Chapter 45

The Bear Republic is Now Mine Chapter 45

045 Presidential Candidate / Yeltsin's Daughter

'I might have to become an enemy of Yeltsin.'

Becoming an enemy of the president of a socialist country means potentially facing the entire country.

Yuri Yusupov decided to make a decision to save his family.

* * *

On a weekend afternoon.

Seeing the people entering the entrance, Minister Zahar smiled brightly.

"Father!"

"Yes, come in quickly."

"Are you well?"

"Your sister Maria often comes, and I would be even better."

"She came last week too."

"If Ivan is fine, I wish you would live here permanently. Hehe."

"Hello."

"Good to see you. Are you busy these days?"

"Always, you know."

"Nicolas and Victoria, come in quickly. Is Denis still in England?"

"He's busy helping Nicolas with his work."

Maria took Nicolas's hand and sat him down beside her.

Victoria pouted and sat next to her father Ivan.

"Have you had lunch?"

"We've already eaten, how about you?"

"Government officials can't stand the hunger pangs that start at 1 o'clock."

Zahar sat in the center of the sofa, with his family sitting opposite on both sides.

"Does your brother come often these days?"

"He occasionally drops by home and calls when he goes to work."

"You seem to care more about Father than I do. But why did you ask us to come?"

"We'll talk about that later. Why don't you tell me about your lives first?"

"Ivan is busy with the construction of U-Mart and GUM, so I spend a lot of time with Victoria and Sonya."

"Oh, Sonya. She's said to be very good at singing and dancing, right?"

"You can't imagine how cute she is. Next time, I'll bring her along."

"Bring her for sure. It's been too long since I've seen the children perform."

Maria had three children, but to Zahar, she still felt like the little girl who used to perform on his lap.

He asked about various daily matters like any other grandfather, then turned his gaze to Victoria.

"Victoria, go upstairs for a bit. Grandpa has to talk about some boring things."

"Yes, I will."

When Victoria went upstairs, Zahar's smile disappeared.

"Two days ago, I received a call from my in-law."

Yuri thought a phone call was safer than meeting in person.

"…?"

"It seems you haven't been told yet. I'll tell you soon."

"Is it about President Yeltsin?"

Ivan's question made Zahar nod.

"To put it bluntly, it's a bit awkward, but to put it simply, he wants me to run as a candidate in this election."

"Father as a presidential candidate?"

"Yes, I was also very surprised. I was surprised that my in-law had me in mind as a candidate, and I was surprised that he was willing to become an enemy of President Yeltsin. I'm really at a loss about how to take this."

Ivan and Nicolas had already anticipated this, so they were calm, but Maria was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a while.

"You already knew, didn't you?"

"I heard it when I went to greet him in the New Year."

"Nicolas was there too?"

"Yes, I heard it too."

"Then it will be easier to talk. When my in-law said that, it means he had already made a decision, and at the same time, he was putting everything of the Yusupov family on the line…"

"I know you're very worried."

"I'm not worried about my personal safety."

"What are you worried about, then?"

In response to Ivan's question, Zahar thought for a moment and then slowly spoke.

"I'm worried that my in-law might be overestimating me. I think it will be difficult to surpass Yeltsin, let alone the other candidates. To register as a candidate, I need 1 million signatures, and how am I supposed to gather them?"

"Father, you wouldn't have contacted us without any preparation. Don't worry about those things. Just make the decision, and we'll take care of the rest."

"Are you thinking it's too easy to get 1 million signatures?"

This was the first election held in the same way as in free democratic countries.

In real history, 7 groups were denied candidacy for failing to gather 1 million signatures.

Nicolas knew it wouldn't be easy, but he had a plan, so he responded to Zahar's question.

"I can take care of that."

"…?"

"In fact, there was a reason I recommended Grandfather and Uncle to Yeltsin to re-enter politics. Although Grandfather didn't say it openly, I believe he thought the same as me."

"…I had some idea."

Zahar had talked about this with his son Sergei, so he wasn't too surprised.

Yuri Yusupov didn't seem to be just trying to use his power as Yeltsin's closest aide.

He had enough power for that.

The conclusion he and his son reached was to prepare for after Yeltsin's retirement.

But things had turned sour, and they were now becoming enemies of Yeltsin.

The solution was to put himself forward.

If this was the time, everything would fit perfectly.

"Your in-law's thoughts are the same as yours, right?"

"Pretty much. If Yeltsin is trying to kill us, we can't just wait to be killed, can we?"

"Hmm…"

"Yeltsin was the first to draw the sword. We are doing this to survive. So, Grandfather, you must run as a candidate and defeat Yeltsin."

"Can't I support another promising candidate instead of running myself?"

Zahar asked to understand Nicolas's thoughts more deeply.

"If we, who have been allied with Yeltsin, go to a new candidate, and that candidate wins the presidency, will they trust us? Or will they think we might become enemies again? We can't ally with anyone. We must win on our own strength."

Nicolas's response was extremely realistic.

"…That's true. Alright, let's assume that. Then how do you plan to gather 1 million signatures?"

"No matter what happens, I'll solve it by the deadline on March 25th. For now, Grandfather, officially announce your candidacy."

Zahar, who had been deep in thought with a complex expression, slowly opened his mouth.

"…Alright. Yes, the fate of our two families rests on your shoulders."

* * *

Three people had secretly gathered at President Yeltsin's residence.

