- This page is for the character. For the book, see Yassen (novel).
”In a way I loved your father”
Yassen said to Alex Rider after before dying from a gunshot from Damian Cray
Yasha "Yassen" Gregorovich, also known as Cossack, is a feared and highly skilled contract killer employed by SCORPIA who appeared in both Stormbreaker as a secondary antagonist and Eagle Strike as one of the main antagonists. He also appears in the spinoff novel Russian Roulette as the main protagonist.
Biography
Yasha Gregorovich was born in a Russian village called Estrov. His father was a researcher of chemical properties and a biologist; engaged in research at the University of Moscow. He always kept the true nature of his job a secret from Yassen.
Before Yassen was born, his father invented a deadlier version of anthrax which was highly contagious - the perfect biological weapon for military use, and which was capable of eliminating enemy troops and even entire villages and cities within days. Because of his unwillingness to utilize the properties of the virus for military use, he and his wife were exiled to the remote village of Estrov and forced to create transferable quantities of the virus for the Russian military; under the facade of producing pesticide for farmers.
An accident at the factory caused the outbreak of the virus which infected the whole village within minutes. Yasha's parents were able to reach their son in time and inject him with an antidote which they had created, thus saving his life. Yasha's father was fatally shot in the process. His mother forced him to pack basic rations and to leave Estrov and head for Moscow, moments before gunships from the Russian military arrived to exterminate the village. She also tells Yassen to find Misha Dementyev in Moscow, claiming he is a friend. It is believed that Yasha's mother, along with the rest of Estrov, died during the ensuing carnage.
Yassen and his best friend Leo Tretyakov evade both the helicopters and foot soldiers, but Leo perishes from the anthrax variant. After an intense and long escape and helicopter chase, Yasha managed to take a train to Moscow, where he finds Dementyev in Moscow University. However, instead of helping Yassen, Dementyev contacts the cops, knowing that Yassen is aware of the chemical weapons development. Yassen evades the cops and joins a street gang led by a man called Dima. Dima has stolen 70 rubles from Yassen, but Yasha knows that the only way he can survive is to live with Dima. One Day, One of Dima's friends suggests they turn to burglary. Liking the idea, Yasha forms a plot to rob an actress' house, who is a known associate of a shady man named Vladimir Sharkovsky.
Capivity by Sharkovsky
Whislt Dima and his gang wait outside ,Yassen manages enters the house through the window alone and eats the food in the fridge. However, Sharkovsky with the actress unexpectly returns and catches Yassen in the act. After Yassen stabs him with a knife to defend himself, Sharkovsky furiously punches him and knocks him out. Yassen never learns what happens to Dima and his gang but he never hears from them again. Sharkovsky then brings Yassen through the trunk of his car to his compound, where he is escorted by Sharkovsky twin bodyguards (Karl and Josef) to an interrogation room. When being asked about his name, Yasha - due to his injuries - mispronounced his name as 'Yassen', meaning 'Ash Tree'. Yasha, heeding his mother's warnings also told Sharkovsky that he is from Krisk. Sharkovsky offers to spare Yasha's life if he agrees to become his unpaid food taster (as the previous one died being poisoned by SCORPIA) as well as perform general labor in Sharkovsky's compound. Sharkovsky then forces Yasha to play a game of Russian Roulette with a single bullet. A crying Yasha participates in the game and survives.
Later in the night, Yasha immediately attempts to escape, but was detected by an infrared sensor which set an deafening alarm that alerted the guards he is then taken to the twin bodyguards who proceed to beat him 'like a punchbag in the gym'. The following day, he tries to escape again by hiding in one of the crates of the delivery van bring wine and champagne to Sharkovsky but is caught yet again by one of twins and is taken to Sharkovsky (who was swimming in his pool at the time) who then warns Yasha that he will be killed if he tries to escape again and informs the twins to beat Yasha with a cane and forced to sleep without food that day. Fearing for his life, Yassen accepts his life as Sharkovsky servant.
During his time as the Sharkovsky family's servant, Yasha was ruthlessly tormented by Vladimir's son, Ivan Sharkovsky, due to Yasha supposedly making a fool out of him during a dinner party. One night, he overhears a conversation between Sharkovsky and his shareholders that had been responsible for the deaths of his parents and subsequent destruction of his village, having cut corners regarding safety at the factory to increase profit, and secretly vows to kill him.
