Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin

Yevgeny Borisovich Volgin (Russian: Евгений Борисович Волгин), also known as Thunderbolt, was a sadistic Stalinist GRU colonel, as well as the strategic operations commander of the Soviet Union, who attempted to seize control of the Soviet Union by overthrowing Nikita Khrushchev and installing Leonid Brezhnev and Aleksei Kosygin in his place. Volgin was an extremely strong man, even for his large size. He combined his tremendous strength and skills with unexplained ability of electrical manipulation, gaining him the nickname "Thunderbolt" in the West.

Early life and career
Volgin was born sometime during the mid 1900s to early 1910s, and later became a boxing champion as a young adult. During World War II, he took part in the Katyn Forest Massacre, in which the Soviets murdered over 20,000 Polish officers. During the massacre, he often removed the prisoners' blindfolds before beating them to death. During this time, he was serving in the domestic branch of the Soviet Secret Police, NKVD, stationed at the rear of the Red Army, and charged with punishing deserters. He also placed the blame on a prisoner revolt to allay any fears.

Volgin was involved in putting down the Uprising of East Germany in 1953 and Hungarian Revolution in 1956, and boasts that he personally "disposed" of over 100,000 anti-communist activists.

At some point prior to 1964, Volgin's father died and Volgin, only learning of the Legacy and his father's role in its creation after his death, inherited the Philosophers' Legacy illegally from the Assembly. Volgin later used this enormous cache of funds to construct a massive fortress in the mountains of Tselinoyarsk, known as Groznyj Grad. He also managed to procure the blueprints for the Objekt 279 tank, after the project was shelved for being too costly, and used the Legacy to build at least eight of them. Volgin then conspired with the Brezhnev faction and the military to overthrow the Khruschev regime and seize power. He also hired Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin for a chance to develop Granin's weapons system when Khrushchev sided with Sokolov's Shagohod. However, after it became apparent that Granin's idea was not producing the results Volgin desired, Volgin turned to Sokolov's Shagohod idea.

Volgin, under the rank of Colonel, contacted The Boss on July 24, 1964 using a Philosophers' spy network suggesting that she defect to the Soviet Union in order to overthrow Khrushchev without endangering his position in GRU. The Boss accepted the offer, although he did not realize that this was actually intended by the U.S. Government in a plot to gain his Philosophers' Legacy, as well as inadvertently exposing the Shagohod's development (or at the very least large details of its development) to the government. A month later, he was present during the Virtuous Mission, where he supervised the formal defection of The Boss to the Soviet Union. He also ordered The Boss to kill Naked Snake to silence him because he saw his face, and because The Boss refused to let him join them. Unfortunately, Volgin, in a move seemingly not anticipated by the U.S. Government, fired an American-made Davy Crockett at Sokolov's research facility, destroying it in a nuclear explosion, and "framing" the U.S. for the whole ordeal. He also did this with the intention of making the intelligence agencies believe that The Boss was the one who launched the nuke at the Sokolov Design Bureau rather than himself. This sparked an international incident, and began Operation Snake Eater. He then forced Sokolov to continue with the Shagohod project, alongside several other scientists and engineers, forcing them to continue work for a week. He planned to use it to not only launch a nuclear strike against America, but also mass-produce the weapon throughout the Eastern Bloc, as well as orchestrate various uprisings throughout the world to fan the flames of war.

