« | So far you have dealt with my conventional forces. Undergoing final preparations for launch at a secret location is a little surprise that has, shall we say, come into my possession. Yes Colonel Blake. I am stronger than you thought. I have captured one of your elite men. He will be executed as an example, and then all of you will die. Unless... unless you leave these islands - Kolgujev, Everon, and Malden. This is OUR land! THIS IS THE LAND OF MOTHER RUSSIA! Aleksei Guba
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Aleksei Vasilii Guba is the main antagonist of ArmA: Cold War Assault's campaigns.
Background[]
A highly ambitious officer from the Red Army, Guba was the former commanding officer of the Soviet military's 3rd Army.
Guba was eventually assigned as Commandant of one of Stalin's gulags in Siberia in 1948.
At the age of just 28 and over the course of five more years at the gulag, he quickly gained the notorious reputation of being known as "The Dentist" for his brutality, though the true origin of the nickname still remains unclear.
In 1964, following the assumption of power by Leonid Brezhnev as Premier of the USSR, he was rumoured to have been transferred to a special interrogation unit within the Committee for State Security (KGB).
After his tenure in the KGB, Guba returned to service with the Armed Forces at some point during this time, and was now ranked as Colonel. He was assigned command over a mechanised army of Soviet troops based near the island nation of Nogova.
Resistance (1982)[]
Following a meeting between Brezhnev and the former Vice-Premier Ostrovsky of the Nogovan Communist party, Guba is immediately ordered to conduct an armed occupation over the country.
The official objective of Guba's mission was to establish Socialist order, and to prevent the country from devolving into a "capitalist regime of corruption and unemployment".
Despite Ostrovsky's calls for the militia to stand down, many Nogovans refused to comply, and fiercely stood against the occupation force. However, Guba's troops easily overpowered the island's militia and within a matter of hours, fully occupied the country.
Guba additionally ordered the execution of Nogova's incumbent President before installing Ostrovsky as a puppet leader. Guba's troops strictly enforced a curfew throughout the cities; any citizens suspected of dissent or refused to "support" the occupation force were summarily executed or tortured by his men.
« | Comrade Guba informed Comrade Ostrovsky that Soviet army has total control of the situation, and has already defeated some attempts by terrorise... terrorist groups to violate the peace and friendship between Nogova and Soviet Soyuz. Radio report following the aftermath of Guba's first deployment to the Republic of Nogova
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Almost immediately after the invasion, a resistance movement formed out of the remaining militiamen and anti-Soviet Nogovan citizens calling themselves the Nogovan Partisans, were formed to fight against the occupation. Guba immediately worked to stamp out the motivated but poorly-armed guerillas, who were ultimately no match for his forces' immense firepower.
The next day, Guba's men tracked an injured partisan named Anton to the home of Victor Troska, following the former's narrow escape after a failed attack against a Soviet convoy. Guba himself personally travelled to the house and began to "interrogate" the villagers gathered outside Troska's.
« | What's this? You don't want to cooperate with us? Surely you understand that by helping a criminal you're becoming criminals yourselves? Where is he? Guba attempts to "convince" the villagers to hand over the injured fighters
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Though the partisan was indeed hidden in the barn, the villagers refused to answer the Colonel's questions. Left with little alternative, he immediately executes one of the villagers who gave the "wrong" answer to make an example of him, and then ordered his men to kill one of them every minute until someone broke before leaving the scene.
Unbeknownst to Guba, Troska was actually a highly-trained special forces operative who had also participated in the 1974 revolution that overthrew the pro-Communist regime in the first place. Troska immediately sprung into action by grabbing his shotgun, and killed the entire Soviet squad before fleeing from the scene into the forest.
Troska would assume leadership of the resistance after its previous leader was killed in a raid by his troops. Under Troska's command, the resistance carried out increasingly bold attacks against Guba's troops. Guba attempted to crush the guerillas, but was unsuccessful, and the resistance only gained in strength.
To make matters even more difficult for Guba, the partisans began to receive covert assistance from NATO, which dispatched a team of operatives led by American special forces operative James Gastovski to support the fighters. With the help of the Americans, the insurgents began to turn the tide against his forces.
In hopes of regaining the initiative, Guba attempts to lure Troska into a trap by holding negotiations with the insurgent leader, and to listen to his "suggestions". In reality, he had restrained a number of civilians hostage; including Liz, a woman whom Troska was in love with, as bargaining chips.
« | Guba: We meet again. How nice. Troska: Set the prisoners free! Guba: Come... First we should talk about our deal, should we not? Troska: Let the prisoners go! Guba: For sure, Mr. Troska, for sure. But I think you should talk to them first. Just to verify, you know, their wellbeing. I won't disturb you... Guba at the meeting
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However, his plan was foiled when Gastovski's men took out his snipers before they could carry out the ambush. Guba himself managed to flee in the ensuing firefight before Gastovski and the rest of the guerillas could get to him.
