The story — like the opposition presidential candidate — won’t die.
UPDATE: Two Associated Press stories have appeared today [December 8], one affirming the story in The Times and one denying it. (Comments on the topic can be found here, here, and here.)
FURTHER UPDATE: “Yushchenko’s family hides as crisis continues.”
Eastern Europe may very well be seeing the attempted resurrection of the USSR, but no one seems to want to make the conclusion. The clues are all there. I’m sure that this isn’t something set in stone, but the world can’t be vigilant and watch for the resurgence of an authoritarian empire with massive geopolitical clout, unless it admits the possibility. If the worst comes to pass, how long it will take to rebuild the Warsaw Pact remains to be seen.