November 11th is a new week, and the fashion topics triggered by the Victoria's Secret show are still continuing. For those who pay attention to global current affairs and politics, in addition to the waves of the US election last week, a major current affairs issue surrounding Ukraine seems to have suddenly Fully exposed.
On the morning of that day, several influential newspapers in the United States, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, reported on important pages the incident involving entrepreneurs from the Donetsk Region in Ukraine on November 9, local time. Also involved in the assassination of Yev Shcherban, an important figure in the Freedom Party of Ukraine.
Although different newspapers reported on this incident from different angles and did not mention names, they all unanimously criticized the deteriorating business environment and the increasingly extreme and sharp partisan struggle in Ukraine.
Immediately afterwards, at the White House press conference that morning, when asked by reporters, the White House spokesperson also expressed concern about this incident and expressed concerns about Ukraine's promotion of democratization and the degree of openness of its market economy. At the same time, considering that the large investments of international capital in Ukraine in recent years have not only promoted the country's economic development, but also brought millions of local job opportunities, the White House spokesperson called on the Kiev authorities to take measures to ensure overseas investment people’s legitimate rights and interests.
It doesn't end there.
On the same day, Russia's "Izvestia", "Pravda", "Russian Gazette" and other important newspapers also reported on the assassination of Shcherban, as well as the same concerns from the Kremlin.
The two big brothers spoke about one thing at the same time, and the assassination case that was originally expected to be restricted to Ukraine immediately became known to the world. No one would be stupid enough to think that the United States and Russia would speak out out of a sense of justice or seemingly innocuous reasons, so they followed suit. In addition, there are many people in the industrially developed and resource-rich East Ukraine region. A piece of cake that attracted close attention, Donetsk immediately became the focus of close attention by media from various countries.
Ukraine, Kyiv.
The day after the incident began to unfold, Pavlo Lazarenko, who had not rested all night last night, was notified and hurried to the presidential palace. As soon as he entered the office, he was hit on the head by Leon Kuchma. Stacks of newspaper copies and the rants that followed.
"Idiot, look what you have done. Now the whole world is watching us! The representative of the International Monetary Fund just called me and said that they may re-review the loan funds given to us next year. You know this Will there be any chain reaction if the matter is not handled well, you son of a bitch!"
Lazarenko couldn't avoid it and clenched his fists subconsciously. Seeing Kuchma behind the desk staring at him fiercely, he had to quickly adjust his emotions and said: "Leon, I don't quite understand what you are talking about..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a coffee cup flew over again.
Lazarenko barely dodged this time, but was still splashed with juice. He wiped his clothes in embarrassment, suppressed the anger in his heart again, and finally said: "I mean, someone is targeting me."
"You have to say, even a blind person can see it," Leon Kuchma said in a still stern tone: "I'm going to ask you now, how do you plan to end it?"
"I've...that, no one will find those killers anyway."
Kuchma casually grabbed another folder and threw it over, cursing: "So you are a fool. You can't find those killers, and you plan to take the blame yourself?"
"I, Leon..."
"I don't want to listen to your nonsense. I'll give you a week to settle this case. Also, don't reach out to Donetsk again, including the bitch next to you. You all should restrain yourself, or else I will I want you to get out of the position of prime minister."
“…”
"Idiot, did you hear what I said?"
Lazarenko gritted his teeth and finally said: "I understand, Leon."
"Call me Mr. President from now on."
There was a chill in Lazarenko's heart. Kuchma no longer regarded him as a confidant. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded: "Yes, Mr. President."
"Go away, remember, you only have one week."
However, Lazarenko did not leave. After all, he could not help himself and asked: "Mr. President, I still want to know, who is targeting me?"
"Get out."
After Lazarenko left in despair, Leon Kuchma, who was furious, leaned on the leather chair and calmed down after a while.
However, thinking about the continuous communications with the US Ambassador to Ukraine and representatives of the International Fund in the morning, I still feel a headache. After two years of hard work, the domestic situation in Ukraine has finally stabilized, and the economic decline has barely stopped. At this time, the country really cannot withstand too much trouble.
I didn't expect that the right-hand man I once relied on would cause such a big trouble for me.
Leon Kuchma actually knows everything about Lazarenko and the woman next to him, but in Ukraine now, frankly speaking, the eldest brother should not laugh at the second brother, everyone is like this, and he has no position on this. The requirements are too stringent. However, after experiencing this incident and looking at Lazarenko's actions in recent years, Kuchma gradually realized that the number of former allies, both in ambition and strength, was rapidly increasing.
If this continues, with reference to this year's Russian election, Lazarenko and Tymoshenko are a perfect political and business combination. Who can guarantee whether Lazarenko will follow suit three years later and replace the president with the prime minister in 1994? operate
There was some hesitation at first, but this sudden incident finally made Kuchma determined to take down Lazarenko.
However, because Lazarenko has already established himself, this matter is not easy.
