Chelyabinsk, the seat of the Russian Provisional Government.
After fleeing to Chelyabinsk, Russia's leaders refused to head north to Yekaterinburg. To them, Chelyabinsk was no different from Yekaterinburg. If the Germans came attacking, they would likely have no choice but to keep fleeing east.
Moreover, Joseph's death, followed by the garrisons of Yuzefgrad and Moscow surrendering to the German military—these successive blows dealt Russia's leaders a severe shock.
As the longest-serving member of the Russian Politburo, Andreyev now naturally regarded himself as the Supreme Leader after Joseph. Of course, if he wanted to truly become Russia's Supreme Leader, he would still have to defeat one opponent after another.
Although the struggle for power within the Russian government was intense, the most pressing matter before them was undoubtedly the war. Having occupied Yuzefgrad and Moscow, Germany clearly would not stop there. In particular, if the German military that had captured Yuzefgrad continued its advance northeast, it would soon reach Chelyabinsk.
"Comrades, General Zhukov betrayed Comrade Joseph's trust. At this most critical moment, he actually surrendered to the Germans. He is nothing less than a traitor to Russia! I propose that Zhukov be expelled from the Party," Andreyev said at the Politburo meeting.
"Comrade Andreyev, that would be highly inappropriate. Comrade Zhukov made that decision only because he had no alternative. They had been completely surrounded by the Germans in Moscow. Enemy forces several times their own had encircled them, making it impossible for them to withstand the German offensive. On top of that, their supplies had nearly run out. Under such circumstances, Comrade Zhukov had no choice but to surrender," Marshal Shaposhnikov, who was attending the meeting, said.
Although Marshal Shaposhnikov was not a Politburo member, he now commanded the overwhelming majority of Russia's remaining forces. This still gave him an