Despite Liz' death affecting Troska emotionally, it had achieved the opposite of what Guba had hoped to inflict onto the insurgent leader. Instead of losing the will to continue, the partisans resolved to fight even harder against the occupation. They eliminated many of the supply convoys travelling through to the capital, Lipany, and launched a full-scale attack on the city, capturing it after a hard day of fighting. Guba narrowly managed to escape in the battle once more.
« | Impossible! How could those dogs defeat our Red Army elite!? This is is simply unacceptable! We must do something. We must kill them! Guba's dismay at the barrage of constant defeats
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With civilian uprisings and insurgent attacks breaking out everywhere, Guba's control over the island was lost completely, with his remaining troops being forced to regroup to their only remaining base at airport. Appalled that his elite men had been defeated by a mere band of civilian fighters, Guba was left with no option but to retreat in disgrace.
His aide suggested that they call for reinforcements from General Lapatov based at the nearby Soviet-held territory of Kolgujev, but Guba dismisses the idea entirely. Instead, he insists that he would punish all of Nogova by razing it into the ground through an intense carpet bombing.
The bombers arrive at the airport and are immediately prepared to take-off again as his troops start to pull out. Before they could do so however, Troska, to Guba's shock, infiltrates the airport and single handedly blows up every single plane.
« | NO! NOT LIKE THIS! Guba's horror at the sight of his bomber fleet in ruins
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Outraged at the insurgent leader's constant acts of transgression, Guba orders his remaining forces to hunt down Troska and the fleeing partisans, cornering them as they prepared to make a last stand.
Troska, covering the escape for the other fighters, stays behind to confront Guba directly. After a valiant last stand, Troska is personally executed by Guba. The bulk of his other forces also begin to converge and close in onto the other guerillas. Just as his victory seemed assured, American helicopters suddenly arrive and destroy his tanks and infantry, with the surviving Soviet troops surrendering to the guerillas.
Guba however, managed to make an escape yet again, and immediately fled back to the Soviet Union.
Cold War Crisis (1985)[]
Despite having exacted revenge on Troska, the disaster on Nogova was not forgotten. Guba, now promoted to the rank of General, was given command over the Soviet 3rd Army garrison on Kolgujev. At this point, he was assigned a new female secretary and aide named Angelina Malevich who he also became romantically involved with.
A new Premier of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, had assumed power and announced sweeping reforms to revitalise the nation's economy. Guba however, was dissatisfied with the new government in Moscow, which he saw as being weak and destined for failure.
Guba knew that the Soviet people needed a new leader and a reason to stand proud once again, and most importantly, a chance to prove its power against the nation's bitter rival, the United States. Hoping that he could discredit the current authorities in Moscow, Guba carried out an illegal invasion and occupation of the independent island countries of Everon and Malden.
Starting with Everon, his 3rd Army swiftly crushed all opposition on the island. The NATO training camp, which had been established to serve as a bulwark against potential future aggression from the Soviet Union in light of the Nogovan occupation three years earlier, was easily overrun by Guba's forces.
In retaliation, a small detachment of U.S. troops were sent from Malden to discover the identity of the attackers. They carve their way through the vanguard of Guba's army, but are driven back almost immediately when the General unleashed the full might of his forces upon the unsuspecting Americans. A massive wave of reinforcements arrive by air and sea at Montignac, wiping out the Americans and forcing the remnants to retreat back to Malden.
Guba continued his relentless advance against NATO forces and ordered his troops to push on to Malden itself. Although they made quick gains after establishing a beachhead by seizing its naval ports, they were insufficient against the massed reinforcements sent by NATO command.
At this stage, NATO leaders were still unaware of Guba's involvement as many firmly believed Moscow was complicit in the invasion. To an extent, Guba's plan was working since Western governments labelled Moscow as the culprit of the attacks. To Guba's satisfaction, Gorbachev's government was powerless and could do little but vehemently deny the accusations.
« | Forty-eight hours, Colonel Blake. That's how long you and your NATO forces have to remove yourselves from these islands. If you have not effected a complete withdrawal by eighteen hundred hours on Tuesday, an entire tank division, two squadrons of helicopter gunships and one thousand of the Red Army's finest men will obliterate you. There will be no further warnings. I wish you a safe and comfortable journey home. Guba's demands to the NATO force on Malden
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Rather than remain hidden, Guba chose to publicly reveal his identity by sending a televised message directly to the commander of the NATO forces on Malden, Colonel Blake, threatening him and his men with total annihilation if they did not immediately withdraw. Moscow, now aware of Guba's treachery, condemned Guba's actions and labelled him a renegade. They refused (or rather, could not) act against Guba yet in spite of this revelation however.