During the operation, Volgin was constantly enraged at Naked Snake's actions, and of the actions of a spy among their ranks. He was unaware that the spy he hated was in fact Tatyana, a woman he constantly abused. He also suspected Granin of being the spy in Volgin's ranks, and had him arrested and then tortured him by trapping Granin inside a drum can and then frequently punching and kicking it with his electrical and physical abilities, killing Granin in the process before he could talk, and discovered a transmitter inside Granin's shoes, meaning he was either the spy or that it was planted on him without his knowledge. He also ordered for a Hind helicopter and additional manpower to patrol Krasnogorje to heighten its defenses against Naked Snake infiltrating Groznyj Grad, and later sent Flame Troops to Krasnogorje to roast Snake alive as revenge for his killing off The Pain, The Fear, and The End. In his fortress of Groznyj Grad, Volgin found and captured Naked Snake, however, when Snake disguised himself as Volgin's lover, Raikov, in order to find Sokolov (he deduced that he wasn't Raikov because Raikov and Naked Snake's testicle sizes were different ). After discovering Snake, he proceeded to beat him to a pulp for attacking Raikov. After Snake was knocked unconscious, Volgin took Snake to an interrogation cell. He then proceeded to interrogate Sokolov over who Khrushchev's "lapdog" was and who he gave the Shagohod data to, but apparently killed him from the beating (in actuality, Sokolov faked his death from a fake death pill supplied to him by The Boss). He then arrived for Naked Snake's cell, took him to the interrogation room, and proceeded to torture him through electrocution and beatings. While torturing Snake (which was proving ineffective, as Snake was mentally trained as a FOX operative and The Boss's protégé to resist physical torture), a transmitter fell out of Snake, and he discovered that The Boss had planted it in him, supposedly to have the Cobra Unit find him easier. He told her to cut out his eyes to prove that she wasn't the spy in his ranks. Tatyana intervened, which prompted Ocelot to threaten her by juggling his pistols and firing. Snake saved Tatyana by kicking Ocelot, but the muzzle flash from Ocelot's gun blinded him in one eye. Satisfied with Snake losing at least one eye, Volgin departed, and Snake was taken back to his cell. As Volgin intended to continue his torture of Snake at a later point, he also allowed Snake to retain his medical kit so he could dress up his injuries, as well as his radio for unknown reasons. Snake, however, escaped his prison cell. When Volgin discovered that Snake escaped from his cell when arriving at the prison, he also ordered a full lockdown of the base, forcing Snake to jump off a waterfall from the sewers to escape the GRU forces, as his planned escape route was sealed as a result of the lockdown. Snake, surviving this, continued his mission to destroy the Shagohod. After the Shagohod was completed, Volgin granted the scientists and engineers the rest they needed. However, it was believed that he was also planning to execute all of them after the phase 2 trials to ensure that they didn't expose the Shagohod's existence.

Later, Volgin found Naked Snake planting C3 explosives on the Shagohod's liquid fuel tanks, intending to destroy it. He, with the assistance of Ocelot and The Boss, captured Snake. Whilst this was happening, EVA had stolen the Philosophers' Legacy microfilm from Groznyj Grad's underground vaults, but was discovered by the guards, revealing her true identity. Despite his regular sadistic behavior, he mentioned that he seemed to value Tatyana as a "pet", and "cared" for her before he discovered that she was the spy. Upon her capture, he said he planned to execute her.

Volgin faced Snake in combat, but was defeated by Snake despite his impressive electrical abilities. Volgin, anticipating that Snake was going to win midway through the fight, also ordered for Ocelot to shoot Snake. However, Ocelot who witnessed the fight, refused to obey Volgin's orders, citing that he promised The Boss not to obey any order that pertained to Snake's death, even if the order came from Volgin. Volgin then tried to kill Ocelot with his electricity raging that he's Ocelot's commanding officer, but Ocelot, after cancelling out the attacks with his revolver, told him (addressing Volgin by last name basis instead of by his rank) to fight like a man. Volgin eventually ordered Ocelot to find the C3 explosives when an announcement came in where C3 were reported inside the hangar. Volgin was eventually beaten hard enough by Snake to force him to vomit up blood. Snake and EVA escaped Groznyj Grad by motorcycle, but were quickly pursued by Volgin in the Shagohod, which they had in fact failed to destroy (as the EOD personnel drained the fuel tanks when the C3 was discovered). As the chase dragged on, Volgin himself laid waste on Groznyj Grad in an attempt to kill Snake and EVA. Volgin even went as far as killing his own men that got in the way; this included shooting his own men with the Shagohod's machine guns, ramming into a Hind and destroying it and even running over several of the motorbike crews that gave chase on Snake and EVA. He eventually activated the boosters when attempting to run over EVA and Snake, and also attempted to fry Ocelot (who was behind the boosters when they were activated) as revenge for Ocelot's earlier disobedience.

