Sergei Gurlukovich

Sergei Gurlukovich (Russian: Сергей Гурлукович) was a former commanding officer in the Spetznaz GRU and later became the leader of a Russian mercenary group. He was also the father of Olga Gurlukovich.

Early life and career
Sergei Gurlukovich was born and raised in Chelyabinsk-70, Russia, now known as Snezhinsk. He served in the Soviet Armed Forces, and eventually rose to the rank of Colonel. He served as the head of the Spetznaz GRU during the Cold War, where he met his friend and comrade-in-arms, Revolver Ocelot. He also was a war buddy of Boris Vyacheslavovich Popov. Eventually, Sergei fathered a daughter, whom he named Olga.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sergei brought together former soldiers, many from Spetsnaz GRU, who had nowhere left to go, forming a mercenary army of at least a thousand strong. Carrying an utmost sense of patriotism to his country, Sergei's ultimate ambitions were to restore Mother Russia to her former glory. Olga his daughter, and Johny Sasaki, former Next Generation Special Forces and an American with Russian roots, joined the military organization.

In 2005, Sergei allied himself with Liquid Snake and the Sons of Big Boss terrorist group, via Ocelot, with the intention of joining Liquid's revolt against the United States Government, on Shadow Moses Island.

Hungry for the power that Metal Gear REX would offer him and thus its capability to restore Russia, Sergei provided the terrorists with a Hind D gunship and most of the Sons of Big Boss's heavy artillery, as a down payment for data on the REX project. Liquid, however, had very different aims, referring to Sergei as more of a politician than a warrior. Liquid was to arrange for Sergei's troops to assist the Genome Soldiers, though this plan was never carried out, due to REX's destruction at the hands of Solid Snake. Likewise, Sergei, while hungry for REX's power, also had some doubts about whether it was indeed as powerful as it is claimed to be, stating that Ocelot and Liquid contact him again only after REX successfully launches a nuke. However, Sergei never received REX due to its destruction, and Liquid's death.



In 2007, Sergei received word that a new type of Metal Gear was scheduled for transport, via the Hudson River, and planned to steal it, believing it to be the key to reviving Russia to its former glory. On August 8, his troops seized the dummy oil tanker that was transporting the new Metal Gear, with Sergei personally joining the mission, along with Ocelot and his daughter Olga. Sergei did, however, sense that the mission may not go according to plan, after seeing the full moon during the storm. He told Olga that, once everything was set up, she must leave the mercenary unit, despite her protests, and stay in America, assuring her that it was a "country of liberty."

Sergei later made his way down to the tanker's holds where Metal Gear RAY was stored with Ocelot. With Ocelot distracting the Marines, Sergei took the Commandant hostage with his Makarov PM. Ocelot had different intentions with RAY however, and Sergei believed that he was still taking orders from Solidus Snake. After realizing Ocelot's true allegiance to the Patriots and Ocelot threatening, Sergei attempted to shoot him; however, Ocelot shot and mortally wounded him via several shots to the chest, and also killed the U.S. Marine Commandant Scott Dolph. Four of the Gurlukovich soldiers, confronted with evidence of Ocelot's betrayal, attempted to avenge their former leader, but were shot by Ocelot. The rest of Sergei's men were then wiped out as Ocelot hijacked RAY and proceeded to destroy the tanker and the Marines on board. As the flooding grew worse, he finally expired from drowning while weakly saying the name of his daughter.

After death
Ironically, Sergei's advice that Olga go to America placed his granddaughter, later named Sunny, in grave danger when the ruling organization, the Patriots, kidnapped her shortly after birth, and threatened her life to force Olga to aid Raiden in the S3 Plan, which ultimately resulted in Olga's death. Raiden, after breaking ties with Rosemary due to a relapse in his PTSD dating back to his days as a child soldier in Liberia, later allied himself with the Paradise Lost Army to save Sunny, which led him to meet Sergei's war buddy, Boris, who aided Raiden with his former expertise as an ex-Soviet soldier.

Personality and traits
Sergei was a very patriotic man who dreamed to have Russia restored to its former glory and power by any means necessary including working with terrorists such as Liquid Snake and the rest of the Sons of Big Boss. He was, as Liquid put it, a very prudent man who had doubts of Metal Gear REX's power. He also had a bad feeling about the outcome of the Tanker Incident.

Sergei was a very charismatic person who was able to gain the loyalties of over a thousand former Russian soldiers who had no where else to go. They were so loyal to Sergei that they were willing to die for him and tried to avenge him when he was gunned down by Ocelot.

Sergei had a lot of love and care for his daughter Olga as he made her promise to live in America once the Tanker Incident was complete in order to give her unborn child a better life. He asked his soldiers to keep Olga safe from harm and was enraged when Ocelot said that Olga would die in the tanker with him. His last word was his daughter's name.

Behind the scenes
Sergei Gurlukovich (セルゲイ・ゴルルコビッチ) and Solidus Snake are the only characters in the Metal Gear series to be mentioned first in one game (Metal Gear Solid), then appear in person in the sequel (Metal Gear Solid 2). In Metal Gear Solid, it is mentioned that Sergei was "currently the head of Spetsnaz" during a conversation between Revolver Ocelot and Liquid Snake. However, in Metal Gear Solid 2, it is stated (Otacon to Solid Snake) that Sergei was actually leading a private mercenary group, during the time of the previous game's setting (Otacon also referred to Sergei as the former head of the Spetsnaz).

In director Hideo Kojima's "Grand Game Plan" for Metal Gear Solid 2, Sergei's death at the hands of Ocelot was to be portrayed in a slightly different fashion; as Ocelot would have already boarded RAY when revealing his true colors, Sergei was to be killed by RAY stepping on him.

Snake Tales
Sergei was also the antagonist of the story "Confidential Legacy" in Snake Tales, included in the Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance expansion.

In the story, Sergei was involved in hijacking a Marine-controlled tanker containing a Metal Gear from Eldera, when the latter was rediscovered six months prior to the events of the story. Wanting revenge on Roy Campbell, of whom his constant battles against him in the Cold War resulted in a lot of widows and orphans in his group, he also had his niece, Meryl Silverburgh join by tricking her into thinking that Matt Campbell helped the communist-backed rebels and that the Marines executed him. He then encounters Snake by faking taking Meryl as a hostage. After Snake defeated Meryl in a fight, Sergei Gurlukovich then confirms Snake and Campbell's suspicions that it was in fact he who killed Matt Campbell, not the Marines, as well as revealing that when he was going to steal Metal Gear, he wasn't going to give it to the rebels before preparing to execute Snake. However, Meryl, being conscious enough to hear Sergei's confession, managed to avenge her father by shooting Sergei, killing him.

Appearances

 * Metal Gear Solid (mentioned)
 * Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
 * Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (Snake Tales; non-canon)
 * Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (mentioned)