Yesterday the New York Times came out with this spy novel version of the Orange Revolution. It's got some previously unvoiced accounts from SBU agents and generals, plus a little bit from Tymoshenko and Kuchma and some of the rest of the political figures.
It's a compelling read, and underscores the real threat of a crackdown that the people in the tents certainly felt. The reminder of the SBU's contribution is also welcome; I remember seeing their personnel up on stage with the Berkut special operations police squad, other police representatives, and media all pledging their support. That was tremendously reassuring to the protesters, in addition to the help provided in their strategic (an illegal) taping of Yanukovych's fraud plan.
But at times it also had the kind of iron causality that is a little hard to believe outside of fiction novels. My favorite example is this, the world's biggest game of phone tag:
[On November 29] Reports of the alarm were relayed to the S.B.U. command, which notified the opposition, its officers on Independence Square, and then the American Embassy.
The opposition called the American ambassador John E. Herbst, who called Viktor Pinchuk, Mr. Kuchma's son-in-law, to find out what was happening, Mr. Pinchuk said.
Mr. Pinchuk said he called Viktor Medvedchuk, chief of Mr. Kuchma's administration, who called the interior minister at home. Mr. Bilokon said he did not know what was happening. "I was really worried," Mr. Bilokon said, in an interview. "How, without my knowledge, was this order given?"Secretary of State Colin L. Powell soon telephoned Mr. Kuchma, who did not take the call.
Who knows what would have happened next if Kuchma hadn't cut the great game short?
In all seriousness, this should not lead us to forget that, ultimately, it was gutsy protesters who made the revolution and the SBU played a helper role at most. The protesters were the ones who were brave enough to step out, unarmed, into the square and every other group more or less followed their lead.