Marshal Shaposhnikov's declaration came as something of a surprise. After all, he had remained neutral all along. Yet now, he had openly taken a stand—and it seemed he was on Molotov's side. This gradually shifted the attitudes of those Russian Provisional Government leaders who had remained neutral.
"Comrades, I can responsibly tell you that with our current military strength, it is impossible for us to withstand the German offensive. Once the German military advances to Chelyabinsk, we simply will not be able to hold them back. We will only be forced into continued retreat then," Marshal Shaposhnikov said.
"Yes, comrades. Just as Comrade Shaposhnikov said, we no longer have any way of resisting the Germans' offensive. Or rather, we have already suffered a crushing defeat. If we reject the Germans' proposal and continue to contend with them, we will only pay an even greater price. Therefore, accepting the Germans' terms is our best choice at present!" Mikoyan immediately said.
"You! You are selling out Russia's interests!" Andreyev trembled with rage. Marshal Shaposhnikov's declaration made him furious. It meant that, in his struggle with Molotov, he was now at a complete disadvantage with the military's support behind Molotov.
"Comrade Andreyev, we are doing this for the sake of the country. If we continue resisting, it will only lead to our country's destruction. Then we will have nothing left. How would we face Comrade Ulyanov and Comrade Joseph then?" Kalinin said as well.
Without question, over this matter, the Molotov faction and Andreyev had torn away all pretense of civility. Originally, the Molotov faction had been at a disadvantage. But now, Marshal Shaposhnikov had unexpectedly taken Molotov's side. This immediately brought a tremendous change to the balance of power between the two sides.
The attitudes of the other Russian leaders also shifted