After the Shagohod was almost destroyed, Volgin piloted what was left of it to face Snake and EVA. Even after the Shagohod failed completely, Volgin refused to give up, powering it with his own electricity. In the end, however, Volgin fell to Naked Snake's assault of an RPG-7. Standing atop the ruined machine, Volgin died after being struck by a bolt of lightning, which set him alight and caused the ammunition in his bandoliers to discharge. Snake then caught a glimpse of The Sorrow, who had accompanied the thunderstorm's arrival.

After death
Despite Volgin's demise, his desire to have Khrushchev ousted from power and replaced with Leonid Brezhnev nonetheless came to pass.

Six years after Volgin's death, his defeat at the hands of Naked Snake was spread across the Soviet Union, making Snake somewhat of a hero to the Soviet people, as well as in America. In addition, because of his demise, the Soviet government could now deliver justice to Raikov's abuse of his rank, as Volgin's influence prevented them from doing so beforehand. Likewise, Sokolov, while using the pseudonym "Ghost," thanked Snake for "taking care of" Volgin years before when he first called him, giving him a hint to his potential identity.

Abilities
Volgin had incredible strength which made him a deadly foe in battle, his blows being powerful enough to send an opponent flying as well as make them vomit, breaking the opponent's bones in the process. In addition, he was capable of not only lifting, but also wielding with ease, a davy crockett launcher by hand (Davy Crocketts weigh about 300 kilograms combined with the launcher and the Davy Crockett itself, and personnel using it generally utilize a tripod). He was also skilled with guns: He used his Makarov sidearm to shoot Sokolov in the kneecaps after deducing Major Raikov was Naked Snake in disguise. Colonel Volgin then turned the Makarov on Snake but the gun was disarmed from him with Snake's quick CQC skills. It was attempted to be used on Snake again once The Boss overpowered him, and The Boss did a similar disarming maneuver to render him bare-handed.

Volgin's body possessed a physical anomaly that allowed him to generate 10 million volts of electricity at will, and he specialized in electric shock attacks. To protect himself from being injured by this exceedingly high voltage, having caused the numerous scars to his face, Volgin wore a rubber suit during combat. While wearing it, he could generate his maximum level of voltage, using it to enhance his strength to superhuman levels. He demonstrated this by punching through the solid metal of the Shagohod's armor, which even the RPG-7's shaped-charge warhead was unable to penetrate directly. Volgin was also known to perform an attack that did damage on three levels; to hold four bullets between his knuckles, punch a person, and drop the bullet casings in an intimidating manner. It worked three-fold, a punch, igniting the bullet's gunpowder for a "gunshot" effect, and using the metal of the bullets to conduct an electricity shock on the opponent. He first showcased this ability on a concrete wall after learning from The Boss that The Pain had been killed by Naked Snake. He then performed it on Granin, who was imprisoned inside a metal drum.

During his battle with Naked Snake in Groznyj Grad, Volgin demonstrated the ability to electrify metallic objects to his own specifications (for example, he was able to create a steady band of electricity across the floor) and project steady beams of electricity forward. Instead of using a firearm, he could hold bullets in his hands and use his power to ignite the propellant. He used this ability in several ways, including a barrage attack, a machine gun, and to increase the damage from his punches. He used a similar attack on Ocelot to force him to not attack Snake, prior to his and Snake's fight in the hangar. The bullets presumably came from a bandoleer of 7.62mm rifle bullets, which he always wore on his rubber suit. He could also use it to create a shield that could temporarily protect him from gunfire. He also had the ability to channel his own electricity, as shown when he was able to revive and power the Shagohod after it was nearly destroyed by Naked Snake's RPG. In addition, he could also absorb electricity from other electrical sources such as switchboards, as was shown during his fight with Naked Snake.

