The film Cold

Who is he: A loyal, fierce, and dangerous security officer of Caucasian descent, leading a gang of militants in the employ of Karpachev. Role in the plot: The main executor of the enemies' dirty work. He storms Zhenya's hideouts and maims her allies (he is the one who seriously wounds Ayub). In the final scene, when Zhenya cunningly escapes from the shackles in the basement and takes Sasha and Umar hostage in a helicopter, she forces them to make a choice. Umar, understanding Sasha's rotten nature, refuses to obey the coward and jumps from the flying helicopter himself.

Who he is: Pavel Karpachev's son. He was sitting in the passenger seat of that very same sports car on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, goading Makar to drive faster. He's just as spoiled, cruel, and cowardly. His role in the plot: He tries his best to escape Zhenya's vengeance with the help of his father's militants. At the end of the series, when Zhenya takes him hostage right on board the helicopter, he displays the utmost selfishness and cowardice. Later, Zhenya deprives him of his father, dumps Sasha on the side of the road penniless, leaving him to survive alone with his debts and the family's enemies.

Who he is: A criminal oligarch and tough businessman from the 90s. A close friend and shadowy partner of Igor Marchenko. He has his own private army and enormous influence. Role in the plot: He, along with Marchenko Sr., sponsored the fabrication of the case against Zhenya to protect his son. When Zhenya declares war on them, Karpachev deduces her plans, ambushes her, captures her team, and personally tortures Zhenya in the basement, trying to find out where she got so many hidden millions. Later, he teams up with Tsapkova to eliminate Zhenya.

Who she is: Yana Rain's young daughter. A relative of the main villain, Nadezhda Tsapkova (her granddaughter). Backstory: Roma Rodriguez (or Anton Tsapkov), Nadezhda's son, was a cruel domestic tyrant and closet sadist. Yana killed him in self-defense while pregnant. Vera was born after her mother's arrest, and the newborn girl was immediately taken in by her grandmother. Role in the plot and character: Vera's grandmother, Nadya, raises her in strict isolation and harshness, instilling in the girl the idea that her mother is a dirty criminal who deserves no forgiveness. Because of this, Vera grows up withdrawn and secretive; she secretly pursues a passion for music, hiding this talent from her despotic grandmother. Relationship with Zhenya: Saving Vera and snatching her from Tsapkova's clutches is Yana's dying wish and Zhenya's most important promise. When Zhenya tries to establish contact with the girl, Vera remains shy for a long time, doesn't trust her, and even runs away. However, at the end of the story, Zhenya saves her, becomes her mother figure, and takes her to the ends of the earth (Cape Town) to give her a happy childhood far from her family's nightmares.

Hell in the Colony: In prison, Zhenya endures brutal trials and depression. Realizing the law has betrayed her, she resolves to survive at any cost for the sake of revenge. She exhausts herself with rigorous training. Meeting Yana: Zhenya saves the life of a respected inmate, Yana Rain. Yana becomes her mentor, teaches her to "be cool," shares her connections on the outside, and shares a plan for a daring escape. Escape: After Yana is poisoned to death in the colony on Tsapkova's orders, Zhenya carries out her escape plan. Officially, she is considered "killed during the escape." She is released, retrieves Yana's hidden wealth through her attorney, Alexei, and assembles a secret group.

A peaceful life: Evgenia Plotnikova was a fire captain (fire inspector). She lived a happy, honest life with her beloved husband, Vanya, and their six-year-old daughter. A fatal accident: Returning home from a family celebration, their car is involved in a terrible accident on Kutuzovsky Prospekt. The accident was caused by drunken rich kids (Makar Marchenko and Sasha Karpachov) driving a sports car. Tragedy and betrayal: Vanya and her daughter die instantly. Thanks to the connections, money, and influence of the rich kids' parents (official Marchenko, businessman Karpachov, and Nadezhda Tsapkova), the investigation destroys evidence. The blame for the accident is shifted entirely to the surviving Zhenya. She is sentenced to the maximum prison term.

Who he is: A distinguished, silent, and incredibly loyal man who joined Zhenya's team after being released. Role in the plot: While Skvorets is responsible for hacking, Ayub is her absolute physical protection. He unquestioningly carries out the most dangerous assignments: organizing hidden ambushes, neutralizing the rich kids' security, and covering for Zhenya when her plans for revenge encounter armed resistance from Karpachov's bandits.

Zhenya's ally

Who he is: Yana's official lawyer, attorney, and confidant on the outside. The same man who met Zhenya immediately after her escape from prison. Role in the plot and struggle: Alexey plays the role of "Jacopo" from the classic plot. It was he who transferred Yana's vast wealth to Zhenya, helped her quickly obtain clean documents under a new name, and effectively became her main legal support. He coordinates the financial side of the revenge, helping to buy up the shares and assets of her enemies in order to ruin them through shell companies.