NATO was eventually able to turn the tide of the war against Guba, repelling his forces from Malden. They then began the liberation of Everon. At the same time, Blake sent special forces teams to infiltrate and sabotage his main bases on Kolgujev. With one final push, Guba's troops were forcibly removed from Everon at last.
« | No! This is an outrage! The Americans walked in and placed their bombs as our lazy, worthless men sat and watched! Ach. How will Russia ever be great again when these fools in the Politburo place simpletons like Martynov in command of our forces? The tides begin to turn against Guba
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With only Kolgujev left as his stronghold, defeat was a highly probable prospect on the horizon yet again, just as it was three years ago.
Blake's forces widened the front, and begin to commence airstrikes against his troops on Kolgujev, destroying much of his heavy armour assets in the process. Before they could return to base however, one of the attacking jets are successfully intercepted by Soviet anti-aircraft fire, forcing the pilot to eject to safety.
Guba's men immediately captured the pilot and present the man to him. With the American in his custody, Guba hatches a new plan to put a stop to NATO once and for all.
« | It is those fools in Moscow, Angelina. Why do they send their troops against me just as I am bringing Russia's true enemy to its knees? Why could our allies in the KGB not have delayed the politicians for just a few more hours? With enemies closing in on all sides; both foreign and domestic, Guba resorts to a final solution
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However, time was still running out for Guba. Knowing that Moscow was readying forces to stop him, Guba activates a backup plan to ensure that the Americans would pay a high price for their victory. He immediately orders his men to ready the launch of a SCUD missile armed with a nuclear warhead, which he had acquired through his contacts in the KGB.
Through a second televised message, Guba speaks directly to Blake and the NATO task force once again and delivers them "news" of Nichols' impending execution, which was to be the first of many more to follow, as well as his trump card. He again repeats his offer to allow them to leave Everon alive, but makes it clear that should they refuse, he will take Blake and all of the NATO troops with him to the grave.
What Guba wasn't expecting however, was that U.S. special forces led by James Gastovski managed to infiltrate his main base on Kolgujev. They retrieved the disarm codes for the nuclear warhead, and also managed to locate the launcher hidden in central Kolgujev. NATO forces launched an all-out assault on the site, and manage to destroy his only remaining threat.
« | Angelina: Aleksei, my love! The Americans have destroyed our rocket! Guba: What? NO! Angelina: They... they surprised us. Somehow - I don't know... Guba: HOW YOU COULD LET THIS HAPPEN!? Angelina: Aleksei, I'm sorry. Guba: Sorry? But I trusted you, Angelina. (raises gun) Angelina: My darling... ARGH! (gunshots) Noooo... Guba: I trusted you so much... Guba executes Angelina after his SCUD threat is neutralised by the Americans
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Angelina reports back the destruction of the SCUD, but Guba, disgusted by the constant failures not only from his men but now by her as well, executes Angelina in a fit of rage.
He immediately calls for Colonel Eusev, and orders a second SCUD to be primed and ready. Eusev is unaware of the presence of a second missile, but Guba insists that they resort to "Plan B" and demands that his car be readied. Driving off to the site of the hidden SCUD launcher, Guba is suddenly cut off and surrounded by American troops led by Gastovski.
Cornered but not yet defeated, Guba proudly exclaims his imminent victory to Gastovski, and blurts out the existence of the second SCUD's location in Russian, thinking that the American did not speak a word of the language.
« | Guba: So you think you have me, eh, Americans? You think you have won? You fool! Even as you enjoy your little victory, my masterplan moves towards completion! While you stand there smiling like some conquering hero, my second missile is being readied for launch at the far north-east corner of the island. Soon you and all your ignorant friends will be dead - and the whole world will be plunged into chaos! Gastovski: I think not. Guba: ...you... you speak Russian... NOOOO! Guba's monologue comes to an abrupt ending
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To his horror, Gastovski flatly replies back in Russian, revealing that he understood every single word. The American promptly relays the location of the second SCUD, and soon after it too is destroyed.
Post-Cold War Crisis[]
« | In an official statement, the Secretary of Defense revealed that a US training camp on the island had been attacked by a small group of lightly-armed terrorists, led by a disgraced former General of the Russian army. US military sources stated that the assault was a poorly-planned, publicity-seeking maneuver by an extremist organisation, which was easily resisted by American troops. There were no significant casualties. Moscow has termed the incident "highly regrettable", and the whereabouts of the terrorist leader remain unknown. Post-flashpoint radio news report
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With his entire plan having collapsed completely, a disillusioned Guba simply gives up and is promptly arrested by Gastovski's team. He is immediately handed over to the authorities, and possibly awaits trial for having committed numerous atrocities and war crimes against the citizens of the Everon islands group.