Recruitment to SCORPIA
Three years later, a SCORPIA assassin called Grant infiltrates the compound, disguising himself as a helicopter mechanic (with the assistance of Zelin, an employee at Sharkovsky's compound) which allowed him to smuggle a gun through the metal detectors. Yasha finds Grant's story suspicious, but decides it's none of his buisness. When Grant makes his move, he kills Josef and shoots Sharkovsky 3 times, seemingly killing the Russian. However Karl manages to hold Grant at gunpoint to which Grant tries to bribe him but to no avail since he killed his brother. Seeing an opportunity to escape, Yasha quickly knocks out Karl with the blunt end of the axe and quickly grabs the gun. Yasha tries persuades Grant to take him away from the house, and although Grant is reluctant, he finally agrees.
After a brief flight to Italy in a seaplane, Yasha and Grant meet Julia Rothman, a member of SCORPIA's executive board. The two then learn that Sharkovsky had somehow survived the attack, and Rothman kills Grant for his failure by shooting him. After hearing Yasha's story, she invites 'Yassen' to join SCORPIA as an assassin, explaining that his past was erased by the Soviet government, and no records therefore exist of him anywhere else in the world, so it would be very difficult for the authorities to investigate him. Yassen agrees, for his only other option is to return to Russia, where Sharkovsky' s people would undoubtedly be searching for him.
He was sent to train on an island called Malagosto, in Venice. Yassen became a star student at the academy, second to or even superior to Nile, learning several survival skills, such as martial arts and marksmanship. His tutor was Oliver d'arc, who later became headmaster after Sefton Nye.
Four months later, Yassen's basic training is complete, and he is given his first contract. he travels to New York to kill an attorney who was digging in to matters the client deemed private. Yassen's orders are to make the kill look like a mugging gone wrong and is given a week to complete the assignment, Yassen spends six days tailing the target and finding the opportune moment to make the kill. On Yassen's final day in New York, he follows her into Central Park to make the kill, but he loses his nerve at the last second and the target is killed by another SCORPIA agent. After returning to Malagosto, SCORPIA decides to give Yassen a second chance, and pairs him up with their best assassin, John Rider, so he can cultivate Yassen's killier instinct and give him field instruction in a semi-controlled setting.
Apprenticeship with Hunter
John and Yassen work on two contracts together. During the first contract, John saves Yassen's life, expresses doubt that Yassen has it in him to be a killer, and suggests that he give up if he does not want to be one. The second contract takes place in Paris, where Yassen again refuses to kill the target, and admits to John that he does not want to be an assassin. As John and Yassen wait in an airport – Yassen planning to board a plane to Berlin and disappear – Yassen discovers a gadget from MI6 in John's luggage, and realises from this, as well as a number of details he noticed during the time spent with him, that John is an MI6 double agent working against Scorpia.
Yassen eventually decides to kill Sharkovsky, and he travelled to the 'dacha'. He confronts the man in his study alone, and discovers he is now in a wheelchair and a very weaken state. Yassen reveals his heritage from Estrov and blames Sharkovsky for the death of his family and friends and the life that he lead, to which Sharkovsky shows no remorse. He then plays a reversed game of Russian Roulette (5 bullets and one empty chamber) on himself infront of Sharkovsky as a last chance to avoid his future life as a killer. Miraculously, Yassen survives and believes that fate has chosen this life for him. He then proceeds to vengefully kills Sharkovsky by shooting him between the eyes. He then kills Ivan (who walked immediately in the study room after he heard the shot) by shooting him once in the head and twice in the heart. Emotionlessly praising his revenge, and that he had killed for the first and second times in his life, he leaves Silver Forest.
Later, after several successful missions, Yassen and John Rider were sent to Malta for an assassination, which turned out to be an MI6 stakeout. In the ensuing gun battle, Yassen shot several agents and wounded Ash. But he failed to kill Ash in his escape.
Stormbreaker
After John Rider's death, Yassen grew up to be one of the world's most efficient and cold blooded assassins and earned a reputation for being an assassin who never fails. It is suggested that the number of his victims exceed a hundred. In Stormbreaker, he was hired by Herod Sayle to transport smallpox virus to Cornwall. He was dispatched by Sayle to murder Ian Rider. He did so after an exciting car chase, by hanging from a helicopter and shooting Ian Rider with two Grach Russian pistols.
Later, he is seen transporting the viruses by Alex, where he shoots one worksman for denting one of the containers, claiming his people do not like mistakes. He then shoots Herod Sayle after the operation for which Sayle had hired Yassen failed, keeping Scorpia's anonymity intact. He, for the first time, meets Alex Rider, and Alex vows to take his revenge. Yassen subsides this threat and demands that Alex go back to school, for he didn't belong to the same world as him.
Eagle Strike
Yassen Gregorovich is killed when Damian Cray shoots him in Eagle Strike. Yassen tells Alex that he knew his father, and that he was working with him. His last words are, "Go to Venice. Find Scorpia. And you will find your destiny."