After reorganizing the thoughts in his mind, Kuchma pressed the call button on the desk phone and asked his secretary to call his son-in-law. When Victor Pinchuk came in, Kuchma said without too much nonsense: "Victor , you go to Rivni immediately and test what Simon Westeros wants to do?"
When Victor Pinchuk heard this, he keenly connected with something: "Leon, are you saying that the turmoil caused by the Donetsk incident was driven by Westeros?"
Leon Kuchma nodded. When he met with the US ambassador, the other party did not hide the matter, but the ambassador did not know the deeper inside story. Kuchma knew it at first, and he was inevitably angry. But when he calmed down, he found that he still had to deal with it seriously.
After all, the current strength of the Westeros system is too huge, and in the Rivne Oblast, the Rivne Gang, which is backed by the Westeros system, has become equally powerful. Recently, with the completion of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Election Act , the 'Progressive Union Party of Ukraine', which aims to promote economic development and improve people's living standards, was also registered there, clearly targeting next year's Ukrainian parliamentary election.
Although the Rivne Gang was clearly on his side and could be called an ally, deep down, Kuchma feared the Rivne Gang more than he relied on it.
There is no room for others to sleep soundly on the side of the couch. This is the instinctive thought of anyone, let alone the head of a country. What's more, the strength of the Westeros system is so strong that once the opponent switches sides, Kuchma is not sure whether he can parry it.
Just like this time, it was a complete surprise attack. Even if he knew that it was not directed at him, Kuchma would inevitably be more afraid.
It's a pity that Leon Kuchma knows that his current position is not rock-solid. There are not only potential opponents like Lazarenko who are obviously disloyal to him, but also the Donetsk gang that relied on Dongwu's industrial foundation to quickly take shape. A group of people are also eyeing the power of Kiev.
If he had a falling out with a strong supporter like the Rivno Gang at this time, his opponents would probably laugh out of their dreams.
Since it is impossible to fall out, of course we must work hard to maintain this level of relationship.
In Leon Kuchma's view, this time is a good opportunity. Westeros is obviously dissatisfied with Lazarenko, so if he pushes him again, he will basically cut off Lazarenko's future relationship with him. Regarding the possibility of his own competition, as for the Donetsk Gang, Kuchma felt that Simon Westeros was definitely not just trying to beat Lazarenko by making such a big fuss.
Perhaps, the other party is also interested in the industrial assets in the Dongwu region.
If this incident can provoke a conflict between the Rivne Gang and the Donetsk Gang, he can reap the benefits.
According to his own ideas, Kuchma gave his son-in-law some advice, and Victor Pinchuk hurriedly left Kiev and rushed to Rivni.
On the other side, after leaving the Presidential Palace, Lazarenko returned to the Prime Minister's Residence. As a solid ally, Tymoshenko was already waiting here. Seeing the anger on Lazarenko's face that could hardly be resolved, Tymoshenko did not Nonsense, he directly talked about his own inference. Although they did not have Kuchma's direct connections, there were too many signs and it was actually easy to judge.
Speaking of which, some time ago, Lazarenko wanted to get a share of the US$200 million resettlement community construction plan in Westeros, and let a shell company controlled by Tymoshenko get the steel order for the resettlement community. As a result, A bidding competition held by Oldek Company came back empty-handed. The resentful Lazarenko deliberately delayed the approval of the Rivne thermal power plant project despite Kuchma's greetings.
This is just one of them.
Tymoshenko, who had repeatedly failed to make good friends with the Westeros system, was also very dissatisfied with the Rivno gang. As a local gangster and backed by the Prime Minister, she wanted to give Rivno some eye candy. , and it couldn’t be simpler.
Now, a basin of cold water is poured on my head, and I wake up instantly.
Not to mention its terrifying size, but its ability to mobilize the two major powers of the United States and Russia to speak out at the same time, it is not something that little shrimps like them should mess with.
After long-term planning, Tymoshenko also secretly set off from Kiev and rushed to Rivni.
The death of the leader Yev Shcherban plunged the Donetsk Gang into chaos. When many people thought that the Donetsk Gang would be completely at a disadvantage in the struggle with Lazarenko's group, they did not expect that Things turned around so suddenly and violently. Two world-class big brothers expressed concern about the assassination of Shcherban. In addition, the Westeros system deliberately spread the news. The Donetsk Gang responded quickly.
So, on the morning of the same day, the deputy governor of Donetsk Region named Viktor Yanukovych went to Rivni as a representative of the Donetsk Gang to try to contact the Rivne Gang. .
Representatives of the three most important forces in Ukraine at this stage gathered in Rivni. The core members of the Rivne Gang were unable to deal with it at all and could only contact Simon himself.
Simon returned to the West Coast of the United States on Monday, November 11. Due to the time difference, he received the news on Tuesday morning.
After listening to Celia Miller's report on the phone, even though she had considered it in advance and did not want to make too much noise, she still found that she had used too much force.
Thinking about it, it’s not too surprising.
In fact, Simon underestimated the current energy of the Westeros system and overestimated the ability of various forces in Ukraine to withstand pressure from the two major powers.
