Paul Clark

Day of the Long Knives: Named Characters and Glossary

ALAVIDZA – Tengiz Alavidza, Ksordian Minister of the Interior, former KGB officer. Ordered the attempt on Ruslan’s life in May 1992.

CHAVCHAVADZA – Uta Chavchavadza, Orthodox priest and a leading member of Kakhi’s right-wing nationalist party. An old friend of Ruslan’s and a former dissident colleague of Nina and Yakub.

CHIKRADZA – Colonel Bebur Chikradza, commander of the Second Motor Rifle Regiment. Assisted Ruslan during his peace mission and the Central Kuban referendum. Sympathetic to the ‘Together’ opposition.

CIS – The Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose organisation grouping countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union.

DOLGORUKY – Batiy Dolgoruky, formerly Korgay’s man in West Ksordia. Fell out with Korgay over the proceeds of a smuggling racket. Joined the ‘Together’ opposition.

FATIMA – Fatima Dzemileva, singer and close friend of Ruslan and Tamara.

THE GENERAL – General Lawirsen Napashidza, commander-in-chief of the Ksordian armed forces.

GRU – Soviet/Russian Military Intelligence.

KAFEVELI – Captain Lemash Kafeveli, Security Police officer in charge of the surveillance of Ruslan and Tamara’s house.

KAKHI – Kakhi Djebuadza, charismatic right-wing nationalist leader. Leads the second largest party in the ‘Together’ opposition.

KGB – Soviet secret police and intelligence service.

KORGAY – Shakman Korgay, President of Ksordia. Formerly a leading Communist, reinvented himself as a Communist reformer and later as a hard-line nationalist.

LARISA – Larisa Vizirova, Artur Vizirov’s wife. Nationality: Russian.

LEILA – Leila Meipariani, singer who worked closely with Ruslan during his peace mission and the Central Kuban referendum campaign. Murdered by Mingrelsky’s men in February 1993.

LENISHVELI – Colonel Hetu Lenishveli, a Security Police officer and ‘good cop’ during Ruslan’s interrogation.

LIONIDZA – Sergo Lionidza, formerly a leading Communist. Worked closely with Ruslan during his peace mission and the Central Kuban referendum campaign. Leader of the largest party in the ‘Together’ opposition.

MACHABELI – Colonel Maksi Machabeli, commander of Ksordian Special Forces. Vizirov’s cousin.

MAIA – Maia Beridza, fiancée of Merab Vizirov.

MERAB – Merab Vizirov, Artur Vizirov’s son, who was badly injured in the war.

MIKHEL – Mikhel Inalipa, Ruslan’s former coach and his driver during his peace mission. He saved Ruslan’s life when he was shot by preforming a tracheotomy that stopped him drowning in his own blood.

MINGRELSKY – Vakhtan Mingrelsky, paramilitary commander, gangster. Led the squad that shot and very nearly killed Ruslan in May 1992.

MURAD – Murad Akchurin, impresario, Fatima Dzemileva’s husband and close friend of Ruslan and Tamara.

NINA – Nina Begishveli, leader of the anti-Communist, anti-nationalist left, part of the ‘Together’ opposition. Was Ruslan’s lover 11 years ago but ended their relationship when the Communists imprisoned her for dissident activities.

OECD – The Organisation for Co-operation and Development in Europe, an intergovernmental body set up to encourage democratic and market reforms.

ONCHI-AKETI – The site of the massacre of 250 Akhtarian POWs and civilians by members of Mingrelsky’s White Eagles and troops of the Third Motor Rifle Regiment, by far the worst atrocity of the Ksord-Akhtarian war.

ORBELIANI – Zourab Orbeliani, former human rights lawyer turned politician. His moderate nationalist party is one of the largest in the ‘Together’ opposition.

QIPIANI – Zviad Qipiani, entrepreneur, former Minister of Munitions and putative presidential candidate for the ‘Together’ opposition.

REBELS – A derogatory term for Akhtarians, used by many Ksords. Refers to the pro-Nazi Akhtarian puppet state that waged a campaign of genocide against the Ksords in southern Akhtaria and Central Kubania.

ROBITOV – Captain Irakli Robitov, Special Forces officer.

RUSLAN – Ruslan Shanidza, former Olympic athlete turned peace campaigner and politician.

SHOTA – Ruslan and Tamara’s infant son.

SPETSNAZ – Soviet Special Forces.

SUFIYA – Shota’s favourite member of Ruslan’s staff.

SUMBATOV – Major-General Nep’it Sumbatov, in theory, the leader of the coup plotters.

SVETLANA – Svetlana Machabeli, wife of Maksi Machabeli. Nationality: Russian.

SVR – Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, formerly a branch of the KGB.

TAMARA – Tamara Shanidza, Akhtarian doctor married to Ruslan.

VAN PARTY – A political party that is simply a vehicle for a single politician, so called because all the members can allegedly fit in a single van.

VIZIROV – Colonel Artur Vizirov, commander of Ksordian Military Intelligence. Machabeli’s cousin.

YAKUB – Yakub Bovin, leader of the largest Tatar party and Regional President of Central Kubania. An old friend of Ruslan and a close friend and former dissident colleague of Nina.