Makar, the chief of staff, the head of security, and Yeltsin's daughter, Tatyana Dyachenko.

Most of the major decisions in the current government were made by her.

In real history, she was deeply involved in state affairs and was known as the second-in-command of the Russian government, wielding immense power.

"Minister Zahar has officially announced his candidacy, right?"

"Yes, he seems to have lost his mind after gaining some popularity with the gun control policy."

The head of security's words made Tanya (the Russian nickname) sneer.

"Minister Zahar is a capable person, but he's not the type to run for president. He's not that wealthy either."

"Then…?"

"There must be Yuri Yusupov behind Zahar. President Yuri has finally raised the banner. He asked for election funds and support for the Chechen war. Chief of Staff, am I wrong?"

"…I think the same. President Yuri is capable of that."

"They seem to have forgotten who has been helping them all this time. What should we do?"

When a dog bites its owner, there are two options: beat it or kill it.

Both knew how Tanya usually handled things, but the chief of staff couldn't easily suggest a course of action.

The head of security, however, answered firmly.

"We should teach the Unicorn Group a lesson. Make it clear who the boss is."

"How?"

"First, let's eliminate one of the Unicorn Group's subsidiaries. They'll know their place then."

The head of security's blunt words made the chief of staff inwardly sigh.

Tanya frowned.

"If it were that simple, why would I ask?"

"…"

"Chief of Staff, you must have a good idea, right?"

"As you know, the Unicorn Group is a significant part of our Russian economy. Affecting one of its subsidiaries isn't just affecting one subsidiary. If we're not careful…"

He couldn't say that it might cause public backlash and a backlash.

There was no need to provoke her.

"You're right. It's not that simple. They must have already considered this method."

"You're right."

"Then, how about you meet them?"

Knowing this was an order, Makar, the chief of staff, nodded.

"Understood. I'll meet them and try to persuade them."

"Pass on my message exactly."

"We'll support you as much as possible, so run as a candidate. Then, about two weeks before the election, declare your support for us."

"Then we can maintain a good relationship as before."

"Exactly."

Tanya knew Yeltsin couldn't win overwhelmingly on his own.

The gap with the second place was not significant according to their own investigations.

That's why she wanted to use Minister Zahar.

"But what if he insists…?"

"If he insists even after we give him a chance, then a straightforward approach might be effective. Showing him that he could be completely finished might be more effective than vague threats."

The chief of staff knew the Unicorn Group best among government officials.

'He's underestimating President Yuri.'

President Yuri was known for his sharp judgment, almost frighteningly so.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say he had put Yeltsin back in the presidential seat with his judgment.

Such a person was willing to become an enemy of Yeltsin?

He must know that putting Minister Zahar forward would bring a crisis.

This means…

'He's 100% confident of victory.'

President Yuri wouldn't act without confidence.

The chief of staff's worries deepened.

* * *

A man who became the head of Russia's top newspaper and the second-largest broadcasting company after the state-owned one.

He swallowed hard at Nicolas's words.

"Broadcasting such content will not be tolerated by the government."

"Mr. President, the reason I insisted on the newspaper and broadcasting company was for such times."

"…?"

"How long must our Russian people suffer? Should the whole of Russia be played by one person's power? Power should be with the people, not the president. Don't you agree?"

The president, who had been pondering for a long time, sighed deeply.

"Phew. You're right, but…"

"Mr. President and I have the power to move public opinion. If people with power don't stand with the people and instead cater to the government, the people will suffer the consequences."

"…"

"We're not making up false stories; we're just showing the truth. If we can't do that, what's the point of running a newspaper and broadcasting company? If it was just for money, I would have started a business."

Nicolas wanted the president to participate voluntarily.

He didn't want to force him with the power of shares.

"…Then, can I send my family to hide abroad first? To independent countries."

"Sure. If it makes you feel better to have your family out of Russia."

"That would be better."

Nicolas had just started one of the 30 preparations he had made.

* * *

When Nicolas visited the GUM Black Hole office, he sat down with Ilya.

"Can you make sure that content related to Grandfather is frequently searched on the internet?"

"It's possible, but…?"

Nicolas explained the situation.

Since the internet would rely on Ilya's power anyway.

"Oh, that's what happened. Then this isn't just someone else's business, is it? If the minister loses, we're finished too, right?"

"Pretty much."

"I'll work day and night until the election results are announced."

Ilya didn't want to return to his past life.

He had Sonya, whom he loved dearly, and he dreamed of a nationwide internet network.

'Absolutely not. Minister Zahar must win.'

Even without Nicolas's request, this was something he had to do.

"The Black Hole team will handle everything related to the internet, so don't worry."

"Thank you."

"Since we can't go out for a while, can U-Mart deliver what we need?"

"Sure."

* * *

On his way home, Nicolas instructed Sasha about security.

"Pick about 20 agents and have them stay with Grandfather."

"Will that be enough? We might need more for three shifts. You should be careful too."

"Then you decide and assign more. Also, around me."

"We have plenty of people since we reorganized the group last time. Just pay the operating costs as usual."

Nicolas had organized a PMC (Private Military Company) through Sasha.

He didn't know the exact scale yet, but he was confident Sasha had done a good job.

* * *

In the past, present, and future, elections are about how to win public opinion.

In the past, present, and future, the key to elections is how to win public opinion.

In that sense, public opinion, i.e., the media, is…

'The field I know best.'