Characters / Command & Conquer: Red Alert

This page is for characters who appeared in Red Alert and its expansions. For Tanya and Einstein, see Command & Conquer: Red Alert Series - Factions and Characters.

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Allies

General Gunter Von Esling

Played by Arthur Roberts

Affiliation: Allies
Rank: General
Role: Supreme Commander of Allied forces

A stoic, exemplary German military officer, Von Esling is the commander of the entire Allied military junta established to defeat the Soviet aggression. He is a responsible, dedicated commander. His second in command is Nikos Stavros, alongside Field Commander A9, the executor of the most important battle plans.

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• All Germans Are Nazis: A rare subversion. Certainly helped by the Nazis never existing in this timeline.
• Big Good: Von Esling is the supreme commander of the Allied forces, who are resisting the nefarious Joseph Stalin and his attempted conquest of Europe. He's also a very patient and level-headed leader to his forces.
• Cincinnatus: Despite his popularity and renown following the Allied victory, he elects to retire instead rather than consolidate or seize power.
• Irony: The ultimate force of good in the first Red Alert game is from Germany, who were the main reason why the Allies even decided to use the Chronosphere due to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
• Legendary in the Sequel: Downplayed. Red Alert 3 implies that Von Esling still led the Allies to victory over the Soviets in the altered timeline and gained so much renown that his tactics are still instilled in Allied military training, while a large military base in Iceland is named in his honor.
• Mission Control: Briefs the Allied commander on his missions.
• Officer and a Gentleman: Always polite and understanding. He does see the need to rein in Einstein's enthusiasm over science on a couple of occasions, however, presumably to prevent the preceding conversations from being unintentionally derailed.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Von Esling doesn't take offense when Stavros stomps out during a briefing, as he understands that Stavros is still grieving after his home country, Greece, fell to the Soviets.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Calm and polite blue to Stravos' hot headed and vengeful red.

General Nikos Stavros

Played by Barry Kramer

Affiliation: Allies
Rank: General
Role: Second in Command of Allied Forces

Hailing from Greece, Stavros is a very patriotic soldier, caring deeply about his country. He's also very competent, giving vital advice to both his superior and subordinates. He is also a good friend of Esling. When Greece was taken by Stalin's jackboot, Stavros was deeply affected by this Allied defeat. He manages to recover, but still harbors deep hatred toward the Soviets.

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• Berserk Button: The invasion and destruction of his home country of Greece makes Stavros a bit tense.
• Deadly Euphemism: At the end of the Allied campaign, when some of their soldiers find Stalin buried under rubble, they make an attempt to take him in alive. Until Stavros emerges from the shadows and states that "[He doesn't] see anyone here." He repeats this once and the soldiers understand and take their leave before Stavros gags Stalin and moves a stone over his face, the one part that wasn't already buried.
• Everyone Has Standards: Stavros does not like Tanya, due to the fact that she's motivated by profit rather than duty and patriotism. Von Esling has a more pragmatic attitude towards her, recognizing how useful she is.
• Frontline General:
  • In the final Ant mission, he personally leads a taskforce into the ant nest to clear it out, and is one of the strongest units you got that mission.
  • The final Allied campaign mission reveals that he helps oversee the final push into Moscow and personally sees to it that Stalin meets his demise.
  • He also appears in a number of the expansion pack levels where it's your job to escort him to the exit. He only falls just short of what Tanya can do.
• Heroic BSoD: After Greece is invaded. He recovers after some time.
• I Was Never Here: When an Allied soldier is about to rescue a man buried in rubble revealed to be Stalin, Stavros steps in.
  Stavros: Private, I don't see anyone there.
  Allied soldier: Right here sir, it's Sta-
  Stavros: I don't believe you hear me Private, I don't see anyone here. Do you?
• It's Personal: After the fall of Greece, he is determined to see the Soviet Union and/or Stalin fall.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: When Allied forces find Stalin buried in some rubble, Stavros stuffs a rag in his mouth then moves a stone over his face so no one can see him.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Hot headed and vengeful red to Esling's calm and polite blue.
• Sympathetic Murderer: He leaves Stalin to a very slow and cruel death of suffocating to death while trapped underneath some rubble, with nobody able to find him due to Stavros hiding his face with a stone, but it's hard to say it isn't justified, given that Stalin took over Greece and is overall responsible for countless atrocities.
• The Greatest Story Never Told: Stavros gags and buries Stalin under rubble, while insisting to a group of Allied riflemen that they saw nothing. In the end, only he knows how the Soviet leader truly died.

