Joseph Stalin

Actor: Eugene Dynarski

Full name: Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili*Common name:* Joseph Stalin*Date of birth:* 18 December 1878, Gori*Nationality:* Soviet*Affiliation:* Soviet Union*Positions held:* Leader of the Soviet Union, Secretary of the Communist Party*Advisers:* Kane, Nadia Zelenkov, Radik Gradenko*Relationship:* Nadia Zelenkov*Conflict:* Alternative Second World War*Appearances:* Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Retaliation
Status: Deceased in the Allied timeline.Joseph Stalin is the leader of the Soviet Union and the main antagonist of the Allied campaign in Red Alert. In this alternate reality, the disappearance of Adolf Hitler, brought about by Albert Einstein, prevents the rise of Nazi Germany. With the Soviet Union no longer facing this rival power, Stalin has the resources to pursue his own expansionist ambitions.

The birth of a new world war

Stalin dreams of a Soviet Union stretching across the whole of Eurasia. Having consolidated his power, he turns the Red Army outwards and embarks on a vast policy of conquest.

The USSR first extended its influence into Asia before launching a massive invasion of Europe. Faced with this threat, the European nations formed the Allied Forces and began a desperate war to halt the Soviet advance.

Stalin did not view this war as a mere territorial conquest: he sought to establish a Soviet power capable of dominating the continent and permanently reshaping the world order.

A ruthless dictator

Stalin ruled the Soviet Union through fear. Even his own officers were never safe from his wrath, and a single failure could quickly lead to a death sentence.

This brutality is particularly evident in the case of General Georgi Kukov. Following the failure of an operation against the Chronosphere, Stalin held his general responsible and personally strangled him.

Even his best officers therefore remain entirely dependent on his favour.

This atmosphere also explains the rivalries at the very top of the regime, particularly between Radik Gradenko and Nadia Zelenkov, who both seek to maintain a privileged position with the dictator.

Nadia occupies a particularly important place in Stalin’s inner circle.

She is one of his principal advisers and also becomes his mistress. This closeness grants her direct access to the pinnacle of Soviet power, but it also fuels rivalries with other regime leaders.

Stalin is unaware, however, that Nadia has her own agenda and that his inner circle has been infiltrated by a far more mysterious organisation.

Kane, the man behind Stalin

The most enigmatic figure in Stalin’s inner circle is Kane.

He appears to be one of Stalin’s closest advisers, but his influence far exceeds that of a mere government official. In reality, he acts as the man behind the throne, manipulating events in the Soviet Union to further his own agenda.

This connection forms one of the main links between Red Alert and the Tiberium universe.

In the Soviet ending, Nadia also reveals that the Brotherhood of Nod intends to exploit the Soviet Union before Kane eliminates her in turn. However, this conclusion is specific to the Soviet branch and does not form part of the continuity leading up to Red Alert 2.

The Chronosphere

Stalin takes a particular interest in the technologies developed by Albert Einstein.

When the Soviets discover the existence of the Chronosphere, capable of instantly transporting units from one place to another, Stalin immediately recognises its military potential and demands that the USSR seize it.

Soviet forces therefore make several attempts to locate and capture the Allied technology.

Stalin ultimately prefers to see the Chronosphere destroyed rather than leave it in the hands of his enemies. This technological obsession plays an important role in several operations during the war.

Nuclear weapons

Stalin also oversaw the development of the Soviet nuclear arsenal.

When the programme became operational, the Soviet Union notably attempted to launch four missiles at European cities. The Allies, however, managed to take control of the Command Hub and neutralise the warheads before they reached their targets.

This episode demonstrates just how far Stalin is prepared to go to win the war: for him, the use of weapons of mass destruction against major European cities is not a red line that cannot be crossed.

The Soviet Campaign

In the Soviet campaign, Stalin directly assigns several missions to the Commander, played by the player.

The Commander starts out as a mere lieutenant but, as he racks up victories, gradually rises through the ranks of the Red Army to become a general.

This campaign also depicts the gradual collapse of Stalin’s inner circle. Rivalries, executions and manipulation lead to the elimination of several of his key associates.

Although the Soviets ultimately win the war, Stalin does not enjoy the victory for long.

Nadia poisons him and then shoots him, before revealing that the Soviet conquest was in fact part of the Brotherhood of Nod’s plans. Kane then eliminates Nadia.

This conclusion is, however, non-canonical within the Red Alert 2 timeline*.

The Fall of Moscow

The continuity adopted for the rest of the story is based on the victory of the Allied Forces.

After liberating Europe, the Allies invade the Soviet Union and advance as far as Moscow. The Allied Commander is given a final mission to destroy the Soviet forces and capture Stalin.

When his headquarters collapses, Stalin is buried under the rubble.

Allied soldiers find him still alive and are about to capture him.

But Nikos Stavros intervenes.

Driven by a deep hatred for the dictator responsible for the destruction of Europe, Stavros orders the Soldiers away, gags Stalin and then buries him once more under the rubble, leaving him to die beneath the ruins of Moscow.

Stalin’s death marked the definitive defeat of the Soviet Union and the end of the war.

His legacy

Stalin’s death, however, did not spell the end of the Soviet Union.

The Allies then chose Alexander Romanov, a distant relative of the former Russian imperial family, to lead a weakened USSR which they believed they could control.

This decision would prove catastrophic: Romanov would secretly rebuild Soviet military power before unleashing the Third World War in Red Alert 2.

Stalin also retained a certain aura in the Soviet Union after his death. Stalingrad still bore his name during the Romanov War, showing that his memory had not been entirely erased from the Soviet regime.

Another particularly significant legacy concerns the Psychic Corps. This was created during Stalin’s reign and placed under the command of Yuri, who subsequently developed the mind-control technologies used by the Soviet Union and later by his own army.

The historical Stalin and Stalin of Red Alert>
The character is directly inspired by the real Joseph Stalin, but his story diverges considerably from reality following the temporal alteration caused by Einstein.
In this new timeline, the absence of Hitler and Nazi Germany allows the Soviet Union to become Europe’s leading expansionist power. Stalin thus takes on, in the alternative Second World War of Red Alert, the narrative role occupied by Hitler in real history.