Dmitri Sokolov

Dmitri Nikolaevich Sokolov is a Vor v Zakone, currently serving as Pakhan of Bratva Oktyabrya. He is crude, blunt, and passionate about what he believes in, but still a competent leader, and has seen the Bratva prosper greatly under his control.

Early Life
Dmitri was born in the slums of Leningrad, the son of Nikolai Sokolov - an ex-convict who had been forced to flee the Soviet Union to avoid further persecution, and the woman he left behind. Growing up, his life was not easy - but he witnessed first hand numerous attempts by the Soviet government to fulfill its promises to end poverty in the future and improve the lives of the poor in the present, and became a strong supporter of the Communist Party.

Military Service
It was his loyalty to the communist way of life that decided the first major decision in Dmitri's life: arrested for burglary at 16, he was given two options: the army or jail. He chose the Red Army, and survived two tours of duty; the first, he was stationed in East Germany, the second in Afghanistan. These greatly shaped his view, and he was a strong, vocal detractor to both Gorbachevism and, after being discharged due to the collapse of the USSR, Yeltsinism; the latter would end up with him in jail, as Dmitri participated in what would become the Russian Constitutional Crisis of 1993, and he was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Prison Sentence
In prison, Dmitri met Ilya Kuznetsov, who, coincidentally, had served time along Nikolai. The two bonded, and Dmitri was given a chance to walk among the Vory v Zakoke, to which Ilya was a part of. Over time, he came to find the Vory quite close to his values; with Ilya's support, he befriended several Vory, and on his release in 1998 was appointed a Vor v Zakoke in his own right.

Post-Release
When Dmitri was released from prison, he soon after met and married Khristina Chernyshevska. However, things were not meant to last, in 1999, Khristina was killed by Mafiya. This solidified Dmitri's decision: he must leave Russia to escape the conflict engulfing the nation.

In America
Dmitri managed to come to America by pulling strings with Ilya's connections, and the price was that he worked for Red October when he arrived. Filling the then-vacant position of Kassir, Dmitri held October together through a series of incompetent leaders until Bratva Oktyabrya stepped in to absorb their American branch, and it was decided Dmitri himself should rise to the position of Pakhan.

Appearance
Dmitri is an older man, and his age shows. His skin has many lines, his brown hair has gray in it, and his body is not the build it used to be. Despite this, he maintains a fairly muscular figure, and is covered in Russian prison tattoos from his days of incarceration.

Personality
Dmitri is crude and blunt, but passionate about what he believes in. He speaks his mind and is usually calm, but if situation arises where his fire is stoked, he is quick to make that known to all around him. As mentioned above, he is still a competent leader; he knows when to keep his emotions in check, and when to let them run wild.

Public Opinion
The world is undecided on how to view Dmitri Sokolov; to some, he is a ruthless criminal who has killed many to rise to where he is today, to others, he is a hero who willingly took the burden of the hopes and dreams of an entire people. No matter how one views him, Dmitri commands equal measures respect and fear, something only appropriate for the Pakhan of a Bratva.