Soviets

Joseph Stalin

Played by Gene Dynarski

Affiliation: USSR
Rank: Chairman of the Council of People's Kommissars of the USSR (Premier of the Soviet Union),Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Role: De facto party leader and the dictator of USSR

"When you kill one, it is a tragedy. When you kill ten million, it is a statistic."

Sometime in the mid-to-late 1920s, Joseph Stalin came to power as the leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In the years that followed, he began putting in motion plans for the expansion of Soviet Communism across the world. After Einstein removes Hitler, meaning Nazi Germany is not in his way, Stalin finds that Europe is ripe for the picking and begins a campaign to claim the continent for the Soviet Union. He chooses a capable field commander to take the fight to the Allies all the way up to London. Ambitious in his designs, he has little use for failures and even less patience for traitors.

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• Asshole Victim: Dies in both campaigns; as you can see from reading his entry, he deserved it.
• Bad Boss: Will threaten to kill his subordinates for failing him even if they've been successful everywhere else.
• Bait the Dog: There are times where he comes off as rather likable, but they don't stop him from being an utter bastard in every way. One of the best examples of this is when he and Gradenko are apparently bonding over drinks... only for him to make Gradenko sign a death warrant to kill alleged traitors.
• Big Bad Wannabe: While he seems to be leading the Soviet Union for most of the campaign, body language between him and Kane in some of the later cutscenes makes it clear who the real leader of the Soviet Union is.
• Buried Alive: At the end of the Allied campaign, Stavros gags him with a rag, then covers him with debris.
• The Caligula: Micromanages the war effort through the whole Soviet campaign, and shows this most in ordering a huge effort to obtain the Chronosphere, and is obsessed with it to the point he'll kill his generals for failing to obtain it. He's also paranoid and orders purges against people he thinks are plotting against him. Much like in reality.
• Dirty Communists: One of the filthiest of them all.
• Dirty Old Man: He has a rather unprofessional relationship with a female subordinate who's half his age at most.
• Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: He smokes one on occasions and is quite chummy, but in a Faux Affably Evil way.
• Evil Old Folks: Going by Real Life, he would be a very old man by the point this game is set.
• Faux Affably Evil: When he's not having people killed for displeasing him, Stalin is a jolly chap. This is best shown when he and Gradenko are drinking and having a good time - and then he makes Gradenko sign a death warrant on supposed traitors.
• Going Native: After they occupy London, Nadia comes up and offers him some tea. He figures, "When in Rome...". Not a good idea; it's her own special blend... blended with poison.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: His temper is both short and unpredictable that to puts many of those around him on edge, unsure whether he's crack a joke or snap angrily over the slightest provocation.
• Historical Badass Upgrade: A small one. Stalin obviously never personally executed the people he ordered to be killed during his reign, but here we see him personally snapping General Kukov's neck in a fit of rage after finding out that he was the one responsible for the failure to retrieve the Allied Chronosphere intact.
• Historical Domain Character: The one and the same, and with Shown Their Work in the mix.
• Karmic Death: In both campaigns. In the Allied one, he's buried alive by Stravos whose country of Greece he's responsible for devastating, much like Stalin wanting to figuratively bury the Allies. In the Soviet campaign, he's celebrating his forces' conquest of Europe when he's poisoned by Nadia, much like how he stabbed so many fellow Soviets in the back; Nadia, being a high-ranking Nod member — who likely sees herself as above Stalin — poisons Stalin when his usefulness is depleted.
• Kick the Dog: The briefing of the first Soviet mission opens with Stalin and two advisers discussing the testing of a new nerve gas on a few hundred innocent civilians before turning to you. Then you are assigned your first mission: killing the inhabitants of Toruń, Poland, by strafing them with fighter planes.
• Large Ham: Truth in Television. While Stalin was largely subdued and even stoic in public settings, privately he was known to be a volatile and even charming (if he wanted to) person.
