Grozny is ahead

The Turning Tide

When the Dudayev government lost the support of the Sufi faction, the battlefield swiftly transformed. Kadyrov's troops gradually withdrew from the fighting, pulling back to the secular-controlled zones to observe and wait. Only the Wahhabis and foreign mercenaries remained to face the full might of the Soviet war machine.

Yanayev, always pragmatic, returned the favor. He ordered the Soviet army to strike Dudayev's forces with full force—but strictly to avoid Kadyrov's positions unless provoked. This strange détente gave rise to a surreal spectacle: commanders of the rebel forces and Soviet generals openly coordinating, sharing intelligence, and laughing as if allies rather than enemies.

Dudayev's fury burned hotter by the day. He saw Kadyrov's withdrawal as betrayal, a stab at Chechen independence. Fueled by foreign agitators with their own agendas, Dudayev began plotting to assassinate Kadyrov. The two factions teetered on the brink of open civil war.

The Siege Tightens

After the fall of Gudermes, Chernovnaya, Argun, and Urusmardan, Soviet forces advanced to Grozny's outskirts, where resistance stiffened. The defenders now comprised a well-equipped regular army and internal security forces specialized in guerrilla warfare.

Though the T-62 tanks were outdated, their 115mm shells still wreaked havoc. Shilka anti-aircraft guns deterred Hind helicopter attacks, granting the defenders precious time to ready their rocket launchers and fortify the city.

Late February's chill was giving way to spring's thaw, but the mud-soaked roads and ruined buildings told stories of brutal conflict. The Soviet army was preparing a final offensive—a hammer strike to crush the rebellion and reclaim Grozny once and for all.

A General Secretary on the Front

Then, in a move that stunned even his closest advisors, Yanayev announced he would visit the front to supervise the battle personally.

No Soviet General Secretary since the founding of the Union had dared to set foot so close to active combat—not even Stalin during the Great Patriotic War.

Though the top leadership strongly opposed, Yanayev's resolve was unshakeable. A compromise was struck: he could inspect the rear base camp for one day, but nothing more.

Arrival at the Ruins

Chechnya's war-torn landscape greeted Yanayev with mud-churned roads and shattered buildings. The once-proud city, constructed by Soviet hands, lay broken under the scars of artillery fire.

"Compared to the destruction wrought by war, rebuilding and maintaining order afterward will be even harder," Yanayev murmured as the jeep bounced along.

His convoy was formidable: ten armored vehicles, eight tanks, three Gazelle helicopters, and nearly two hundred soldiers, all charged with guarding the General Secretary against rebel infiltration.

At the base camp, soldiers moved briskly, nerves taut. General Rogionov awaited at the gate, flanked by tanks and troops who seemed ready to march into battle at a moment's notice rather than merely honor a visiting dignitary.

Words to Warriors

Yanayev stepped from the vehicle, saluted by Rogionov.

"Welcome to the base camp, Comrade General Secretary," Rogionov said.

Yanayev smiled warmly at the assembled troops. "You have all worked hard. Today I am not your General Secretary but a patriot who loathes the division of our great country."

The soldiers erupted in applause. Rogionov smiled faintly—Yanayev's stubborn spirit had long been his hallmark, even if sometimes exasperating. But that spirit inspired loyalty.

No grand muster was staged; soldiers remained at their posts. Yet when Yanayev climbed the platform before them, the youthful faces and bright eyes reminded him of the soldiers who had once marched to victory in the Great Patriotic War.

A Rallying Cry

"Dear soldiers," Yanayev began, voice firm and clear, "every day the rear echoes with news of our victories: cities reclaimed, enemies destroyed. This is no propaganda—it is the truth. Justice is on our side. The Soviet army of loyal people marches toward greatness!"

He paused, scanning the eager faces before him.

"Those who seek to tear apart our motherland will face severe punishment. Dudayev and his followers hide behind religion to deceive you, to believe that our country is weak, that our society is fractured. But they are wrong!"

Yanayev's eyes burned with conviction.

"At this most difficult hour, we will not falter. We will not break. Our unity is our strength, and our resolve is unbreakable."

"From Revolution to Resolve"

"During the October Revolution," Yanayev began, his voice steady and commanding, "the Soviet regime was born on the corpse of the old Tsarist Russia. Many believed this fragile new state would be strangled in its cradle. Yet, we stood tall. We endured. And we achieved greatness—remarkable, historic achievements. Only a few decades after 1945, we rose to become one of the most powerful nations on earth. Those who once sought to crush us now tremble in our shadow."

General Rogionov stepped aside, silently watching the soldiers. Under Yanayev's stirring words, even the calmest faces began to tighten with a strange intensity. Eyes brightened, breaths caught—soldiers seemed to see not just their leader, but a symbol of their cause, a beacon in the storm.

Even those soldiers busy at their posts paused, heads turning toward the platform, ears straining to catch every word of the General Secretary's passionate speech.

"And now," Yanayev said, pointing firmly toward Grozny, "we face another great test."

The crowd's gaze followed his finger to the smoking town ahead, where the thunderous hail of rocket launchers bombarded the outskirts. Rebel fighters entrenched in the ruins were falling back, losing ground step by step. Without a stronghold, they were mere shadows before the iron resolve of the Soviet army.

"The Final Push"

"Soldiers," Yanayev's voice rang out, charged with purpose, "in that city lies the last stand of extremists who refuse to surrender. Today, we end this!"

His eyes swept over the troops, each man and woman steel-forged in the crucible of conflict.

"The glory of Soviet victory will shine over all of Grozny. Your precise steps will carve the path to triumph. The enemies—cowardly, despicable—have nowhere left to hide. They will be crushed beneath our iron fist, paying the full price for their treachery!"

"The Roar of Unity"

With a fierce cry, Yanayev raised his fist high. "Ura!"

A military reporter, hidden among the crowd, raised his camera, capturing the historic moment—General Secretary Yanayev, arms raised, voice booming, embodying the spirit of a nation.

Caught in the swell of emotion, the soldiers lifted their Kalashnikov rifles, their faces alight with fierce determination. Even over the deafening roar of artillery fire, their voices rang out clearly and powerfully.

"Hurrah!"

The cry echoed across the Chechen sky, a thunderous roar of unity and defiance—soldiers charging forward under the banner of the Soviet Union's indomitable will.