Don't become one with him.

Name: Иван Брагинский, Ivan Braginski

Representative of: Russia

Gender: Male

Age (human and historical) : He was born in 862, but suspiciously looks about 27.

Brief personality: Ivan is gentle and naive, not malicious, just extremely scary. But probably, even though he seems pure hearted, that scary side of him comes from a cruetly he holds. Quick to forgive and always looking for friends, he's shy and unsociable around people he doesn't consider friends. However he considers everyone his friend, and thus this side to him is rarely seen. He is often pushy and manipulative to get his way. He has said that each one of his bosses have encouraged him to use force to make friends. Though he is capable of being incredibly cruel-minded, Ivan himself is unaware of this.
He has been tormented since his childhood, having seen many tragedies and wars, which have cracked his mentality. His childhood was tough, troubled, and full of forced servitude, bullying, and constant pursuing by other countries. General Winter haunts and attacks him every year, which has caused him to hate the snow and long for the warm Southern sea. However, in the face of war, General Winter is his best ally.
He finds amusement in tormenting others or watching arguments, to see the reactions. According to Lithuania, he loves people who cry and laugh easily. Ivan says he likes listening to people argue because of the long, silent and eerie winters in his home, which make him feel lonely. Hearing arguing voices reminds him everybody is alive and he's not alone. But too much can get on his nerves.
He greets people with a kiss on the lips, and will become sad and pout if he's denied permission. He will move in very close when he talks, which can be intense in many ways.
Ivan would rather destroy something than see it in the hand of somebody else, even if he worked hard on it. After all, he thinks work is the cement of society, so he wouldn't mind having to build up a destroyed city or flood barrier (which he did). He believes in a solid, grouped community of workers, of peasants, but is sometimes torn between his hating for rulers, and the idea that Russia has to be led by a strong hand.


Brief physical description: Mhh *looks at paintings and photographs of Ivan made throughout History* Yes. *strokes his beard pensively for a moment, before coming back to reality and clearing his throat, shifting in his seat* Hum hum, yes. Ivan is a tall man, the tallest of the Nations - along with Sweden. He has blond hair, and blue eyes, and is big boned. During the World Wars he wore a long tan coat. He wears most of the time traditional peasant shirts called Kosovorotkas, which are large, and long, often wore with a belt, and squeezed at the wrists, with buttons at the left side of its collar. He has a waistcoat on it. His pants are large as well, and he wears boots. He sometimes also wears a shirt coloured with the Russian flag. He also has a light pink scarf, which he presented to Japan as a body part.


Behind his constant smile, it's said no one knows what he's thinking. (Though I bet he's not thinking about nice things. It's obvious, really. Like the nose on his face. *giggles, then clears throat* Hum hum, sorry, that was a bad joke. Hum.)


Brief history: If Churchill qualified Russia of "a riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma", it surely is because its true and complete History hasn't made public before the fall of the Soviet Union. But I, Arkhiv Revelatio T. Pravda, eminent professor of History, am now able to reveal precious informations to you, dear readers. Let me introduce you to the History of Russia, an incessant struggle between the thirst of individual liberties and the need of a collective force led by an authoritary power.

In 862, Rurik of Scandinavia founds what we can call the first Russian union, in a land often invaded by Mongols, Gauls, Huns, Avars, Bulgarians... Soon after that, the dynasty of the Kievs found the Kievan Rus' that will disolve during the tataro-mongol invasions, where a half of Russian population perishes. In 1242, the Teutonic Order invades and occupies the city of Pskov, in the Northern Russia ; they enslave the whole population of the region, including the capital Novgorod. During that hour of peril, the Russian people turn itself towards its prince, Alexander Nevsky. Under him, they managed to push the invades back : the 5 april, on the frozen lake of Peipus, they fight against the better organized and better armed Teutonic Knights, and in a scenario that will remind us of the famous defeat of Napoleon at Austerlitz, hundred of the invaders are drowned into the lake. Nevsky will then say to his people :


After him comes the Tsars' era, who reigned from 1613 until the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II on March 15, 1917, as a result of the February Revolution. Ivan III freed Russia of the Mongol's yoke. His grandson, Ivan IV later auto-proclaimed himself first Grand Prince of Moscow. Because of his conquest and authority, but also as he became suspicious and criminal, he was given the nickname of Ivan the Terrible.
Piotr Alekseïevitch Romanov (Pierre the Great), a brilliant and violent man, fascinated by beauty and suffering, put the Swedish invader to flight, and created the first Russian modern navy. Fascinated by Europe, he decided to build up a city with the finest French and Italian Architects : Saint-Petersburg.
Catherine II, seen as one of the greatest Empresses, encouraged the emergence of Russian literature, and made war against Turkey and Poland. (Between you and me, dear readers, don't you find it amusing that this Catherine wrote letters to Voltaire, while Voltaire corresponded with the Prussian King Frederik II ?) She annexed the Crimea, but the conflicts between the Russian governement and the local population, and the intervention of Turkey, England and France, lead to the bloody War of Crimea of 1854. It was a desaster for Russia, who fought with his old flintlock rifles and muskets against the English brand new arms.
Tsar Alexander had come to an understandind with Napoleon and wrote a treaty of peace with him, but in 1812, Napoleon crossed Europe with his army to invade Russia. But the Tsar's army refuses him his victory : they burn down Moscow. The Scorched Earth policy is used, and nothing edible is left for the Napoleonian army to eat. They retreat.

