Resident Evil Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Resident Evil Wiki
Prime universe
(Capcom's primary storyline)
OG:Biography
RE:Biography
Development
Gameplay
Quotes
Appearances
Gallery
Further notes

For Nicholai/Nikolai of other universes/realities, see Nicholai Ginovaef (disambiguation).

Nikolai Zinoviev (ニコライ・ジノビェフ Nikorai Jinobyefu?, Russian: Николай Зиновьев), codenamed "Silver Wolf", is a Soviet Army veteran who served in Umbrella's paramilitary as a Sergeant in the UBCS as well as a Monitor. He and the USS commando, HUNK were considered to be "rivals",[2] and he was a close friend of Col. Sergei Vladimir,[3] of whom he may have served with in the Soviet Army.

Biography[]

Zinoviev was born in Moscow, capital of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Per Soviet laws on national service, he likely served in the Soviet Army from 1981, and is known to have been in one of its special forces brigades.[4] Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Zinoviev was retired and, along with many other former Soviet soldiers, was recruited by Umbrella. Little is known of Zinoviev's career in the mid-1990s, though he was well-trusted by Col. Vladimir and knew of Umbrella's need for him in their Tyrant Project.[3] Zinoviev served Umbrella and Col. Vladimir in two ways. Officially he was a Sergeant within the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service, an anti-B.O.W. force. Unofficially, he was part of Col. Vladimir's internal affairs bureau and spied on the UBCS.[5]

Raccoon City[]

On 15 September 1998, the UBCS was put on alert by Umbrella HQ due to the deteriorating situation in Raccoon City, which was seeing hospital in-patients displaying symptoms of t-Virus infection. On the night of 26 September, the UBCS arrived with at least four platoons with orders to eliminate the Zombies and evacuate civilians.[6]

Zinoviev, however, had a number of other missions to attend to. Being a Monitor he was entrusted with various projects. Firstly, he was to assess the UBCS' capabilities against the mutants to serve as important data for Umbrella over the effectiveness of their bioweaponry.[7] Secondly, he had orders to destroy evidence of t-Virus vaccine research going on at Raccoon General Hospital which could potentially ruin the viability of t-Virus weaponry if it got in the wrong hands.[8] Thirdly, he was to observe the Nemesis-T Type, a prototype B.O.W. being sent into the city to hunt down specific individuals.[8] Finally, he had orders to lead his UBCS squad into Raccoon University and recover the Thanatos Project,[9] and kill or take the rogue Dr. Greg Mueller into custody. Each successful mission and the additional recovery of data was to give him larger and larger monetary rewards.[10] He was also offered a reward for the death of S.T.A.R.S. officer Jill Valentine, though Zinoviev was aware of the Nemesis-T02 and was willing to let the B.O.W. do its job.

The opening day of the UBCS' insertion was a bloodbath, with the majority of the force being wiped out shortly after arrival. By 28 September, Zinoviev and Cpl. Carlos Oliveira had gained control of a tram at Lonsdale Yard which they used as shelter. Their platoon leader, Cpt. Mikhail Viktor, had been injured in the combat and was left to rest on its seats. If any mercenaries who had reached Lonsdale Yard with them, they were dead by the end of that day. While the tram itself was inoperable, the three planned to repair it and use it essentially as an armored personnel carrier, taking them through the hazardous environment north to their designated evacuation point at St. Michael's Clock Tower.[11] When Oliveira made contact with Valentine and recruited her into their escape plan, Zinoviev was outwardly dismissive. Well aware of Nemesis-T02's ability to recognise targets, Zinoviev knew there to be a severe risk of being made a secondary target if seen with her.

While searching for parts for repairing the tram, Zinoviev took advantage of the situation to escape and fake his death. Accounts differ, however, as to if he escaped from a burning petrol station or an Umbrella Sales Office besieged by Zombies. If the latter, he was also responsible for the death of Murphy Seeker, a UBCS mercenary who had been recently infected.[12]

No longer limited by the UBCS platoon, Zinoviev was made free to carry out covert activities on behalf of Umbrella. Having received an influx of patients with Cannibal Disease since August, Umbrella was well aware the Raccoon General Hospital had conducted research on t-Virus with the intent on developing a treatment. Zinoviev made his way there and planted C-4 charges around the hospital's support columns to ensure the destruction of evidence. During his time there Zinoviev encountered fellow Monitor, Tyrell Patrick. Accounts differ as to the circumstances of their encounter, with one saying Zinoviev mortally wounded Patrick in a shootout, only for him to set-off a grenade; another account instead suggests Patrick escaped Zinoviev, and was killed by a booby-trapped safe while searching the basement. Regardless, the hospital complex was destroyed. One sample of the hospital's vaccine research was recovered by Oliveira, who urgently needed it to treat Valentine who had been wounded by the Nemesis-T02.

Zinoviev is known to have participated in Operation: Emperor's Mushroom early in the morning on 1 October, where he led a surviving squad of UBCS mercenaries to back to Raccoon University to recover Thanatos.[9] Zinoviev was able to get a blood sample extracted at the cost of his entire squad, but this blood sample was instead recovered by civilian refugees for creation of the Daylight vaccine, leaving Umbrella unable to clone the B.O.W. Before leaving the university building, Zinoviev assassinated Dr. Mueller, its creator and leader. He then destroyed the faculty building with C-4 charges.

Fate[]

Accounts regarding Zinoviev's final hours after the Raccoon University bombing differ, with several separate accounts for what happened to him. What is known is that Zinoviev was made aware of an imminent plan by the US military to blow up Raccoon City and made plans to escape the city with his data. Three accounts claim he made his escape attempt at Incineration Disposal Plant P-12A. In one of them, he was immediately killed by Nemesis-T02, which witnessed him conversing with Valentine and mistook him for an ally of hers. In the second, he commandeered a helicopter and was killed in battle with Valentine. In the third, he escaped in the helicopter. Regardless of these accounts and whether or not he survived, what is known for certain is that Umbrella obtained at least some of his reports from Raccoon City.[13]

Sources[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Resident Evil Archives. BradyGames. p. 138. 
  2. (in Japanese) biohazard 0 KAITAISHINSHO. Enterbrain. p. 237. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Letter from Sergei to Nicholai".
  4. バイオハザード3~Last Escape~/CHARACTERS (Japanese). Capcom. Retrieved on 2012-12-01.
  5. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Monitor Notes".
  6. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica official strategy guide
  7. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), file: "Supervisor's Report".
  8. 8.0 8.1 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), file: "Written Order To The Supervisors".
  9. 9.0 9.1 Resident Evil Outbreak (2003), file: "Orders".
  10. Nicholai tells Valentine this in the Park cabin
  11. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), cutscene: "Together for the Escape".
  12. Famitsu interview with Yasuhisa Kawamura.
  13. Resident Evil Survivor (2000), file: "Report on destroyed Raccoon City".
Advertisement