Differences in the TV series
Season One
In the series, Yassen kills Ian during the events of Point Blanc rather than Stormbreaker, because Ian was getting too close to the Gemini Project conspiracy. He kills him with North Korean pistols, not Russian pistols, in order to mislead MI6 as to the murderer and to divert attention from Martin Wilby, who betrayed Ian Rider to Yassen. Yassen then shoots Martin in the arm to make the story even more believable.
| “ | You’re a good man, Martin. I’ll make sure we’ll take care of you. | ” |
—Yassen |
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Yassen repeatedly checks in on Martin's cover, but when Martin reports that MI6 mysteriously dropped the investigation into Ian Rider's death, Yassen immediately becomes suspicious. He reports this to SCORPIA and bugs Martin's apartment, so he sees when MI6 secretly raid Martin's house to plant their own bugs, confirming Yassen's suspicions that Martin's cover has been blown. He tracks down Martin as he's fleeing, having finally realized this himself, but kills Martin before he can flee or provide any information. He takes a photo of Alex Rider from his corpse, and travels to Point Blanc Academy to give it to Dr. Greif to deal with. There, he sees Alex, and says they may see each other one day.
When it becomes clear that Point Blanc and Greif's Gemini Project are exposed, he reports this to SCORPIA and researches Alex Rider. At the climax of the season, when MI6 cannot tell the difference between Alex and Dr. Greif's clone, Yassen shoots the clone from a sniper position, saving Alex.
Hobbies
Yassen, to keep his conditions intact and to assist him in his upcoming missions, individually practices marksmanship, works out in the gym or goes for a run. He does this at night and only sleeps for at most four hours. He also practices various languages. Additionally, he is shown to have mastered various skills and talents such as expertise of martial arts, aviation (Helicopters, he received his license 5 years before the Stormbreaker accident), vehicular warfare, meditation, combat with various weapons and stealth.
Skills
Yassen's reputation throughout the series is one of a man who makes no mistakes. He is considered an active threat by MI6. It is suggested that his training included, as is demonstrated on a single occasion when he convinces Alex not to shoot him by describing what will happen when he pulls the trigger, basic psychological warfare. He was also an expert with conventional weaponry and terrorist technique, though both are demonstrated only once throughout the series.
He is, as shown when he confronts Ash, a crack shot with handguns and a master of martial arts. Yassen is expert in ninjitsu, the ancient Japanese branch of martial arts, and has excellent aim and reflexes. Yassen's proficiency with handguns and other firearms stereotype him as a modern assassin. He was fluent in nine languages and was learning Japanese at the time of his death. He is noted to be incredibly stealthy. Yassen is also skilled at aviation, especially with helicopters (His childhood dream). He has brilliant deduction skills and is adept at breaking into Silver Forest to kill Vladimir Sharkovsky, able to see every flaw in his target's security.
Appearance
Yassen is described as being attractive, with blond hair (although it is ginger colored in the movie Stormbreaker and graphic novels), pale blue eyes, pale skin, distinctly chiseled lips and "almost feminine eyelashes." He has a long straight and distinctive scar along his neck from the incident with the black widow spider, that could have been drawn with a ruler. He is in perfect physical condition, not stocky or well built but strong, fast and agile.
Personality
Yassen has the tendency to intimidate people with his sheer presence. Yassen is a calm person and difficult to read, having incredible self-control which is shown on occasions such as when John Rider held him at gunpoint and when a deadly poisonous spider crawled onto his neck whilst on a mission in the Amazon. He does not allow himself to be either intimidated or impressed by his employers, such as Herod Sayle and Damian Cray, and the only man he seems to have any sort of respect or affection for was John Rider, his mentor.
His only known moment where he is in danger of losing control is when, in Stormbreaker, one workman drops a crate of Stormbreaker virus and Yassen almost seems to lose his mind. After checking the box, confirming it's unharmed, the workman apologises, to which Yassen accepts the apology and shoots him. He claims, in the movie, that this is because his people do not like mistakes. This shows that he is able to brilliantly conceal his frustration or anger with sheer ruthlessness. This loss of control could be explained by the event that shaped his whole life: a biological spillage which killed his parents. As such, biological warfare could be the one thing that Yassen truly fears.
His high level of self-control is further evidenced in his ability to kill without showing any emotion or remorse for the life he is about to extinguish, though his declaration that he does not kill children as well as his expressed affection for both John and Alex Rider serve to indicate that he does indeed have a softer side. At first, though, he found it difficult to kill someone he has never met.
