Andrey Vlasov
Andrey Vlasov (born 14 September 1901) is a Russian general and leader of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia, who controls the warlord state of Samara.
Biography
Early-life and career
Andrey Vlasov was born in Lomakino, Nizhny Novgorod Governorate. He studied to become a clergyman until the outbreak of the Russian Civil War. He enlisted in the Red Army and soon distinguished himself as a competent and effective officer.
Rise to prominence
In the years following the Russian Civil War, Vlasov was constantly promoted higher in the military and by 1939, Vlasov was in charge of his own rifle division. By the time of the German invasion, he was a lieutenant general. Shortly into the war, Vlasov's army was encircled and destroyed by the Wehrmacht.
Defection
Vlasov was captured by the Wehrmacht and instead of spending time in a prison camp. Whether not this decision was based in a hatred for communism or opportunism is not known. He was soon made leader of the Russian Liberation Army, a German auxiliary force during World War II.
Post-war
Following WWII, Vlasov's unit fought against partisans in Reichskommissariat Moskowien. Vlasov began to become disillusioned with his choice to join the Germans.
West Russian War
When the West Russian Revolutionary Front launched a massive invasion of Moskowien, the Germans decided to form the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia as a propaganda tool to gain the support of more of the Russian People. Vlasov was made leader of this committee, and he led the Russian Liberation army with distinction in the war. When the front collapsed, Vlasov's forces occupied the city of Samara.
Present-day
With the end of the West Russian War, the Germans cut off support for Vlasov's forces. Vlasov found it hard to gain support in the territory he controlled. The people considered him a German bootlicker and were distrustful of his army. Now Vlasov is in a rough situation. Germany wants little to do with him, and Samara is subjected to the same terror bombings as the rest of Russia. Not only this, but Samara is surrounded by hostile warlords and bandits. Vlasov himself is losing faith in the idea of a united Russia, and his government has much work to do before it can begin a campaign of uniting Russia under one banner.
Involvement
One of the first things Vlasov does in-game is to pick a successor. One such candidate is Sergei Bunyachenko, a former Red Army general, who was captured by the Germans and joined the ROA. Due to the Front blaming their failures on him, Bunyachenko has sworn to destroy the Front who turned back on him at time, when he was needed the most. If appointed as successor, he will turn Russia into a strong authoritarian republic. The second option is Vlasov's protégé, Miletiy Zykov, whose real intentions remain an enigma. Whatever he really is, a Menshevik republican, or at worst, a Bolshevik spy that wants to undermine the KONR, he will upon appointment by Vlasov try to reform Russia into a bourgeois democracy similar to Kerensky's that got extinguished by Bolshevism. The last candidate is Mikhail Oktan, a character who represents every stereotype of what average Russian thinks the KONR is: cunning, opportunistic, greedy, and so on. Upon appointment by Vlasov, he will turn Russia into a fascist dictatorship.
After choosing his successor, Vlasov continues to lead the KONR to reunify the West Russian region, by defeating other warlords and most importantly, the West Russian Revolutionary Front and taking back Onega either through diplomacy or force. After unifying Western Russia, Vlasov dies of natural causes; if his chosen successor does not have enough influence, he will be overthrown by one of the two others, so it's best to spend political power towards strengthening the influence within KONR ranks.
Trivia
Whilst in real life defected to the Germans due to being captured by them whilst on a resupply mission to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), in TNO he defected after a German victory at the Battle of Moscow.