Editing Russian Brotherhood of Assassins

{{Era|Organizations|Assassins}}
{{Faction Infobox
|image = Russian Insignia-R.png
|founder = 
|leader = [[Mentor]]
|headquarters = [[Saint Petersburg]]
|locations = [[Moscow]]<br>[[Protvino]]
|related = [[Assassins]]<br>[[Narodnaya Volya]]<br>Bolsheviks<br>[[Soviet Union]]
|religion =
|formed = 
|collapsed = 
}}
The '''Russian Brotherhood of Assassins''' was the [[Assassin Guilds|Guild]] of [[Assassins]] located in and around current [[Russia]], formed some time after the early 16th century.

By the late 19th century, the Russian Assassins had prioritized the abolition of the {{Wiki|Tsarist autocracy}} in Russia, even more so when some of the Russian Tsars had allied themselves with the [[Templars]], and would utilize the [[Narodnaya Volya]] revolutionary group in this regard.

One notable Russian Assassin who lived during this period was [[Nikolai Orelov]], who was involved in both the [[Borki train disaster]] and the [[Tunguska explosion]], two disastrous events in Russia's history. When the [[Russian Revolution]] broke out, the Russian Assassins stood alongside the [[Bolsheviks]] and slowly distanced themselves from their original ideals, prioritizing the Revolution over [[the Creed]] and becoming more ruthless in their efforts to ensure its success. 

In 1918, a disillusioned Orelov accepted a final assignment from the Brotherhood, which led him to become the guardian of a young princess [[Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia|Anastasia Nikolaevna]], who was being hunted by the Templars for a [[Precursor box]] in her possession. Orelov delivered Anastasia to the Russian Assassins, only to discover that his brethren was no different from the Templars, wishing to perform dangerous experiments on the princess, who had become a living Precursor artifact. Orelov rescued Anastasia and helped her flee the country, although the Brotherhood marked him a traitor for this and spent the next decade hunting him down. As Orelov had emigrated to the [[United States]], the Russian Assassins reached out to the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|American Brotherhood]] for help and they succeeded in killing Orelov in 1928.

After the death of their ally [[Vladimir Lenin]] and the rise to power of [[Joseph Stalin]], a Templar puppet, the Russian Brotherhood entered a long period of decline and, by the turn of the 21st century, had lost almost all of its influence in Russia. In 2014, an accident with an [[Animus]] resulted in the near-total destruction of the Russian chapter, leaving only one surviving member: [[Galina Voronina]].

==History==
===Renaissance===
====Spying on the Kremlin====
During the 15th century, the [[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins|Italian Assassins]] sent several recruits, including [[Pietro Antonio Solari]] and [[Ridolfo Fioravant]], to [[Moscow]], where they were employed by Tsar [[Ivan III of Russia|Ivan III Vasilevich]] as architects to work on the {{Wiki|Moscow Kremlin|Kremlin}}. Unbeknownst to Ivan, they secretly kept an eye on his activities and ambitions, reporting back to the Assassins in Italy.<ref name="ACPL - Contracts">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' - [[Contracts (Project Legacy)|Contracts]]</ref>

However, in 1493, Ivan found out that Solari and Fioravant – the latter who had adopted the nickname "Aristotle" – were spies, and had Solari killed. Aristotele, realizing Ivan was close to uncovering who they worked for, turned himself into the culprit for the murder. Additionally, he began creating rumors about a revival of the {{Wiki|Strigolniki|Strigolniki Sect}}.<ref name="ACPL - Contracts"/>

In the early 1500s, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] sent a group of [[Assassin apprentices]] to Moscow to find out what happened to Solari. The Assassins infiltrated the Kremlin, knocking a group of guards unconscious and eventually finding documents pointing out that Aristotele murdered Solari. After a search for Aristotele's location, offering small amounts of coins for rumors, they were directed to a church where Aristotele was rumored to hide. Having threatened the priests to lure Aristotele out, he came out to protect his people and explained his actions to the apprentices. The apprentices carried out the plans Aristotele had made to fool Ivan into believing the Assassins were working for the Strigolniki Sect, until they found two of Ivan's top investigators. Killing the two men, they carved the symbol of the Strigolniki Sect into the bodies and left them hanging from church beams, with Aristotele leaving a note declaring himself the leader of the sect. The apprentices then returned to [[Rome]] with Aristotele to question him, and new Assassin spies were sent to Moscow.<ref name="ACPL - Contracts"/>

