In Moscow, the desperate Politburo considers deploying nuclear weapons to stave off defeat. This infuriates Alekseyev, who had been mobilizing for a final counterattack on Germany but faces execution by the Soviet government for its slow timetable. He later takes part in a coup d'etat orchestrated by the KGB in the Kremlin, arresting the government ministers and establishing a "troika" to temporarily preside over the country. The new Soviet government then negotiates for a ceasefire with NATO and a return to "status quo ante bellum", effectively ending the conflict.