Oleg Vodnik

"Well, look at what the wind blew in. Sit tight. My tanks will deal with you shortly."

- Oleg

Oleg Vodnik is a Soviet commander appearing in Red Alert 3 and Uprising.

Personality
"What is this!? You think you can defeat me with such a puny force? This gonna be easier than my fight with wife last night."

- Oleg

An overly casual, yet reliable commander, Oleg Vodnik is known in the Soviet Army as one of the few commanders to rise through ranks from private to a general due to him cheating death on a constant basis on the battlefield. Due to his origins, he has great respect for the lower ranks of the Soviet army.

He takes a particular liking to the heavy armor units of the Soviet Union, thus favoring tanks and similar units. Vodnik is extremely respectful towards the Soviet Commander. He treats him as a friend, partner in crime, equal and even holds as a renowned superior officer. This Russian Commander is loyal and fierce.

Background
Oleg Vodnik is one of the few conscripts that manage to survive long enough to be promoted. A casual and informal commander, he has proven that he is a competent commander. He is quite popular among his underlings.

He was married sometime during/before the Uprising.

War of the Three Powers
He was in charge of the defense of Heidelberg, where a major Soviet military base was situated. Later, he was in charge of launching Kirov Airships from modified Sport Arenas in Havana to attack US cities. In both cases he was defeated by the Commander. He is also the only Soviet commander not to have worked with this said Allied counterpart.

He is a long-time friend of a little-known but highly successful Soviet commander, and often accompanied him in battle. They fought together in the Soviet Campaign defending Leningrad from Kenji's battleships, and again against Commander Lissette in Geneva, and once more against Commander Giles and the "traitor" Soviet General Krukov in Iceland. The Tank Commander is very satisfied to fight alongside his russian brother in arms.

In the Imperial Campaign he was in charge of the (futile) defense of Vorkuta on the day of the Imperial invasion, using Tesla Tanks.

Uprising
Commander Oleg was tricked into accepting the position if the Head of Soviet Military Affairs following the War of the Three Powers, as the Soviet leadership desperately needed a scapegoat. He maintains an unflappable attitude despite the hostility shown by the Soviet people towards him.

However, Oleg is far from being a failure. Under his leadership, the Soviet military has seen several developments and had research operations worldwide, even as it was scrutinized by the Allied Forces following the war. These projects included an advanced Iron Curtain project (able to render entire bases invulnerable) and giant war bears created from American bears (on their own soil no less).

During the Uprising, he attempted to take the Sakhalin Island from Kenji's forces inter alia by using his new battle machines, the Grinders. Unfortunately, The Empire sneak inside the unguarded part of his base and attacked Oleg from back. Oleg had to retreat.

Later, The Empire destroyed his base as well as Moskvin's stronghold in Vladivostok by using their newest weapons, the Giga Fortresses. Oleg blamed the defeat on his fellow comrade and admitted the Empire's victory this time but said that their country will not be in safety forever.

He also fights the player in several of the missions in the Commanders' Challenge.

Tactics
"This battle will be your final doom - or should I say... Apocalypse?"

- Oleg about his using Apocalypse Tanks

Oleg's strategies are somewhat simple-minded, yet effective. He prefers massing tanks to crush the enemy on the ground while placing less emphasis on air and naval units. Allied commanders unfortunate enough to encounter him reported being attacked by waves of tanks (including the feared Apocalypse), Kirovs and Stingrays.