• A Million Is a Statistic: Says this pretty much word for word, and it sums up his attitude quite well.
• No Honor Among Thieves: Being deemed valuable to Stalin is a major burden as it's not a matter of if, but when You Have Outlived Your Usefulness.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Given Stalin's general demeanor, about the only times he seems relatively attentive and contemplative is when a certain advisor is whispering things to his ear. Given he's Kane, it's not too surprising.
• Older Than They Look: He's around 75 at the time the game is set, but looks at least a decade younger.
• Piggybacking on Hitler: Provides the back to Kane, who is using the USSR of our mustachioed man for his own ends.
• Properly Paranoid: In this timeline, Stalin's fear of someone back-stabbing him is very proper because Kane and Nadia are using the Soviets to further the goals of the Brotherhood of Nod. He gets too comfortable with Nadia, and ends up drinking her poisoned tea at the end of the Soviet campaign.
• Surrounded by Idiots: When talking about acquiring the Chronosphere:
  Stalin: I want it!
  Kukov: Comrade, how?
  Stalin: I am surrounded by idiots! Do whatever it takes, steal it, take it from them!
• Take Over the World: At least, Europe.
• Undignified Death: In both campaigns, he ends up being unceremoniously killed in the endings. In the Allied campaign, Stravos stuffs a rag into his mouth and leaves him hidden in the ruins of a building so nobody can find him. In the Soviet campaign, Nadia serves him poisoned tea to get him out of the way so Kane may boost the power of the Brotherhood of Nod during the chaos in Europe.
• Ungrateful Bastard: He offers the player character the chance to "redeem" themselves even though it was already established that the player performed their actions correctly and were misled by flawed intelligence from Kukov. Coincidentally, after you complete said mission to redeem yourself, Nadia give him her signature poisoned tea, indirectly allowing the player character to get revenge. Before that, Stalin congratulates the player character on their victory and states that he will 'personally ensure' that the player character will be 'very well taken care of'. Given that Stalin has been established as a cruel and ruthless dictator who earlier murdered a subordinate with his own hands, it is unlikely that he means that he will ensure that the general will live out a long life in luxurious retirement.
• Unwitting Pawn: "This temporary chaos in Europe will only serve to fuel the Brotherhood's cause."
• Villainous Legacy: Even after his death, the Soviet Union continues to be a threat to the world. He's also responsible for the recruitment of psychics such as Yuri.
• Visionary Villain: Stalin believes that it is his sacred mission to make the Soviet Union stretch the entire European continent, launching a war that lasts years and leaves tens of millions dead. He was inspired after he witnessed himself as Europe's sole ruler in a dream.
  "Where the Romans failed, I will succeed. Russia's borders will stretch from coast to coast, for a united Russia is our destiny!"
• You Have Failed Me: Stalin warns the player: "If you fail, do not return", and later snaps an underling's neck for faulty intelligence ("You disappoint me, Kukov."). This was just after he ordered your execution, before being convinced that it was the underling's fault, not yours.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Once he has conquered Europe in the Soviet campaign, Nadia and Kane kill him. Earlier in the cutscene, he congratulates the player character on the great victory that he has won and says that he will personally ensure that the player character 'is very well taken care of'. Given that Stalin has been established as a cruel and ruthless dictator, it's more than likely that this means he intends to eliminate the player character now that the war has been won and his services as a general are no longer needed.

Nadia Zelenkov

Played by Andrea (C.) Robinson

Affiliation: USSR
Rank: Director of the NKVD
Role: Aide to Stalin

"You please Stalin. See that you do not disappoint him."

A ruthless and calculating woman, Nadia rose through the ranks of the Soviet Union to become Stalin's personal aide and lover. She is in charge of the NKVD and is an efficient killer, preferring a tea of her own making as her killing tool. There is more to her than she lets on; she is actually a member of the Brotherhood of Nod, helping Kane to maneuver the Soviet Union into Europe to expand Nod in their shadows.