The industrial revolution came to Russia, but at the beginning of the 20th century, its economy still reposed on agriculture. In spite of the abolition of serfdome in 1861 under Alexander II, the peasants still lived as if it was the time of Ivan the Terrible : a mecanical work almost inexistant, cheap workers and landlords enriching themselves. Soon, the German Empire's expansionism drags Russia into another war. To weaken the Tsar's power, Germany helped the revolutionist Lenine, assisted by Trotski, a persuasive and vehement orator and a excellent organiser. Lenine, inspired by Marx and Engels, placed his hopes in the peasantry.

In decembre 1916, a plot was made to assassinate Rasputin, Tsar Nicholas II's adviser (and Tsarina Alexandra's lover~) (half of Saint-Petersburg's lover, really), to free Nicholas from his influence and save the throne. It never helped. Strikes and manifestations kept on. Nicholas II abdicated. Soon after, the Tsar and his family were executed.
Two sides could be then distinguished in Russia : the White and the Red armies. The White Army was loyal to the tsardom ; the Red Army shared communist ideals.
During WWI, a treaty of peace was made with the germans : Russia would loose the Baltics, Ukraine and Finland, and a part of Causase. Lenine wanted to stop the war in order to reinforce his influence on a fragile governement.
In 1922, countries close to Russia grouped themselves to form with it the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
The traditional enemies of Russia joined the Nazy forces : Hungary, Romania, Bulgary, Yugoslavia.
Adolf Hitler wrote : "Wehn we speak of new territory we must think of Russia. Destiny itself points the way there." But it didn't prevent him from attacking, in 1941, Russia by five different fronts, in order to destroy a Red Army Germany had once helped, and erase Russia from the Map. The Russian Governement has to flee to Kuibyshev, and Hitler claims that it has been broken and will never rise again.
But the old Scorched Earth policy is used once again, and the german troops are left to starve. The immense Russian plains are an obstacle to their progress through the country. Every city, town and village, every house become a battleground. The Russians, having only a few grenades, made some with petrol bottles and flammed rags, called the "Molotov cocktails". Civils, women and children became some sort of warriors during a war that will later be called in Russia "the Great Patriotic War".
After German bombings on Russia, a counteroffensive pushes the german troops back in the Russian plains, then in Poland, the Baltics and until the very lands of Germany. At the Yalta Conference, Roosevelt and Churchill leave the Baltics to Staline, while Staline promises to organize free elections in the occupied territories, and to enter a war against Japan. The Allies forces take and occupy Berlin, leaving the Red Army time to savour its triomph and to avenge themselves : german prisoners are forced to march in Russian cities, under the boos of the crowd.

In may 1955, with the Warsaw Pact, the military alliance of the Eastern Bloc is signed. The Cold War begins.
In 1989, we see the end of communism in several satellite popular democraties. the 25th of december, seeing that the USSR doesn't exist anymore, Gorbatchev resigns.
Still communist, Russia is now directed by Vladimir Putin.


Religious affiliation: It used to be a very reilgious country. But the Sovietic Governement proned atheism, and "replaced a God modelled on men, by men similar to gods".
There are now diverse religions in Russia. 41% of the population is affiliated with Russian Orthodoxy, and 25% claim to be spiritual but not religious. Other religions include for the most part Islam, Other Christian Affiliations, Tibetan Buddhism and Slavic native faith. 13% are atheist, and 5,5% indecisive.

Political affiliation: That is only when we searched through the deep of Soviets' archives that we have been able to tell that Russia - beware, that might be quite a shock to you -... is a communist country. *nods gravely*

Any special powers or abilities: *clears throat and starts speaking with a low voice* Listen here, that piece of information is less official that the previous ones, and has been found, or rather made, thanks to rumors collected in forbidden newpapers and interviews made in 1993 with the population of Russia and Siberia. It is said... *pauses and looks closely at his audience*... that Ivan Branginski is a demon.



*Photograph on the signature by Margaret Bourke White, entitled Shooting the Russian War.
**Some parts of the Personnality Description are taken from the Hetalia Kitawiki. The History pieces of informations are taken mostly from a French Documentary.