The largest country in the world, straddling Europe and Asia and eleven different time zones, Russia sees its first organized state appear in 862 with the establishment of Kievan Rus' by the Varangians from Scandinavia. Passing over the centuries under the yoke of several foreign powers (Tatars, Mongols, etc.), Russia was liberated in 1380 thanks to Prince Dimitri Donskoy. The country will then be a monarchy under the authority of Tsars such as Ivan IV the Terrible, Michael Romanov, Peter the Great or Catherine II who gradually enlarge the territory.

In 1917, the last tsar was overthrown by the October Revolution which installed a communist regime. Invaded by Germany in 1941, Soviet Russia managed to redress a very compromised situation and finally take Berlin in 1945 after a war which caused several million victims. Even today, the painful memory of the Second World War is structuring in Russian culture and identity. Having emerged victorious from the war, Soviet Russia expanded into neighboring countries and developed economically and militarily. But the situation began to turn around at the end of the 1970s and the Soviet empire collapsed in 1991.

Emerging ruined from the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia began a recovery in the early 2000s. An energy power with vast natural resources and driven by the unfailing patriotism of its population, Russia has gradually once again become an economic and diplomatic power capable of influencing world events.

The SSO or Special Operations Forces (Sily Spetsial'nykh Operatsiy) were officially established in 2009 with the transfer of first special military intelligence units (GRU) to the new entity, thus continuing the modernization of the Russian army begun in 2008. The aim of creating this new entity was to have a reserve of elite units of very high strategic value capable of carrying out missions in foreign territory, including clandestinely. Initially, supervision of the new entity will be provided by the FSB and the Alpha group as well as the 16th and 22nd special brigades of the GRU.

Counting between two thousand and two thousand five hundred men, the SSO will first be engaged in the North Caucasus before being deployed in Syria from 2015. On Syrian ground, its operators will guide air and missile strikes, participate in the training of local units, targeted eliminations of enemy figures or ambush enemy columns. The men of the SSO will also participate in the battles of Latakia and Raqqa as well as the recapture of Palmyra. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the unit lost around ten of its operators in Syria. SSO operators were also reportedly engaged in Crimea in 2014.

Today, the SSO trains men at the Solnechnogorsk center near Moscow and at the “Kubinka 2” complex. These two installations would also house structures for training marine commandos and combat divers. Other training complexes are sometimes attributed as belonging to the SSO, but without certainty. As for the officers, they are trained at the Higher Airborne Command School in Ryazan, at the Faculty of Special and Military Intelligence in Moscow and at the Military Command School in Novosibirsk. All volunteers who wish to join the unit must first pass a series of very severe psychotechnical tests before being able to follow a training course lasting several months.

Voron
Voron is the assault member of the SSO group. He is armed with an Kalachnikov AK-105 bullpup assault rifle and an MP 443 semi-automatic pistol. When equipped with the "Archaeologist" pack, the bullpup rifle is replaced by an improved version of the standard version of the AK-105 with a new handguard, silencer and adjustable and folding stock.

He also has MON-50 directional antipersonnel mines. Once placed on the ground, it triggers if an enemy passes nearby and projects hundreds of shards capable of neutralizing any opponent.

His special ability allows him to slow down enemies when they are hit, making them more vulnerable.

Its unlockable improvements include increases in its life points, a reduction in the cost of using its special ability, improvements for its assault rifle (optical sight, grip handle and sound suppressor) and even increased resistance to gases.

Sputnik
Sputnik is the group's support operator. He's armed with a PKP Pecheneg light machine gun and an MP 443 semi-automatic pistol. His machine gun gives him a lot of firepower, but the recharge time is relatively long.

Sputnik also has an RPO Shmel rocket launcher that sprays an incendiary charge over a large area. The weapon is particularly formidable against groups of enemies or fighters sheltered behind protection.

Sputnik's special ability allows him to deploy a reconnaissance drone that marks enemies and allows their detection, even through obstacles.

Unlockable operator upgrades include an increase in stamina or health points, improvements to their PKP (red dot sight or handle), but also an immunization against the effects of gases.

Bard
Group medic, Bard is armed with a Heckler & Koch MP5A2 submachine gun and an MP 443 Grach semi-automatic pistol. He also has RDG-M Dym smoke grenades. They allow you to cut off the enemy's line of fire or sight and allow the group to move in safety.

His special ability allows him to regenerate part of the health of the operators in his squad, and also to increase their movement speed.

Unlockable upgrades include accessories for his main weapon (silencer, red dot sight and laser sight), increased operator health points or a lower activation cost for his special ability.

Komar
The group's sniper, Komar is armed with a Sako TRG 22 bolt-action sniper rifle and an MP 443 Grach pistol for close defense. The power of his rifle's projectiles makes each headshot deadly and impacts to other areas of the body can quickly destroy ballistic protection.

Komar is also capable of deploying a drone that will patrol the surrounding area and dive on spotted enemies before exploding. This drone can be upgraded to make it more effective against fighters with ballistic protection. His special ability allows him to make the projectiles from his rifle piercing. They are then able to penetrate the cover behind which enemies are sheltering and neutralize them.

Unlockable upgrades include increased health, stamina, and sniper rifle upgrades. The TRG 22 can thus receive a silencer, a more efficient scope or an improved bolt mechanism which increases the rate of fire.