====Assassination of Ivan Ivanovich====
In the late 16th century, the Assassins discovered that Tsarevitch [[Ivan Ivanovich of Russia|Ivan Ivanovich]], the son and heir apparent of Tsar [[Ivan IV of Russia|Ivan the Terrible]], was an affiliate of the Templar Order. As a result, they assassinated him on 19 November 1581.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' - [[Glyphs]]</ref>

===The Narodnaya Volya===
In the late 19th century, the Russian Assassins became known to the public as the Narodnaya Volya, a left-wing organization quickly associated with terrorism. The group was founded with the sole purpose of opposing and removing the Russian aristocracy, following Tsar [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]]'s new-formed alliance with the Templars. The Narodnaya Volya made several attempts on the Tsar's life, until they were finally successful on 13 March 1881 when the Tsar was killed during a bombing.<ref name="ACTF1">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]'' - Issue #1</ref>

Tsar Alexander II's son and successor, [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]], continued upholding the Templar ties his father had formed. Due to this, the Narodnaya Volya continued their struggle against the House of Romanov, again making several attempts on the Tsar's life. In 1887, Alexander's secret police found out about an Assassin assassination plot against him and had the conspirators arrested. All conspirators were hanged two months later, among which was [[Aleksandr Ulyanov]], brother of [[Vladimir Lenin]].<ref name="ACTF1"/>

The next year, the [[Mentor]] sent Nikolai Orelov on a lone mission to infiltrate the Tsar's imperial train riding from {{Wiki|Crimea}} to [[Saint Petersburg]] and kill him. Orelov, fighting his way through the train despite being told not to use violence whenever possible, arrived at the Tsar's dining cart only to find Alexander's family present. Alexander himself attacked the lone Assassin from behind, and a fight ensued inside the carriage, eventually causing the train to derail; the event that would be known as the Borki train disaster. After rescuing his family, the Tsar pulled out his Imperial Sceptre – secretly a [[Staves of Eden|Staff of Eden]] – and dared the Assassin to fight him with it. Alexander easily retook the Staff and overpowered Orelov, but spared the Assassin's life when he noticed his family was bearing witness to the scene.<ref name="ACTF1"/>

===Tunguska explosion===
In 1908, Nikolai Orelov and two other Assassins found and interrogated a Templar named [[Dolinsky]], who - under heavy threats from Orelov - gave up the location of where the Staff of Eden was located; [[Tunguska]],<ref name="ACTF2">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]'' - Issue #2</ref> previously taken there by the Templar agent [[Grigori Rasputin]]. The Assassins contacted [[Nikola Tesla]], a scientist who was previously heavily discredited and slandered by industrialist Templars in the [[United States]], and offered him a chance to take revenge on the Templars by broadcasting electricity to the Tunguska facility to destroy it,<ref name="AC2"/> while Orelov and his two companions were ordered to retrieve the artifact from the facility.<ref name="ACTF2"/>

The Assassins went into the research facility and killed the Templar guards inside, but were too late to complete their objective. As soon as Orelov reached out to grab the Staff, Tesla broadcasted electricity to the facility, causing the Tunguska explosion. Orelov was the only survivor.<ref name="ACTF2"/>

===Russian Revolution===
In 1917, the Bolsheviks instigated the [[Russian Revolution]] against Tsar [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]]. The Russian Assassins strongly supported the Bolsheviks, hoping to abdicate the Tsarist throne. Under pressure from the Assassins, Nicholas formally abdicated the throne.<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref>

Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks and brother of the late Assassin Aleksandr Ulyanov, asked his old friend Nikolai Orelov to assassinate Nicholas II, to bring the Revolution to an end. Orelov left for the Winter Palace, having seen a picture of Nicholas holding a staff similar to the one destroyed in the Tunguska explosion. Orelov infiltrated Nicholas' Winter Palace and confronted the Tsar, who showed Orelov the staff under pressure. Deducing the staff to be a replica with no power, Orelov spared the Tsar's life, but warned Nicholas that other Assassins wouldn't be as merciful.<ref name="ACTF3">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]'' - Issue #3</ref>

Before Orelov left, Nicholas told the Assassin about a necklace worn by Grigori Rasputin, which appeared to be made of the same material as the staff. Using this information, Orelov and two other Assassins dug up Rasputin's body and retrieved the necklace, confirming it was a shard of the destroyed Staff of Eden.<ref name="ACTF3" />

==== Nikolai Orelov's desertion ====
In July 1918, the Brotherhood sent Orelov to recover a [[Precursor box]] from the [[House of Romanov|Romanov family]], who had been imprisoned by the Bolsheviks in [[Yekaterinburg]]. During his mission, Orelov discovered the Templars were also after the box and had executed most of the royal family to obtain it. After saving the sole surviving Romanov, young princess [[Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia|Anastasia]], Orelov attempted to take the box from her, but his Staff shard inadvertently activated the artifact, which imprinted Anastasia with the genetic memories of the [[Chinese Assassins|Chinese Assassin]] [[Shao Jun]].<ref name="Chronicles">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia]]''</ref>

Believing the Brotherhood could help the girl, Orelov became her guardian and escorted her to Moscow while avoiding both the Templars, who sought to reclaim the box, and the Bolsheviks, who wished to kill Anastasia to further the Revolution. Orelov and Anastasia arrived in Moscow in September, whereupon the latter was taken away by Assassin scientists, ostensibly to find a cure to her condition. However, Orelov soon learned his Brothers' true intentions after overhearing a conversation between two Assassins: to experiment on Anastasia and extract Jun's memories from her, a procedure which would probably kill the girl or leave her barely human.<ref name="Chronicles" />

Having grown to care for Anastasia during their months together and enraged by the Assassins' lies, Orelov decided to fight against the Brotherhood and save her. He was ultimately successful, rescuing Anastasia from the Russian Assassins' underground laboratories before helping her leave the country under a new identity. This act branded him a traitor to the Brotherhood and, fearing for his family's safety, he decided to emigrate with them to the [[United States]].<ref name="Chronicles" />

Following the loss of Orelov, the Russian Assassins continued to support the Bolsheviks, although they would ultimately lose control over the Revolution.<ref name="Encyclopedia" />

=== Hunt for Orelov ===
Even after Nikolai Orelov fled the country, the Russian Assassins refused to give up the search for him. In 1919, they used their connections with the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|American Brotherhood]], who had infiltrated the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|Bureau of Investigation]], to have Orelov's wife and daughter deported back to Russia during the [[Palmer Raids]], an act which deeply traumatized Orelov and further increased his hatred towards his former Brothers.<ref name="Chain">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Chain]]''</ref> 

By 1926, the Russian Assassins managed to track down Orelov and his son [[Innokenti Orelov|Innokenti]], and they sent one of their men, [[Sergei]], to pay them a visit at their secluded cabin near {{Wiki|Manchester, Connecticut}}. Orelov killed Sergei in the ensuing confrontation, after the latter had demanded that he return to the Russian Brotherhood to give a detailed account of his experiences with the [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]] and threatened Innokenti's life.<ref name="Chain" />

Upon receiving no response from Sergei, the Brotherhood deduced what had happened and once again reached out to the American Assassins for help. In 1928, the American Brotherhood sent a team of Assassins after Orelov and Innokenti; however, they would all meet their demise at the hands of father and son, though Orelov also perished in the encounter.<ref name="Chain" />