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• Affably Evil: She's certainly more pleasant than Stalin and while she offs Gradenko for his failures and later Stalin for outliving his usefulness, she vouches for you when you're falsely accused for being responsible for the destruction of the Chronosphere.
• As Long as It Sounds Foreign: In Eastern European languages, surnames have to agree with the gender of the given name, thus Nadia's surname should be Zelenkova.
• As the Good Book Says...: At the ends of the Soviet Campaign: "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod.".
• Bond One-Liner: When she kills Gradenko, she tells him they can't afford to have him endangering the Iron Curtain anymore. After he dies she says: "I'm glad you agree.".
• Dragon with an Agenda: She's Stalin's most effective lieutenant in the Soviet hierarchy and carries out his orders with ruthless efficiency, but the final cinematic reveals that she was a covert Nod agent all along after she poisons her boss.
• Evil Gloating: After she poisons Stalin, she informs the commander about the plans Nod has for the world, after which she starts laughing... and then Kane shoots her in the back.
• In the Back: How she dies at the hands of Kane, being shot from the back.
• Klingon Promotion: Nadia poisons Stalin at the end of the Soviet campaign. Her promotion doesn't last long.
• The Kingslayer: She kills Stalin with poisoned tea in the Soviet campaign's ending.
• Leave No Witnesses: Nadia is shown to have a penchant for removing any loose ends and witnesses which could compromise Soviet and the Brotherhood's plans. She ironically ends up being shot by Kane in the Soviet ending, having become a loose end herself.
• Meaningful Name: 'Nadia is The Mole for the Brotherhood of Nod. say the first part of her name again.
• Mission Control: Conducts briefings for the Player Character.
• The Mistress: When she isn't leading the NKVD, her job is to serve as Stalin's lover.
• The Mole: For Nod.
• Poison Is Evil: Her preferred method of assassinations.
  Victim: This tea is exellent!
  Nadia: Thank you, I prepared it myself.
  Victim: (Dies)
• Saying Too Much: Implied to be why Kane kills her in the Soviet ending, having divulged a bit too much about the Brotherhood of Nod before properly making its presence known to the world.
• Silk Hiding Steel: Nadia is a beautiful and courteous woman. But make no mistake: she is dangerous.
• Slasher Smile: Her smiles are rare, but they're usually of this variety, notably when she watches Gradenko writhing in agony after poisoning him, and again after she kills Stalin.
• Sleeping with the Boss: Stalin's advisor and lover. It's heavily implied that this is how she's able to lead the NKVD.
• The Starscream: She has hints of this, as may be expected of a Nod member. Kane seems to think so and shoots her in back at the end of the Soviet campaign, for this or other reasons.
• State Sec: As head of the NKVD, although historically no woman has ever served as its director.
• Tampering with Food and Drink: Her special tea, which she serves to Gradenko and later Stalin himself.
• Unwitting Pawn: Her loyalty to Nod proves to be her undoing after the Soviets succeeded in conquering Europe.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
  • She "takes care" of Stalin after Europe is conquered. This also seems to be the implication of her statement to the general that he will serve Nod "for the foreseeable future".
  • Ironically this is ultimately her fate as well, as immediately after this statement she is casually shot in the back by Kane, the leader of Nod.

General Radik Gradenko

Played by Alan Terry

Affiliation: USSR
Rank: Field Marshall
Role: Director of Russian Secret Police

"Destroy everything, and everyone. No prisoners, no survivors."

Gradenko was the Director of the Russian Secret Police and was overseeing the development of a nerve gas to be deployed on the war front. He seems to be of mediocre ability in terms of tactics and administrative function, but is shown to have a close friendship with Stalin, which is probably how he got and maintains his position.

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• Friendship Moment: One cutscene shows him drinking with Stalin and the two of them acting really chummy. Then it's subverted when it turns out Stalin just wanted him to sign the death warrants of men he'd declared traitors.
• General Failure: Although Gradenko is an outstanding strategist and security expert, being responsible for many Soviet victories in Eastern Asia, he made a number of mistakes at the beginning of the European war which included the loss of much of the USSR's stockpiles of nerve gas, a critical element in Stalin's original plans. Stalin also blamed him for his failures in pacifying civilian resistance, and for Albert Einstein's escape. The final straw is his sloppy security of the Iron Curtain project that allows the Allies to capture sensitive material, forcing you to eliminate the liability. Nadia punishes him for the later with her signature poisoned tea.
• Karmic Death: After his career of helping with the development of chemical weapons that were tested against civilians. He ends up being poisoned himself by Nadia after his poor oversight of the security for the Iron Curtain project.
• The Rival: To Nadia for Stalin's favor.
• Secret Police: His main function.
• You Have Failed Me: Nadia poisons him for his incompetence.