Nevertheless, his electricity was subject to the same physics as regular electricity. It was attracted by metal (which he used to his advantage to stop Naked Snake from using a gun by igniting all the bullets in the magazine at once). His powers could also be temporarily weakened if he came into contact with water. Likewise, his electrical abilities can also be disrupted with chaff-based weaponry.

Personality and characteristics
Volgin was shown to have a ruthless and power-hungry personality, as one of the reasons why he desired to overthrow Khrushchev and install Brezhnev and Kosygin in his place was so he could secretly control the Soviet Union. He was also extremely sadistic, as evidenced by his love of torture (even though most of the times he tortured people he also killed them before they could even reveal any intel), as well as his frequent abuse of EVA/Tatyana, and his boasts of killing people in the Katyn Forest Massacre, the Uprising of East Germany, and the Hungarian Revolution. In addition, during the aforementioned massacre at Katyn Forest, he also removed the blindfolds before beating them to death, and after Snake wet himself while being tortured, he remarked "Now that's what I like to see," suggesting that Volgin also enjoys seeing people experiencing terror or pain before death. In addition, Volgin also recalled several despicable and low class things he did or witnessed, to which he frequently laughed about it. This trait was apparent shortly before he attempted to execute Tatyana when discovering she was the mole leaking information to Snake, where he laughed to himself. He also had little regard for his own men, as evidenced by the fact that he killed many of them while using the Shagohod.

Volgin often failed to interrogate any of his victims successfully, during Operation Snake Eater, as most of them died before they could reveal any information. For example, Volgin not only failed to learn the details behind Naked Snake's mission, he actually achieved the opposite during the interrogation, by informing Snake about the true nature and location of the Philosophers' Legacy. This was in part due to Volgin's sadistic nature and his failure to control it, often getting high when doing it. Taking into account that Ocelot discovered his fascination with torture by watching him interrogate Snake, Volgin's failure to show the benefits of torture awakened a sadistic side in Ocelot.

Volgin was extremely arrogant and megalomaniacal, believing that his position in Groznyj Grad means that he should dismiss any arguments from his underlings, that they should obey him without question. These traits were especially apparent with his interactions with Ocelot: when Ocelot scolded Volgin about his methods, Volgin sternly responded that he didn't need Ocelot's approval in regards to how he runs Groznyj Grad as he was in command, as well as getting angered at Ocelot stating that he won't obey Volgin's command to kill Naked Snake because of his promise to The Boss. He attempted to kill Ocelot with bolt of electricity after barking that he was the commanding officer. Ocelot calmly emptied one of his revolvers into the oncoming jolt to deflect it, admonishing, "Fight like a man, Volgin!"

He also had a tendency to destroy or kill anything or anyone who no longer served any purpose to him, as evidenced by one of his reasons as to why he launched the Davy Crockett at the OKB-754 research facility, his indifference to Granin's dying from torture before he could reveal who the spy within his ranks, his shooting and later attempted manslaughter of Sokolov when the latter was tortured by him, and the rumors of his intending to murder the scientists and engineers after the Shagohod tests are completed.

Volgin usually wore a unique variation of a Soviet officer's uniform that resembled a cross between an officer's uniform and a longcoat, wearing it over his rubber suit. However, this outfit was destroyed just before he fought against Naked Snake, by his full unleashment of his electrical powers.

Despite his negative qualities, Volgin mentioned that his primary reason for trying to take control of the entire Eastern Bloc was to reunify the Philosophers, who had split apart and began warring amongst themselves, and essentially end the Cold War.

