Zhana Agonskaya

Actress: Vanessa Branch

Affiliation: Soviet Union*Role:* Commander of the Soviet Air Force*Specialism:* Air warfare*Status:* Unknown Zhana Agonskaya is a Soviet commander specialising in air operations during the Third World War in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3.

Enlisted at a very young age in the Soviet Air Force, she quickly distinguished herself as a brilliant pilot, a competent leader and a patriot wholly devoted to the Soviet Union.

She also served in Soviet intelligence before rising to a Command Center position in the air force.

Her reputation is such that many pilots voluntarily request to be transferred under her command, whilst Soviet propaganda makes extensive use of her image to encourage young men to join the army.

It is claimed that each of her pilots is capable of shooting down ten enemy aircraft single-handedly, reflecting the almost legendary reputation of her squadrons.

Zhana, however, imposes extremely strict discipline and does not hesitate to have subordinates executed if they fail to meet her standards. As a result, she is as much feared as she is respected by her men.

On the battlefield, she naturally favours air superiority, notably using waves of Twinblades to support her ground troops and harass enemy positions.

Her counterpart amongst the Allies is the British Commander Giles Price, who is also a specialist in air operations.

In the Allied campaign, Zhana temporarily agrees to fight alongside the Allies against the Empire of the Rising Sun during the attack on the Japanese floating fortress in the North Sea.

Unlike several other Soviet officers, she treats the Allied Commander with professionalism and respect, prioritising the success of the mission over political rivalries.

In the Soviet campaign, she takes part notably in the recapture of Vladivostok, the Mykonos operations and the trap set for Field Marshal Robert Bingham, before surviving the betrayal of Prime Minister Anatoli Cherdenko.

The Imperial campaign offers an alternative version of events, in which Zhana takes part in the defence of Stalingrad against Japanese forces and suffers defeat.

She subsequently disappears from the events of Uprising and her ultimate fate is never clarified; Vera Belova then assumes a comparable role amongst the Soviet commanders.

Zhana Agonskaya thus embodies the Soviet Union’s air power:a Pilot who became a Commander, as elegant and disciplined as she is ruthless towards those who fail to serve the Motherland.