General Georgi Kukov

Played by Craig Kavanah

Affiliation: USSR
Rank: General
Role: Commander of the Red Army

"Continue to accumulate victories, and the future is yours."

Kukov was a Soviet military officer as the Second World War got under way. He was deployed along the German border but eventually became Commander of the Red Army. While a capable commander, he often seemed to have other plans on the side.

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• Chest of Medals: After his promotion.
• Faux Affably Evil: He's more easygoing and seemingly less fanatical than the other Soviet leaders, but every bit as ruthless and evil as them. When given the opportunity, he will gladly throw someone to the wolves if it means a promotion.
• Foreshadowing: After receiving a promotion, he admires his Chest of Medals and smugly talks of how rapid advancement can be, and tries to deflect suspicion by encouraging you to keep accumulating victories. This is a warning sign that he is mainly interested in his own advancement and he will eventually betray you by trying to blame you for a mistake he made. It back fires when Nadia calls him out for botching his intelligence and he reluctantly confirms when Stalin grills him, leading to Stalin strangling him and snapping his neck.
• Karmic Death: When the mission to capture the Chronosphere ends in Fission Mailed, he tries to get the player executed, but Nadia points out his poor handling of intelligence data that led to the player character missing one of the security devices. After Stalin presses him for confirmation that he affirms, he ends up being strangled by Stalin himself.
• Klingon Promotion: At one point, Stalin persuades Grandenko to sign death warrants for a number of high-ranking officers. In the next scene, Kukov, seemingly newly-promoted, smugly comments: "Advancement in the Soviet Army can be rapid.".
• Laser-Guided Karma: Gets it big time when Nadia calls him out for a major mistake: He botched the intelligence on the Allied Chronosphere Project, leading to you doing exactly what you were ordered to do, but failing the mission. Kukov tries to blame you and have you executed, which backfires spectacularly when Nadia points out that it was him who failed. Stalin executes him personally via Neck Snap.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: He's evidently the Red Alert timeline's equivalent to Georgy Zhukov in his competence and position, albeit much more smug and back-stabbing than the the real Zhukov ever was.
• No Honor Among Thieves: He show signs of hoping to usurp Stalin and even tries to have the player character executed for his mistake in the Chronosphere intelligence. Nadia calls him out for this and he gets executed instead.
• Smug Snake: Goes with the territory of being The Starscream. Very excited to fill his chest with medals and show them off to his peers, willing to expend fellow Soviet officers to gain promotions, and comes close to sending the player character to his doom. Nadia saves you by calling out his faulty intelligence, leading to Stalin killing him by Neck Snap.
• The Starscream: Not as outstanding as some examples, but he does have hints of this. He monitors Stalin behind his back, is suspiciously promoted after Stalin has some alleged traitors executed and is quick to jump on Stalin's accusation that you're to blame for failing to obtain the Chronosphere when it was, in fact, his fault.
• You Have Failed Me: After an attempt to capture the Chronosphere fails, Kukov blames the player but Nadia points out that it was a piece of intelligence he missed that resulted in the loss. Stalin promptly strangles him.

The Adviser / Kane

Played by Joseph Kucan

Affiliation: USSR/Brotherhood of Nod
Rank: N/A
Role: Personal Advisor to Joseph Stalin

"The foreseeable future? Comrade Chairman, I am the future."

See Command And Conquer Tiberium Series Factions And Characters.

Topolov

Played by Alan Charof

Affiliation: USSR
Rank: General
Role: Soviet General

"I like you comrade. I like you very much. And I am Russian - I do not like anybody!"