If Ukraine is compared to a company, it is estimated that this year's GDP of about 45 billion US dollars is only slightly stronger than the revenue of Daenerys Entertainment Group in the Westeros system. If we talk about profitability, Daenerys Entertainment has just The net profit of more than 5 billion US dollars in the past fiscal year was a huge blow to Ukraine, which can only borrow debt to survive.
Therefore, in terms of pure economic strength, Ukraine is not even as good as Daenerys Entertainment.
Therefore, whether it is the Rivne Gang supported by Simon, the Petrovsk Gang that controls the Kiev regime, or even the Donetsk Gang in the industrial center of Eastern Ukraine, they are actually just a super media company in a country whose economic strength is not as strong as Simon's. Moving within the system of the entertainment giant.
To put it bluntly, for Simon, the disputes between the various forces in Ukraine can only be regarded as novices pecking each other.
When the two giants who were watching were under the control of the Westeros system, even if they didn't intend to make a move and just slapped each other, the novices who were pecking each other would be frightened and run away, because they didn't know whether the giants really wanted to Hit him down, and with the strength of the giant's attack, if he really hits the target, he will be killed every minute.
Celia Miller rushed to Ukraine with her boss's instructions. The private plane arrived over Rivne Oblast. Looking down through the porthole, the first snow of winter had fallen on this land, and many areas were covered in white snow. However, compared to the villages, towns, forests and wilderness that appear quiet or even silent in the white snow, Rivni, the capital of Rivne region, where you can feel a certain vitality at a glance, is different.
Under the clear sky during the day, the private plane lowered its altitude and passed over Rivni. You can clearly see the busy scene of many construction sites across the city. Dozens of apartment buildings are under construction on the banks of the Ustia River in the northeast of the city. Resettlement communities are even more eye-catching.
Sergei Komorov and Vladimir Korkoshko came to pick him up.
Celia got off the plane, felt the cold wind blowing around, shrank her neck, and asked Sergey who came up to her in Russian, which she had become more proficient in over the past two years: "I saw many construction sites on the plane. Construction, it’s already snowing, is it okay to do this?”
Sergey, who was wearing a black windbreaker, said: "Now the daytime temperature can still stay above zero, so the construction problems are not big. When the temperature is below zero 24 hours a day in December, most of the construction will have to be stopped, and a small amount will continue. It’s just that insulation measures and anti-freeze materials must be taken, and the cost will increase a lot, at least the resettlement community will not do this.”
Celia nodded, took a pair of gloves handed over by her assistant Emily and put them on, and the group walked towards the motorcade parked next to the track.
Seeing that Celia seemed not in a hurry, Vladimir couldn't help but asked: "Ms. Miller, Pinchuk, Tymoshenko and the deputy governor from Donetsk are waiting in the city. , what is Simon’s plan?”
Celia did not answer directly, but said: "According to the schedule I sent in advance, are you ready for the dinner waiting for you?"
"Of course, but are you only entertaining Pinchuk?"
Celia nodded and said: "This is Simon's arrangement. We and Kuchma have always been allies, and this will not change. Of course, allies must have a good relationship. Of course, this is when our allies are the winners. Under the premise of location. In addition, I will talk to Yanukovych tomorrow morning, Sergey, Vladimir, you will also participate in this meeting tomorrow. To ensure the development of Rivne Oblast, we need Have certain control over Donetsk’s coal resources. In the end, Tymoshenko, the boss’s actual words were, ignore her.”
Regarding the various forces in Ukraine, Simon's core strategy is actually very simple: grasp the main contradiction.
Leon Kuchma is this main contradiction.
As for others, such as Lazarenko's group, Simon will let them play around. As long as the other party doesn't provoke him too much, he is happy to watch the show. Simon also believes that after experiencing this public turmoil, all parties will be cautious when trying to reach out to the Rivne Oblast.
As he said this, he had already arrived at the motorcade.
Celia paused to finish talking to Sergey, and finally said: "I will go to the villa in the south of the city to have a rest first. I will go to the banquet on time in the evening. You can go about your own business first."
The two nodded, and Sergey added: "Celia, the batch of villas we built on the bank of BASF Lake have been completed, and you have one. Don't you plan to go over and live there to try it out?"
Celia smiled and shook her head: "No, I will stay in the villa in the south of the city tonight, and I will go to the manor in the north of the city tomorrow night. This is also arranged by the boss."
Both smiled to show their understanding.
This is because her boss wants Celia to see if a group of girls are restless.
Speaking of which, for those girls, not to mention Vladimir Korkoszko, who has his own daughter among them, other core members of the Westeros system in Rivne Oblast are extremely caring. Of course, it is definitely not out of any selfish motives, but to avoid the coveted attention of those girls as much as possible, so as not to cause them to suffer the wrath of their boss.
After all, with their current status, there is no shortage of women. Ensuring their wealth and power is the first priority. And all of this comes from a young man behind a group of girls.