Zhenya's ally

Who he is: A former special forces soldier or a comrade from Zhenya's past life, devoted to her to the end. A man of strict discipline, a master of camouflage and hand-to-hand combat. Role in the plot: Responsible for Zhenya's physical security, helping organize covert surveillance and kidnappings, and ensuring the logistics of operations. He becomes her main shield when enemies begin to suspect who is behind them.

Zhenya's ally

Who he is: A brilliant programmer, a withdrawn guy with his own agenda. Zhenya finds him through Yana's tip or saves him from local gangsters. His role in the plot: Zhenya's "eyes and ears." He hacks databases, video surveillance systems, the phones of wealthy people, and bank accounts. He provides Zhenya with complete digital anonymity and creates new false identities for her.

Zhenya's ally

Who they are: Corrupt representatives of the law. Tarasov destroyed evidence (traffic camera footage) and planted false evidence on Zhenya, and Gorbachev handed down the harshest sentence. Role in the plot: Zhenya tracks them down one by one. She plays a cruel psychological game with Tarasov, forcing him to hand over the remaining archives to Marchenko, after which she pits him against his former patrons.

Who he is: A high-ranking official (a deputy mayor or a senior federal civil servant), the family's "roof." He used all his leverage to fabricate a case against Zhenya, bribe the judges, and send her behind bars while protecting her son. Role in the plot: Zhenya attacks his main asset—power and reputation. She orchestrates large-scale leaks of incriminating information, destroys his political alliances, and deprives him of his financial cushion, leaving him to face enraged creditors and the law alone.

Who is he: The same rich kid who caused the fatal accident on Kutuzovsky Prospekt while driving a sports car under the influence. The son of an influential official. Vicious, cowardly, accustomed to having his father's money and connections solve any problems. Role in the plot: After prison, Zhenya turns his life into a living nightmare. She manipulates his fears, feeds his paranoia, and forces him to destroy his business and relationships with his loved ones with his own hands, driving him completely insane.

Who she is: A highly qualified professional surgeon, qualified to perform the most complex surgeries. After prison: Appears in the second half of the series. She becomes Zhenya's unexpected ally on the outside. A complex, dramatic relationship develops between them (romantic). Mikhail tries to remind Zhenya of her humanity, alleviating her manic thirst for revenge, even as Zhenya constantly struggles to maintain her focus.

Zhenya's ally

Who she is: An influential, cruel, and cynical woman, Yana's mother-in-law. History: While free, she turned a blind eye to her son Anton beating Yana. After Yana killed Anton in self-defense, Nadezhda took her newborn granddaughter, Vera, away. To completely erase Yana from the family's life and protect her secrets, Nadezhda arranges for her poisoning right there in the prison colony. After prison: She becomes one of the main targets of Zhenya's revenge. She keeps little Vera with her, and Zhenya tries with all his might to destroy her influence and steal the girl away to fulfill his promise to Yana.

Who she is: A former elite escort turned influential prisoner. A strong woman with a tragic fate, she replaced Zhenya's "Abbé Faria" from the original novel. Backstory: She was imprisoned for the murder of her abusive husband, Anton, who attempted to rape her (she defended himself). While pregnant, she gave birth to a daughter, Vera, in prison, who was immediately taken away by her influential mother-in-law. What happened after prison: She became Zhenya's mentor, explaining that revenge is the only incentive to survive. In prison, Yana was poisoned by her own mother-in-law, Nadezhda. Before her death, Yana passed on to Zhenya vast hidden wealth, connections, and an escape plan. Her legacy and desire to save her daughter become Zhenya's primary guide.

Who she is: A former fire captain (fire inspector). A strong, determined, and physically resilient woman, whose heart has become completely hardened ("covered with cold") after experiencing tragedy. Backstory: In an accident on Kutuzovsky Prospekt caused by drunken rich kids, she lost her husband Vanya and six-year-old daughter. Due to corruption and the connections of the parents of the perpetrators, she was unjustly accused and imprisoned. In prison, she went on a dry hunger strike, exhausting herself with training, preparing her body for revenge. She saved a respected prisoner, Yana, who taught her the tricks of survival and helped her escape. Upon her escape, she was officially declared "dead." After prison: She is released under an assumed name, having become incredibly wealthy thanks to a will and secret tips from Yana. She begins a cold-blooded, calculating, and cruel hunt for her tormentors. Zhenya infiltrates the lives of his enemies, exploits their secrets, punishes them cruelly, and at the same time tries to save Yana's daughter, Vera.