A General introduced in the Soviet Campaign in Counterstrike, who orders the player in a series of special operations. Unlike his fellow generals, he does not have any hidden agendas and is weary of the conflict. After a string of successful campaigns, Topolov retires from military service and turns to farming

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• Affably Evil: Unlike all the other Soviet characters in Red Alert, Topolov is actually quite polite to the player and even congratulates them when they win. And even when Topolov is replaced by the player for doing his job so well, he holds no malice towards them and even leaves a bottle of vodka as a gift and salutes the player.
• Big Fun: Downplayed on both "big" and "fun". Topolov is a slightly portly gentleman and he's arguably the most jovial character in the Red Alert 1 cast; though he's still a military general who takes his work seriously when he needs to.
• Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: When you complete the Ukraine missions, he is shown toasting to you with his vodka three times while saluting "Russia, Women, and Russian Women".
• Call-Forward: His more amicable and genuinely patriotic demeanor foreshadows the Soviet mindset by Red Alert 2, if anything.
• Call to Agriculture: After the player's successful campaign operations, he finally retires and turns to farming, giving his position to the player.
• Chummy Commies: The only one who shows such personality.
• I Did What I Had to Do: He quietly disapproves of Stalin's rule and at one point shows regret in ordering the player to put down some revolutionaries, but still carries on with those orders if it means having the war end faster.
• Drinking on Duty:
  • His preferred method of congratulating the player when they succeed.
  Topolov: You have cleared my name. You are my friend. And I will drink to your honor... (notices the bottle is empty; laughs) It seems I already have! (laughs some more)
  • Played for drama in one mission where you're ordered to put down some revolutionaries. He notes that you are ordered to kill everyone, men women and even children, and that a stiff drink might help you cope with it.
• Nice Guy: Compared to all the other Soviet characters, at least.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Again, downplayed. Despite being the most affable character on the Soviet side of the story, Topolov is still a military general in a time of war and he's still going to do his job, for better or worse. Though he is subtly shown to have a moral compass and he secretly doesn't support Stalin's cruelty. Furthermore, he's actually kind of happy and relieved when the war is over and looks forward to retiring to a relatively quiet life of farming.
• Sole Survivor: Within the Soviet chain of command aside from Kane, the advisor, though it helps that his scenes are completely divorced from the main game, where all the Soviet backstabbing occurs.
• Token Good Teammate: A downplayed example. While Topolov is technically on the villain side of the story, he is different from the other Soviet characters in that he is extremely friendly, polite, and respectable to the player; even congratulating them when they succeed. He also has no hidden agendas and doesn't engage in the backstabbing tactics that the other Soviet characters do. There are even moments when he shows that he does not fully agree with Stalin's methods, such as the latter's response to the Grunyev Revolution, and seems almost eager to have retired from the military in the end.

Vladimir Kosygin

Affiliation: USSR, defected to Allies
Rank: Major
Role: Atomic Strategist

A key atomic strategist who becomes appalled by Joseph Stalin's ruthlessness; he is extremely upset about the plan to place Russian troops in harm's way to further Stalin's goal of luring the Allied forces into a trap and nuking four Allied cities. He divulges info to enable the Allied commander to destroy the Dark Horseman project, neutralizing the atomic bomb threat to the Allies.

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• Defector From Commieland: Becomes upset with Stalin's ruthlessness and requests asylum with the Allied Forces.
• Everyone Has Standards: He is disgusted by Stalin's ruthlessness, particularly his disregard for the lives of his own troops, resulting in him defecting to the Allies.
• Guilt-Ridden Accomplice: Implied by his pleas to the Allied commander to wipe out the Dark Horsemen project.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: While his surname is a reference to high-ranking Soviet statesman Alexei Kosygin, he bears more than a few similarities to Polish colonel Ryszard Kukliński, a Warsaw Pact strategist who passed on strategic plans regarding the use of Soviet nuclear weapons to the Americans and was evacuated from Warsaw by the CIA in a similar manner to how he's extracted in the game.
• Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: He doesn't dare speak too openly, but he is appalled by Stalin's methods, especially using troops as sacrificial lambs. He requests extraction by the Allies.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: After the Dark Horsemen mission, he is not seen again, presumably going into hiding to evade assassination by the Soviets. We don't find out what happened to him.

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