruction behind. I’m safe and sound and so are my friends and family. But the last couple of days have been filled with clean up, helping out …

The Politics of Global War: The Eve of Disintegration Part I

When the day dawned, the future of the Warsaw Pact was very much in question. The root causes of the unrest spreading across many Eastern European satellites were centered on Moscow’s control of these nation’s political organs and influence over their societies. The majority of East Germans, Czechoslovakians and Poles had been dissatisfied for decades …

The Southern Flank D+17 (26 July, 1987) Part II

The timetable for the KGB-backed operation to remove Romanian strongman Nicolae Ceaușescu from power and replace him with somebody more agreeable to the Kremlin, had endured considerable delays. By early in the morning of D+17, roughly eighteen hours after action had been scheduled to take place, the manufactured change of leadership was prepared to commence. …

Baltic Approaches D+10 (19 July, 1987) Part I

Sweden had anticipated a swift Soviet response to Prime Minister Carlsson’s speech. Military and civil defense preparations were made in the hours leading up to the speech. Some were discreet. Other measures, which could not be easily concealed, yet were necessary to the nation’s security, still moved ahead and were implemented. The reality of the …