Volgin was bisexual, and often described as being "a man of broad tastes," as evidenced by his relationships with both Major Raikov and EVA (he knew her as Tatyana). He seemed to legitimately care for Raikov; after Snake stole Raikov's uniform and impersonated him, Volgin was enraged and beat Snake senseless as payback. He also, shortly after discovering that EVA was the spy in his midst, remarked that, despite his abuse towards her, he "valued her as a pet and cared for her" when about to execute her, as well as it almost "paining him" to kill her.

Volgin showed a deep sense of respect (and to a certain extent, even fear) for The Boss. For instance, despite showing an extreme force of power in torturing Naked Snake in Groznyj Grad, Volgin backed away in fear when The Boss stepped toward him and asked, "You don't trust me, is that it?" Despite this, he still showed defiance when he ordered The Boss to cut Naked Snake's eyes out so that she would gain his trust. Later, he implied that he had at least some respect for Snake also, as he mentioned that fighting him would be a "once in a lifetime battle."

Volgin was also somewhat of a Japan fanatic, having knowledge of Japanese sports such as Judo as well as reciting the Japanese nursery rhyme "Kuwabara, Kuwabara." Similarly, he was also had some knowledge in regards to American history, remarking "Remember the Alamo" shortly before firing the Davy Crockett at the Sokolov Design Bureau (the Davy Crockett was named after a legendary American hero who died during the Texan War of Independence defending the Alamo from the Mexicans, which the phrase "Remember the Alamo" was derived from).

Volgin would chant the phrase "Kuwabara, Kuwabara", meaning "mulberry bush," whenever it was raining. In Japanese mythology, lightning did not strike mulberry bushes (its use is similar to the nursery rhyme "Rain Rain Go Away"). Ironically, one of the rare times that Volgin did not utter this phrase, he was struck by a bolt of lightning.

Behind the scenes
Volgin is the primary antagonist of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. His last name is a common Russian surname that derives from the Volga River.

Volgin's Japanese voice actor, Kenji Utsumi, had also formerly voiced two characters who, like Volgin, were military dictators. The first was Commander Red, the leader of the Red Ribbon Army (a group that shared some similarities to the Soviets, among other tyrannical regimes) from the Dragon Ball anime (who coincidentially resembled a dwarf version of Naked Snake/Big Boss, the person who defeated Volgin), and the second was Raoh, the main antagonist of Hokuto no Ken, who was the self-proclaimed conqueror of Century's End and who, similar to Volgin, possessed martial arts skills and supernatural powers.

In a leaked voice casting sheet, there was apparently some indecision in regards to whether Volgin was to hold the rank of colonel or major, although it was eventually decided that his rank was a colonel in the final version.

Volgin's actions onboard the Hind were intended to be similar to Carl Weathers' role as George Dillon from the film Predator, under director Hideo Kojima's request.

A leaked character model for the Fox Engine revealed a male character who resembled Colonel Volgin in appearance, who Kojima stated was a killed character. However, Kojima revealed in a Twitter post that the character was not Colonel Volgin.

In the non-canonical Secret Theatre film Die Hard, after Volgin is launched into the stratosphere, he explodes, suggesting that Volgin carried a microbomb.

After Volgin dies, when EVA is about to hug Snake, holding R1 will allow the player to see The Sorrow floating behind her and smiling. Some fans have speculated that he may have caused the lightning bolt that killed Volgin, although he often appears whenever thunderstorms occur in the game.

Cut content
There was originally supposed to be a scene before Ocelot attempted to juggle the revolvers near Sokolov where Volgin looks dirtily at Tatyana's hips (which are seen through her skirt) while she is out of it, causing her to, when realizing, straighten out her skirt, but it was cut. The scene, had it been used, would have explained why Tatyana's skirt was straightened when getting up despite being a victim to Volgin's attack.

