Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 1325 - 1062: Dense Fog_2

Chapter 1325: Chapter 1062: Dense Fog_2

Wang Ye gave a wry smile and shook his head, no longer in a position to complain; otherwise, he would seem a bit too sensitive...

He picked up the vodka bottle and poured a full glass for each of them, then just a little for himself, barely covering the bottom of the glass. Raising his glass, he feigned bravado, "Let’s not talk about these troublesome matters anymore, drink up, drink up! Today, we won’t go home until we’re drunk!"

Even though he had been "sly" every time he poured drinks, only giving himself a little while giving Grezlov and Rilinov a full glass, in the end, Wang Ye still couldn’t hold out and was the first to "fall"...

Grezlov made a call to have Nova and Bakova come over, and the two girls struggled to "carry" Wang Ye back.

On October 20th, the Duma convened a special session for a voting decision on Russia’s accession to the WTO.

When the voting results came out, out of the 450 Duma Members expected to attend, 448 were actually present, with only two absent due to unavoidable reasons.

With 448 valid votes, there were 402 in favor, 28 against, and 18 abstentions. Russia’s accession to the WTO was officially approved!

In an interview with TV station journalists after the meeting, Wang Ye said with deep meaning, "Joining the WTO is just the first step in the start of our country’s economic takeoff! We must have confidence in our country’s future; let us wait and see!"

This was by no means an empty boast from Wang Ye; it was indeed the case.

Under his management, Russia’s economy had truly begun to show signs of taking off, and with the surge in international energy prices over the past few years, Russia’s sales of oil and natural gas had been nothing short of joyful, leading to a profit-filled earnings.

With a small domestic population, the sheer income from energy sales alone had already started to skyrocket the GDP per capita.

During the accession negotiations, the United States and European Union representatives even strongly demanded that Russia be classified as a "developed country," since based on the economic data from 2005, Russia was close to meeting the standards of a developed country.

But this "unreasonable demand" was firmly rejected by Wang Ye, who uncompromisingly declared that Russia was a "developing country," with a per capita income still quite low, nowhere near the threshold for developed countries.

In the end, the business representatives from the United States and European Union made concessions, and Russia joined the WTO still classified as a "developing country"...

With the WTO matter settled for the time being, Wang Ye could finally take a breather and wasn’t as busy.

However, swiftly following was a wave of personnel changes in several powerful institutions.

The Kremlin spokesman officially announced that Shao Yigu would be appointed Minister of Defense, his military rank promoted to General!

Yefrogen was appointed as the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Korokolli took over as the Director of the Security Bureau.

...

A series of personnel moves caught the attention of the entire Moscow political arena, drawing everyone’s focus.

Many speculated privately about what the Kremlin intended by enacting such major moves at this time.

With only three years left until the end of the Kremlin’s second term, according to the Constitution, even with high support rates, a succession was mandated, meaning that the next Kremlin leader would be a newcomer.

Could it be that within these three years, the Kremlin was planning to undertake some major action?

Besides, the appointment of Shao Yigu as the Minister of Defense was something everyone had anticipated, given that over the past few years, even while holding the position of Director of the Security Bureau, he had been overseeing the military reform, clearly laying the groundwork for his appointment as Minister of Defense.

However, the other personnel changes had caught everyone by surprise.

Like Yefrogen, many hadn’t even heard of him before—how did he suddenly emerge to take up the significant position of Minister of Internal Affairs?

And Korokolli—it was said he was falling out of favor, being marginalized within the Hilarwick Group; how did he suddenly find himself in the core department as the head of the Security Bureau?

Regardless of the speculation below, and the belief that the transfers were shrouded in mystery, those truly in the upper echelons, especially the core, were all well aware.

The results of this personnel change were the outcome of coordinated communication among the Kremlin, the Government, and the Duma, with each side making concessions and each gaining something in return.

Through this adjustment, it is basically clear that a balance of power at the top has formed.

No longer was it like before, where the Kremlin could act arbitrarily and unilaterally.

The Duma’s actual influence had significantly increased, and the Government side was also gradually getting a say.

Of course, it might only be because Wang Ye was leading the Duma, and Medvedev had taken the position on the Government side...

Additionally, in this personnel adjustment, many believed that the biggest winner was Medvedev!

Because his faction gained control of the important institution, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Medvedev had only been Prime Minister for a short time before he started to possess quite a bit of speaking power and influence, even the Kremlin and the Duma had to give him some face.

The fact that he could achieve this step was enough to show Medvedev’s capability and political potential...

So, three years later, might Medvedev also have a chance to strive for that position in the Kremlin?

Many people suddenly realized that, looking at the current situation, Medvedev had suddenly become the most powerful contender for the General Election three years later, with no equal!

Of course, this is under the premise that Mikhail of the Duma does not participate in the General Election...

...

As for the external discussions and speculations, Wang Ye didn’t care; after all, he had already achieved his goal.

Korokolli had smoothly been transferred to the Safety Bureau and hadn’t been marginalized; with this help from Wang Ye, Korokolli’s relationship with him had become even closer.

Vladimir had taken over the position of First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. With the contacts he had established over many years in the Police System, and the Moscow Police Station still under his control, although he wasn’t the actual Minister, an outsider parachuted in as Minister might not even have as much real influence within the Ministry of Internal Affairs as Vladimir, the First Deputy Minister!

With Vladimir in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Korokolli in the Safety Bureau, and Shao Yigu in the Ministry of Defense!

Although the latter two could not exactly be considered Wang Ye’s subordinates, much less iron-clad confidants, their personal relationships were there, and their interests aligned.

In other words, Wang Ye had quietly come to influence three out of the four powerful institutions!

In a critical moment, these would be his trump cards for a last stand...

...

Moscow in November had entered a bitter cold, the sky gray and covered, with large snowflakes fluttering down.

Despite the severe weather conditions, Wang Ye still went to work as usual. At a little past nine in the morning, his motorcade had set out. Today, on a whim, he changed his itinerary to conduct a field inspection of the Moscow Central CBD District.

This CBD construction was also one of the major projects that Wang Ye had led and pushed forward.

Practically all of Russia’s energy giant enterprises had generously contributed, each "sponsoring" one or even several skyscrapers.

Once completed, this place would become one of Moscow’s new landmarks, as well as the most dazzling urban skyline.

Wang Ye sat in the back seat of the central vehicle of the motorcade, a Land Rover, with his assistant Nova sitting beside him, holding a folder and reporting to Wang Ye on the progress of the CBD construction.

The motorcade whist America, with the entire fleet composed of black Land Rover Range Rovers, especially the one Wang Ye was in, which had undergone special modifications to withstand ordinary armed attacks.

In fact, Wang Ye rarely made enemies now. At his level, in normal circumstances, there wouldn’t be any life-or-death hostility with others. In the political arena, it was more about deceit and keeping things within limits, knowing when to back off.

Thus his personal safety could be guaranteed.

Especially since the Moscow Police System and the Safety Bureau were his people, if there were any signs of trouble targeting Wang Ye, he’d receive news in advance.

Moreover, with his status, if something did happen, it would be a sensational event!

Whoever it was that wanted to move against him would have to consider whether they could bear the consequences...