What becomes of Guba in the years after the end of the flashpoint on Everon remains unknown.
Personality and Appearance[]
Guba was an elderly Slavic male in his mid-sixties who had a fully greyed head of hair and thick beard.
As a Colonel, Guba donned the standard-issue KLMK camouflage suit worn by Soviet field commanders, and also wore a black beret and chest rig. In his later years following his promotion to a General's billet, Guba opted for a more formal officer's uniform instead.
« | Enough! I don't want to hear such talk. Unless... yes, we could leave but, first... before we go, we must lay waste to this godforsaken island. Colonel Aleksei Guba will never leave a battlefield in defeat! Guba's genocidal exit strategy
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An extremely prideful and vengeful person (to put it lightly), Guba only cared about achieving one thing in life: victory all at costs, even if it meant committing suicide and potentially sparking a global conflict in a nuclear inferno.
To say the least, "losing" and "retreating" were words that were deemed unacceptable in his mind. His intent to bomb the entirety of Nogova into oblivion for instance, was but one of the many examples of his refusal to accept defeat. He would rather see to the deaths of thousands of innocents if it meant making the cost of victory insurmountable for his enemies.
« | Villager: I'm sorry, Colonel sir, but we didn't see anybody. We're not... rebels. We just live here. Guba: As you wish... Corporal, you've seen how this man has tried to attack me? He's dangerous, a lunatic. And a rebel for sure. Kill him. Soldier: But.. Comrade Colonel... Guba: Corporal. Show some imagination, please. (fires his pistol) Guba executes an unarmed villager for supposedly "attacking" him
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At the same time, Guba showed no remorse or sympathy for anyone else, and was quite paranoid about others. He did not trust even the most loyal of his subordinates that followed him zealously, with his lover Angelina perhaps being the sole exception. But even in her case, that trust did not last forever and still resulted in her death at his hands (though Guba immediately regretted his action moments later).
In spite of his zealotry, Guba did genuinely fight for what he believed in. His illegal invasions, though frowned upon by Moscow, were not done out of personal gain but for what he saw was Russia's "right" to lay claim on those territories.
Trivia[]
- While his canonical appearance in the Armaverse timeline is the Resistance campaign, Guba's first actual appearance in the series was in Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (the initial title for Cold War Assault prior its re-release).
- Guba's first name was also originally displayed as "Ivan" in the manual for OFP: CWC before being changed to "Aleksei".
- Guba was initially only shown to speak Russian. The Resistance campaign eventually depicted him with being able to speak English as well, though only when interacting with Nogovan locals or with Troska.
- In more than a few ways, Guba shares several similarities to the character "Kong Feirong" from Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell:
- Both are rogue military Generals who each defied their own nation's government and launched illegal invasions against other countries (although Guba was partially successful to a certain degree whereas Feirong was unable to carry through with his ambitions).
- Both command fanatical and fiercely loyal (essentially private) armies that joined their respective Generals for ideological reasons.
- Both manage to gain control of illegal nuclear devices in order to advance their own causes, and to use as blackmail against their enemies (both foreign and domestic).
- Both intended to use their nuclear contraband in order to stir tensions with the United States in the hopes of demonstrating the military might of their respective country's armed forces.
- Both become extremely paranoid after being "betrayed" and disavowed by their government.
- Both fail to accomplish their goals in the end, with Guba's nuclear SCUD being destroyed by American special forces operative James Gastovski, and getting arrested to await possible trial over committing war crimes. Feirong meanwhile, had the last of his nuclear materials get destroyed by Splinter Cell protagonist "Sam Fisher" (also an American special forces operative), but ultimately commits suicide by consuming poisoned liquor.
- Considering his age in 1985, he was most likely a veteran of the Second World War.
Gallery[]
See also[]
Characters of ArmA: Cold War Assault | ||
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United States | Berghof† • Bormioli† • Caper Blake • David Armstrong • Fowley† • James Gastovski • Kozlowski† • Robert Hammer • Sam Nichols • Sutherland | |
Soviet Union | Aleksei Guba* • Angelina Malevich† | |
Resistance | Nogovan Partisans | Anton† • Gabriel† • Geronimo • Stoyan Jakotych† • Victor Troska† |
Everon Freedom Alliance | Ian Stoyan • Slava† • Tomas | |
Civilians | Nogovan | Liz† • Peter • Tom |
Unknown | Tasmanian Devil† | |
† indicates deceased characters | * indicates character status is unknown |