The Director's Commentary mentioned that they originally intended for Volgin to have killed his father, and that there were originally supposed to be images of gold, silver, and paintings that the Nazis stole, images of World War II, Volgin's father, as well as a still of Volgin murdering his father. However, this was cut from the final version, with the Nazi Treasures and World War II images being replaced with texts and blueprints, and Volgin murdering his father being left out entirely.

Metal Gear Solid 3 's Director's Commentary explained that the torture sequence was originally supposed to contain some button sequences where Snake would struggle and swear, but the concept was removed from the final version, even though the dialogue was already recorded.

According to the Director's Commentary, the scene that the photograph was taken with Volgin and Raikov by EVA had Volgin reaching for Raikov's crotch, but this was cut off from the photo.

Volgin, when expressing pity at having to kill EVA after deducing her identity, starts breaking into laughter for no apparent reason. According to the Director's Commentary, the reason he was laughing was because he was reliving the memories of several despicable and low-class things he did.

Volgin, when EVA attempted to kill him with the Kiss of Death, was originally supposed to use his electricity to destroy her Kiss of Death, and the resulting discharge forces the bullet into the ceiling.

Gameplay
Major Raikov will reveal that Volgin is weak against water, if interrogated.

Volgin's remarks about Snake's endurance prior to the torture varies depending on how many serious injuries the player has endured during both the Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater (not counting wounds received in cutscenes). If Snake received minimal injuries, Volgin will remark that his skin is as soft as a "newborn baby's", although it soon wouldn't be. For moderate amounts of injuries, Volgin will admit that Snake has seen his fair share of battles, but tells him that he should consider himself lucky, as what Snake would go through next would be "Hell." If Snake received a huge amount of injuries, Volgin will be impressed at how much he has endured, as a lesser man would have been long dead by then.

If the player dons the Raikov disguise during the fight with Volgin, Volgin will get down onto his knees and say "Ivan...?", thus allowing a free hit on Volgin. However, this can only be done once (afterwards, he would have wised up), and if the player took the opportunity to hit him, he has to get out of the way, as Volgin will charge at him at an even faster rate than before, shouting "How dare you!! You will pay for what you did to Ivan!!" Also, waiting too long will have Volgin realize that Snake is not Raikov and do the above action. In a radio call to Para-Medic, she'll also briefly hint that Snake try to use that technique to land a free punch, although she'll stop herself when Snake expresses confusion as to why it would work. Also, acting on the advice that Volgin doesn't like water, the player can shoot the pipes in the arena. If the player manages to bring a live tree frog with them and releases it, Volgin will jump away upon getting close to it, uttering "Kuwabara, Kuwabara" before attacking it. This references a myth related to the belief that lightning will not strike a mulberry bush.

In the HD Collection, if the player defeats Volgin, they'll gain an trophy/achievement named "Grounded," referring to the concept of electrical waves being dampened by towering objects such as lightning rods to prevent short-circuiting of electronics.

Other appearances

 * Volgin was mentioned several times in Portable Ops. The first mention of him was by Jonathan, after learning that Snake was actually Big Boss. The second time was by Ghost when first contacting Big Boss. The third time was during the recruitment of Raikov, and the final time was when Gene explains that the United States, and more specifically a "deviously cunning strategist" had manipulated various factors to ensure that The Boss did not come home alive.
 * Volgin doesn't appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but he is indirectly referenced three times: The first reference was in EVA's sticker granting whoever wears it a 30% resistance to electric attacks, referring to EVA's undercover position as Colonel Volgin's female lover, as well as Volgin's electrical abilities. The second reference was in Naked Snake's trophy, which shows him bandaged up and wearing an eyepatch, referring in part to Volgin's torture of him, and Snake's loss of the use of his eye during the torture. Finally, the third reference was with the Naked Snake sticker having the second highest flinch resistance (being bested only by The Boss's sticker by one point), referring to Naked Snake's unflinching resistance to Volgin's torture.