Yassen Gregorovitch was extremely resourceful, highly intelligent, exceedingly cunning and an enigmatic combatant when it came to logical battles. His sly and idealistic role as a stereotypical assassin in the Alex Rider series considers him a powerful individual in his right. He was extraordinarily stubborn, shown when he frequently refuses to kill children, this leading to his death. Yassen obtained something of a pitiless streak during his life as an assassin, and Ash comments that he had never seen anyone so calm during an act of murder.
In his youth, Yassen was enthusiastic, brave, sly, selfless and naive. He was ferociously loyal to John Rider and became something of a partner to him. He was very inquisitive in his young ages and was infrequently asking advice from his mentor and role model, John Rider. He was also selfless and retained a high degree of intelligence and deduction skills. Yassen is very idealistic about his later work as an assassin. He displays reluctance to be a killer, but in the end, he is left with no choice.
Despite all his flaws, Yassen was a very honourable man and an extremely brave individual. He had a keen sense of valour and independence and considered himself in debt to John Rider through protecting his son, Alex. Although Alex did not share this friendship and made no effort in concealing his contempt towards the Russian. After Yassen's death, Alex found that he owed the latter more than he knew and was inescapably indebted to the man.
| “ | I do not kill children | ” |
—Yassen revealing his sense of honour when he refuses to kill Alex Rider and Sabina Pleasure |
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As an assassin, Yassen was seen as an extremely ruthless, callous, pitiiless, backstabbing and cold-blooded nihilist with little qualms for the men he killed. He was rather shy and reclusive and utilised the advantage of hiding in plain sight and wielding counter-surveillance (Back-up). He was a very private man with, after John Rider's death, no friends and little consideration for allies. This was stemmed by his unending contempt for MI6, and had an analytical personality to use intelligence rather than brute strength to overpower his opponents. Yassen also has superb common sense, and knows what situations can get him killed. He retains a ruthless and remorseless streak, as he kills a man to set an example and shows no sorrow for killing people. Whether this is out of his magnificent self-control or because he was simply uncaring for this factor is unknown.
List of known victims
- Ian Rider (shot to death)
- Herod Sayle (shot to death)
- Guard from Sayle Enterprises (shot to death)
- Vladimir Sharkovsky (shot to death)
- Ivan Sharkovsky (shot to death)
Trivia
- Yassen is to date the only antagonist to reform in the series.
- Yassen's assassin code name was revealed to be Cossack during the prologue of Eagle Strike. In the book 'Russian Roulette' it is stated that the code name was chosen by Scorpia to imply a reference to the Russian Cossack warriors; to inspire Yassen. Ironically, when Yassen was a child, he and his friends would race through the streets, pretending to be chased by ghosts, zombies, vampires, wolves and Cossacks.
- Although being described in the books as having blond hair, in the film version of Stormbreaker he has ginger hair. He also shares a lot more scenes with Alex: their first meeting occurs in the laboratory where the stormbreakers are being created. Yassen apparently reconzies Alex and is forced to let him go when he threatens to make a vial of R5 fall to the ground (A deleted scene shows that, after Alex escapes, Yassen stops a guard from shooting at him). When Alex escapes, Yassen looks on as he clings to Mr. Grin's helicopter, smiling approvingly. Yassen kills Darius Sayle to save Alex and saves him from falling to his death. He later advises him to stop being a spy because he doesn't belong to the same world as him.
- The actor who plays him in the film, Damian Lewis, coincidentally shares his first name with the character who eventually kills Yassen, Damian Cray.
- The validity of Yassen’s repeated statement in the novels, “I do not kill children” could be questioned, as he works with Herod Sayle with the knowledge that Sayle's plan was to kill hundreds of thousands of school children (however, he does kill Sayle in the end, possibly only finding out Sayle's plan after it had been foiled, and took retribution after Sayle tricked him into breaking his "policy", though this is unlikely). Furthermore, when the bomb is placed in the house of Edward Pleasure, he knew there was the possibility of other people being killed as well. The only times he speaks of ‘not killing children’ take place when it is Alex’s life is at risk, perhaps suggesting that he either refuses to kill children in cold blood, or he just needed an excuse not to kill John Rider’s child.
- Yassen Gregorovich is the only antagonist who takes place as a main character in both appearances.
- The tenth book in the series, Russian Roulette, focuses on Gregorovich's early life and how he became an assassin.
- He is described in Stormbreaker as having the body of a dancer.
- He became known as Yassen instead of Yasha when an injury to his face made it sound like he was saying Yassen when introducing himself.
| Russian Roulette Characters | |
| Main Characters | |
|---|---|
| Yassen Gregorovitch • Vladimir Sharkovsky • Ivan Sharkovsky • Julia Charlotte Glenys Rothman • John Rider | |
| Other Key Characters | |
| Alex Rider | |