Volkov

Volkov is a Soviet cyborg commando appearing in Red Alert expansion packs, along with his trusty companion, Chitzkoi.

Background
The exact origins of Volkov are unknown. He is a cybernetic soldier created by Soviet scientists as the ultimate weapon of war, with extremely durable armoured plating and equipped with heavy weapons.

Storyline
As befitting his status as an elite soldier, Volkov was given tasks unsuited to conventional forces.

Before full conversion into a cyborg, Volkov was one of the greatest soldiers of the Soviet Union, frequently called upon to carry out top secret assignments that could not be entrusted to anyone. Two most notable of these operations are the stopping of a rogue Soviet faction from unleashing a deadly biological weapon and stealing an experimental Allied vehicle and field testing it against its creators. The latter missions were carried out with help from Chitzkoi, his canine companion.

His physical prowess and battlefield expertise made him a natural choice for an experimental augmentation process developed by Soviet engineers. Together with his canine companion, Volkov was turned into a super soldier, a cyborg, capable of taking on entire enemy platoons at a time and survive only with minor damages. His first deployment was in Austria, where he was sent to aid Soviet forces in destroying Allied research into Soviet nigh-invincible armour plating. While Soviet forces besieged the facility, Volkov and Chitzkoi parachuted behind enemy lines to destroy the command center controlling the defenses. When the defenses were disabled the Soviets assaulted and destroyed the facility.

However, his might would also prove to be his undoing. After undergoing a significant upgrade, he was captured by the Allies, who were interested in learning his secrets and discovering control codes that'd allow them to control him. While the Soviets launched an operation to recover Volkov, by the time they recaptured him the cyborg had gone insane due to the Allied tampering and has gone berserk, attacking everything and everyone. After taking massive losses on the ground, Soviet forces finally managed to destroy him.

Volkov's elimination presumably marked the end of cybernetics research in the Soviet Union, as he was the only active cyborg in their ranks.

Game Unit
Volkov appears in the Counterstrike and Aftermath mission expansion packs for Command & Conquer: Red Alert. His armor type effectively makes him a walking tank, surpassing even the Soviet.

In the Counterstrike mission Soviet Soldier Volkov & Chitzkoi he is armed with a cannon and may engage the cruisers encountered on more than equal terms.

In Aftermath he appears in multiple missions and is armed alternatively with either the purely anti-infantry gun (presumably armour piercing silenced pistol) or the cannon. The only ground unit that could theoretically take on Volkov is the equally ridiculously well armored Soviet Super tank. But as the only two prototypes were deactivated by the Allies, that is a question that will never be answered. Effective counter to Volkov is anything out of touch of his weapon, notably aircraft with anti-infantry weapon. Artillery can also be used, provided that they are speedy enough to escape or are beyond walking range of Volkov (ie separated by natural obstacle).

In the Soviet's final campaign of Red Alert: Retaliation there is a mission to rescue (or recapture) Volkov from Allied hands. The commander will be given three Scientists: if these scientists are deployed to recapture the fake factory where the Allies have stashed Volkov (and no other obstacle is in the way), Volkov may be returned to the fold again.

Oddly enough, perhaps due to the game engine's limitations, Volkov is equally as vulnerable to attack dogs as all other infantry.

Behind the Scenes
Volkov was supposed to appear again in Red Alert 2 along with other units such as the Mammoth tank, but the idea was eventually scrapped, but despite this a soldier, supposedly Volkov (although he also resembles a Crazy Ivan) is the main feature of the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 retail box cover art. A similar-looking soldier appears on the European covers of the first Red Alert and its expansions.

Volkov can be considered a forerunner for Nod's Cyborg Commandos, since both units are ridiculously powerful both in terms of armor and firepower.

Volkov also appears in the A Path Beyond standalone mod of Renegade. There, he is depicted as a Cyborg with an all-metal skull, a reinforced spinal column and limbs, a (somewhat) human face (albeit with artificial red eyes), and wearing an officer's cap and a brown trenchcoat, which conceals his body-armour. He is not as ridiculously powerful in this incarnation, but he is still a deadly soldier capable of massive destruction if left unchecked. He is armed with a high caliber cannon, a shotgun-type cannon and a napalm launcher, all built into his right arm. As of APB 2.0 (Gamma), he also carries a C4 charge.