Eva's difficulties could easily be reversed with the financial strength of Gorky's enterprises, but the difficulties encountered by the Soviet Union made the country's financial situation worse.
Only halfway through 1986, the Soviet Union's annual budget was already seriously overrun.
The reason lies in the sudden crisis in Chernobyl.
In the midst of this crisis, the Soviets, with a sense of responsibility in their hearts, kept this catastrophe on their own land.
Many Soviets risked mortal nuclear radiation to redeem the country's wrongs.
The Soviet Air Force used forty-five Mi-6 and Mi-8 heavy helicopters to spray borax, lead powder and sand on the blasted roof of the reactor to reduce the spread of high-dose radioactive material.
Since the pilots had to throw as accurately as possible from the skies over Chernobyl, the powerful radiation dose had rendered all the protection useless, and the Soviet pilots behaved essentially like suicide.
And General Valentin, Ivankovich Valennikov, who was the commander-in-chief of the rescue operation, also suffered nuclear contamination.
As a result of the continued spread of nuclear contamination, 60 per cent of the territory of Belarus has been contaminated, and 330,000 people need to be evacuated in this area.
In addition, 600,000 troops recruited from all over the Soviet Union were constantly building dikes along the dense network of rivers around Chernobyl.
As the logistical steward of this rescue operation, Seryosha has already handled a budget of more than $150 billion, and according to the current situation, by the time the rescue operation is actually completed, the total budget for the Chernobyl accident will reach more than $200 billion.
This huge sum of money could host twenty-five Moscow Olympics, and every single money here was saved by the Soviets from their already meagre income.
The $200 billion fiscal stab made the Soviet Union's financial situation difficult all of a sudden, and Gorbachev brought Seryosha back to Moscow at this critical time to discuss financial problems.
Because several foreign debts borrowed from Western European countries were about to come due, the Soviet Union could hardly raise enough funds to repay these huge sums of money in a hurry.
"Seryosha, I wonder what trouble we will have if we are not able to repay these arrears," Gorbachev asked Seryosha in front of all the Politburo Standing Committee members.
"General Secretary, leaders, if we don't get this money, then our national credit will be greatly discounted, and in the future, our conditions for financing from the international community will be even more stringent, and it is really unwise to do so," Seryosha said resolutely, he did not want the Soviet Union to default on its credit, because judging from the current economic form, the Soviet Union is far from the most severe moment, and the Soviet Union, as a socialist country, has always been extremely difficult to obtain international financing.
"Then what do you recommend," Ligachev asked with a frown.
"My suggestion is to sell the reserve gold abroad to meet the predicament we are in now.
From now on, the international oil price continues to fall, the natural gas pipeline is still in a state of difficulty in balance, and the dollar has been depreciating, gold is now a hot commodity in the international market, we are now selling gold, should be able to sell at a fair price.
Seryosha replied.
"Comrades, I believe that the difficulties we are encountering now are temporary.
While the main topic of today's meeting is our upcoming foreign debt, I would like to say that selling out the country's precious gold reserves is not a long-term solution.
I think it's time for our economic reform to start picking up," and shortly after Seryosha spoke, there was silence in the room, and at that moment General Secretary Gorbachev raised the big issue of economic reform.
"General Secretary, the current financial situation should not be a good time for economic reform," Ligachev said first, saying that he was not opposed to reform himself, but that Ligachev advocated gradual reform, not a quick gamble.
Because in Ligachev's view, that kind of reform is simply asking for trouble. ” "Comrade Ligachev, do we have a way out now, our financial situation is already very dangerous.
If we can't get our economy back on track, how can we be worthy of the party, the Soviet people, and the responsibilities entrusted to us by this country?"
Gorbachev's tone gradually became a little heavier, and he obviously had no patience to continue arguing with Ligachev on this issue.
"General Secretary, I still reserve my opinion, but I have no objection to a vote on economic reform within the Politburo.
In addition to this, I am critical of Yakovlev's position on certain historical issues, and I feel that it is irresponsible to blindly carry out a reform when the general conditions are not ripe.
My suggestion is to experiment with this reform on a small scale first.
It is best done in the light industry and agriculture, where our supply is the tightest.
Ligachev tried to persuade Gorbachev to give up his quick successes in a calm tone.
These views of Ligachev represent those of Soviet conservatives.
In recent times, public discussions led by Yakovlev have exposed some of the disgraceful areas of the CPSU that have never been touched for decades.
For example, Stalin's indiscriminate killing of innocents during the purge, and Stalin's brutal oppression of Chechnya and Ingushetia and other peoples.
Although these problems won the popularity of some intellectuals in society, they made many old party members feel dissatisfied, and they felt that this could be regarded as an act, or even a betrayal of the Leninist cause.
Seryosha and the other officials attending the meeting watched without saying a word at this time, and Ligachev and Gorbachev on the stage were fighting directly against your immortals.
Each weighs the pros and cons in his heart.
In fact, from the current point of view, Gorbachev should not personally stand up and argue with Ligachev-for-tat, because the status of general secretary is detached, but now it seems that Gorbachev has obviously been dissatisfied with the constraints of the conservatives.
"No, Comrade Ligachev, our people have enough wisdom to judge the merits and demerits of our party on historical issues.
I don't think there's anything wrong with Comrade Yakovlev's approach in the ideological sphere.
Our party should take a correct view of some historical issues, use them to face our mistakes on certain issues, draw lessons from them, and prevent them from the system.
Only in this way will our party always maintain its vitality," Gorbachev patiently advised. t1706231537: