Admiral Kent said, “You had asked about the nearest Russian naval asset, Mr. President. TheAdmiral Makarovis the closest ship, a frigate from the Black Sea Fleet. She’s rounding Crete on her way to the Bosporus.”
“What would be her surface-to-air capability?”
“Are you asking whether theMakarovcould engage these drones if they got airborne?”
“In theory.”
“She’d have a standard load of twenty-four SA-N-7s, but those only have a range of thirty to forty nautical miles. The corridor between Al-Jaghbub Airfield and the Suez…that’s at least two hundred miles away from where theMakarovis steaming at the moment. No way she could intervene.”
“Actually, that’s useful,” the President said. “TheMakarovmight be too far away, but that’s not the point. It’s a conceivable response.”
Mary Pat said, “You’re more interested in Yermilov’sreactionto the idea.”
“That I am.”
“Sixty seconds to going live,” said the Air Force lieutenant colonel coordinating the comms.
Ryan shifted to the “hot seat” on the far end of the room. An impressive executive chair was backed by an American flag on a staff, yet the background was otherwise neutral. Only the President would be in view to Yermilov, but the entire Situation Room would hear their conversation.And there’s another point of attack, Ryan thought.Determining if there’s anyone else in the room with the Russian president.
This was gamesmanship at its highest level. And as Ryan had learned years ago, Nikita Yermilov was a tournament-level player.
The main screen blinked to life and the president of the Russian Federation appeared. He looked back at Ryan with a sharp gaze from behind a hardwood desk. It wasn’t his office in the Kremlin, but Yermilov, too, was backed by a flag. The usual stagecraft. Ryan saw no signs of a five-o’clock shadow or rumpled hair, and the Russian didn’t appear to have dressed hastily. And just like that, the first point was established. This wasn’t a man who’d been rousted out of bed in the small hours of the morning.
Ryan said, “My apologies if I woke you, Mr. President, but a matter has arisen that carries serious implications for the security of both our countries.”
“I was sleeping, yes. But I know you would not call without good reason. What matter do you speak of?” Yermilov’s English was decent if a bit halting. CIA interpreters would later analyze every word microscopically, hunting for possible missed usages or tells.
“We have reason to believe that an attack is imminent on the Suez Canal.”
“The Suez? How can a canal be attacked?”
“We believe drones may be sent to disperse a radiological agent that could contaminate some part of it. This has the potential to shut down the canal for many years.”
“Who would do such a thing?” Yermilov responded. “Your Israeli friends again? I hear they have had their eye on digging a canal of their own as an alternate route between the seas.”
Ryan sensed no wavering, yet something in that response seemed less than spontaneous. He pressed ahead. “The man running this operation is Andrei Malenkov.”
“Malenkov? How do you know this?”
Ryan let those words hang in the air for a long moment. “We were given proof of his involvement by Gunther Klaus, who has for years been running the foreign finances of your GRU. And as I suspect you know, Klaus was also the subject of a recent GRU manhunt in Tangier.”
Yermilov’s expression turned severe. Yet he made his first error. Ryan saw his eyes flick past the camera and focus on something beyond. Probably a note from an adviser.
“I know nothing about plots with drones, but I can tell you that Klaus is a thief. The fact that he wears an expensive suit and does his stealing on the exchanges doesn’t put him above the law. Klaus has committed financial crimes, and he will answer for them.”
“And Malenkov?” Ryan pressed.
“Malenkov no longer has any association with the Russian Federation. He left the service over a year ago. Whatever he might have gotten into as a private citizen is no concern of mine.”
“Private citizen,” Ryan repeated. “It occurs to me that this attack, should it succeed, would create a windfall to your nation inthe oil and gas markets. Closure of the Suez would also amplify the importance of Arctic trade routes, which you have great control over.”
“What are you suggesting?” Yermilov said acidly.
“I am telling you that if this attack takes place, wewilldetermine who is responsible. I also believe it is linked to the downing of our diplomatic aircraft in Turkey. When the guilty parties are identified, the United States shall give no quarter, bringing the full weight of our armed forces to bear if necessary.”
“These accusations are groundless! Russia has stood against such threats before!”
“And I will stand against state-sponsored terrorism!”