===Decline and revival===
In 1953, the Assassins succeeded in poisoning Joseph Stalin, the leader of the [[Soviet Union]] and a Templar puppet, making it look like he had died of a stroke.<ref name="ACI PWS">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: Post-War Science]]</ref>

By the end of the 20th century, the Russian Brotherhood began to decline as the Templars in Russia became more powerful and almost eradicated all of the Assassins' Science Cities, except for [[Protvino]] near Moscow.<ref name="Initiates">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates|Assassin's Creed Initiates]]''</ref>

An [[Galina Voronina's mother|Assassin scientist]] tried to reverse this by building an [[Animus]] from the schematics given to her by an American [[William Miles|Assassin]] fleeing from [[Abstergo Industries]]' agents. In her laboratory, while she had test subjects for her experiments, her project failed extremely when they were gradually driven insane. Unwilling to create more victims, she chose to be the sole subject of her own Animus, but was unaware of her sanity slowly being frayed away by the [[Bleeding Effect]].<ref name="Initiates"/>

By December 2012, a sudden power surge caused her to experience a vision with "[[Eve]]", which she took as a sign to redouble her efforts. From this urge, she forced the remaining Russian Assassins – including her two daughters – into the Animus. However, just as before, all but one became insane thanks to the Bleeding Effect, with her daughter [[Galina Voronina]] being somehow spared from the negative side effects, who then used the technique to learn fighting skills from her ancestors.<ref name="Initiates"/>

By 16 March 2014, Galina made contact with the Assassin team composed of [[Gavin Banks]], [[Emmanuel Barraza]] and [[Emmett Leary]], and requested help to assassinate her mother in the former science city, which was crawling with the deranged remnants of the old Russian Brotherhood. After securing the help of Gavin and his team, she managed to single-handedly kill all of the Russian Assassins, including her sister.

Some time later, the group found Galina's mother in the Animus, babbling about [[Juno|her]] lost [[Aita|husband]] and of the color [[The Grey|grey]]. To put her mother out of her misery, Galina plunged her Hidden Blade into the woman's brain, killing her instantly. Following this, as Galina remained the last of the Russian Assassins with no-one to rely on, she elected to join Gavin and his crew aboard their [[Altaïr II|ship]] while Gavin sent word to his contacts in Georgia to form a new Russian Brotherhood.<ref name="Initiates"/>

==Members==
*[[Ridolfo Fioravant]] {{C|Italian Brotherhood}}
*[[Ilia]]
*[[Ignacy Hryniewiecki]]
*[[Dmitry Karakozov]]
*[[Andrei Orelov]]
*[[Nikolai Orelov]]
*[[Russian Mentor]]
*[[Nikolai Rysakov]]
*[[Sergei]]
*[[Pietro Antonio Solari]] {{C|Italian Brotherhood}}
*[[Aleksandr Ulyanov]]
*[[Galina Voronina's grandmother]]
*[[Medeya Voronina]]
*[[Avdotya Voronina]]
*[[Galina Voronina]]

===Allies and puppets===
====Renaissance====
*[[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] {{C|[[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins|Italian Brotherhood]]}}

====Russian Revolution====
*[[Vladimir Lenin]]
*[[Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia]]
*[[Sergey Fedorovich Oldenburg]]
*[[Simeon Price]] {{C|British Brotherhood}}
*[[Nikola Tesla]]
*[[Fedor Tokarev]]
*[[Leon Trotsky]]

====World War II====
*[[Eddie Gorm]] {{C|[[British Brotherhood of Assassins|British Brotherhood]]}}

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
ACC Russia DB Assassin Initiate.png|Assassin Initiate
ACC Russia DB Assassin Veteran.png|Assassin veteran
ACC Russia DB Assassin Master.png|Assassin Master
ACC Russia DB Assassin Scientist.png|Assassin Scientist
</gallery>

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Glyphs]]
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Chain]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Assassins nav}}
{{ACC}}
{{ACTF}}
[[pt-br:Assassinos Russos]]
[[ru:Русские Ассассины]]
[[Category:Assassin guilds]]
[[Category:Assassin cells]]