Balalaika [Zombie Apocalypse.]

Name Balalaika (nickname) Sofia Pavlovna Irinovskaya (real name) V.V. Vladilena (pseudonym) Gender Female Height 180 centimeters Affiliates Pyotr Slevinin (boss) Boris Polanski Menshov Sakharov Jodorowsky Eugene Zamyatin Lazar Daniil Rabochek Feodora Varenkov Maskaev David Koslov Tiganov Affiliation Hotel Moscow Vysotniki Former Affiliation Soviet Airborne Forces (VDV) Former Affiliates Unnamed uncle Stanislav Kandinsky Weapon Stechkin APS pistol Dragunov sniper rifle (SVD; wartime) Race/Nationality Russian Appearance: Balalaika is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Russian woman with a skinny build, pale skin, a mole under her left eye, and scars on her neck, bosom, upper legs, and the right side of her face, hence she has been called the derogatory nickname "Fry-Face" by several people. She is 180 centimeters tall (or 5'11"), and her hair is very long and done up in a huge ponytail, going down to the base of her spine. She is usually seen wearing a wine-colored skirt suit with black pantyhose and black 1-inch heels. Her nails are long and painted pink, and she also wears rose-colored lipstick. Whenever traveling, she wears a Russian military coat draped off her shoulders with a rank insignia of a Soviet Airborne Forces captain. However, she removes it when it is considered polite. She is usually shown smoking a thin Russian cigar, in contrast with the other characters who smoke cigarettes.

Personality: Due to Balalaika's leadership during the hellish fighting in Afghanistan, her men look up to her as their superior and will do just about anything upon her orders, with Boris being her right-hand man. She always refers to Boris by the title of "Sergeant" and often refers to her other men by their military rank. As a combat officer, she is a skilled strategist and well-rounded fighter, capable of taking care of herself despite the fact that all of her troopers, including Boris, often worry for her. Although she has shown herself to be rather cynical on occasion, she is also a pragmatic, opportunistic, and professional businesswoman. She frequently employs Dutch and the Lagoon Company because they share a mutual respect and Balalaika trusts Dutch as a discreet man of integrity. She is also downright ruthless, willing to utilize whatever means to achieve what she wants. As a mafia leader, she has claimed that trust and profit are her concerns, also remarking once that her motivation is to maximize her group's profits and eliminate anyone in the way by any means necessary. On one occasion, Balalaika even admitted that she only lives to bring destruction and dance as long as she can "on the bottom of hell's cauldron." She has no qualms about killing children, although she used to be hesitant to do so during the Soviet–Afghan War because of Afghan children whom she and her men fought in Panjshir. Balalaika regards herself and her men as soldiers who missed their chance to die in Afghanistan.

While some of her actions can be interpreted as attempts to pursue an honorable death in combat for her men, Balalaika's status as a military figure is tempered by her role in the criminal underground. She backed away from engaging with Shane Caxton's American soldiers in combat after Mister Chang reminded her of their unfinished fight. Balalaika opted for a future battle with Chang over a present opportunity to engage the American unit, which she regarded as a foil to her own disgraced Soviet unit, because she wanted to preserve their joint interest to keep the city of Roanapur standing. Due to the fact that her personal military force, the Vysotniki, is entirely composed of ex-VDV forces, they and Balalaika are at a serious advantage over the other criminal organizations. Specifically, Balalaika, like her men, has military grade training, combat experience and discipline that is unprecedented among the rest of the criminal underworld of Roanapur. She is also one of the few people to earn the respect of Revy, who calls her "Sis." In turn, Balalaika also seems to hold Rock in high regard, sometimes relying on his knowledge and business skills as well as hiring him as a translator and even teasing him once that he was a "good villain." She is capable of speaking Russian and English as seen when she had Rock translate her English into Japanese during the "Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise" arc.

Background: In her childhood, she took life advice from her uncle, a marshal in the Red Army of the USSR. Balalaika's father had presumably either been condemned by the USSR or fled the country. Due to her father's condemned status, she felt that she had to restore her family's honor. Instead of participating in the shooting competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Balalaika joined the Soviet Airborne Forces (Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska; Russian for "air assault troops"), also known as the VDV. During her service, she first received training at the special training area on Wrangel Island, Russian SFSR, and she accordingly became a paratrooper and a veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. A fine marksman and sniper, she received the nickname "Balalaika" (one of the Soviet army's slang terms for the Dragunov sniper rifle). Balalaika can be easily identified by the various burn scars across her body, which she sustained from being tortured by the Afghan mujahideen over a month after being captured in Afghanistan, as stated by a former soldier of hers in the first light novel. During the Soviet invasion, Balalaika was withdrawn from the war by her superiors when she was a lieutenant. Later in 1987, Balalaika was re-drafted to return fighting in Afghanistan with her fellow paratroopers and had been promoted to a captain in the Soviet Airborne Forces. Besides participating in battles, Balalaika had also interrogated prisoners-of-war during her service. Eventually, Balalaika and her men were discharged immediately after the war's end in 1989, with Balalaika being discharged for breaking an international cross-border agreement in order to save a child.

After she and her unit were cast aside by the Soviet Union, they had no group to fight for, especially while living in impoverished conditions after the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1992. At a cemetery for the funeral of a soldier who died due to "dirty money," Balalaika in her VDV uniform met her men there and proudly proclaimed that they could fight again under her leadership, with the men saluting and enthusiastically agreeing. Balalaika and her men then joined the global crime syndicate Hotel Moscow, and in Moscow, she crushed many people in her way to rise in the ranks, becoming powerful enough to be a branch leader. After her brief rise, she eventually settled in Roanapur, where she led her gang's Thai branch. In her first year in Roanapur in 1993, a large-scale conflict with the already-established Hong Kong Triad under Mister Chang's leadership ensued, and a shootout between Balalaika and Chang in November 1993 resulted in both of them being wounded. Before the two could destroy the city further, a peace was brokered between the rival criminal organizations by Dutch, who had also saved Balalaika. Balalaika accordingly uses the Bougainvillea Trade Company as a front for Hotel Moscow in Roanapur. When conducting foreign operations from Thai soil, she uses the Russian cargo ship Marya Zaleska as a legal cover from the police and various law enforcement agencies in addition to using Hotel Moscow's connections to the Russian Federation's embassies. Moreover, she uses the pseudonym V.V. Vladilena, also shortened to Miss Vladilena (ミス・ヴラディレーナ Misu Vuradirēna), as a legitimate business name and embassy cover. She had once used her embassy connections to evade arrest in the "Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise" story arc. Although Balalaika is the leader of her own branch in Hotel Moscow, she still takes orders from Pyotr Slevinin, a high-ranking boss in Moscow where the Russian mafia is based.

Balalaika hired the Lagoon Company to steal an Asahi Heavy Industrial Co. disk containing nuclear weapon blueprints so that she could sell it back at a high price to the Japanese company. Soon, Dutch stole the disk from the Melanesia and called Balalaika at her office to confirm that he had it, so she commended him and told him to bring it to Roanapur. Kageyama, a manager at Asahi Industries, participated in a board meeting and explained to the other businessmen that Bougainvillea Trade Company was the party claiming to have the disk, adding that Bougainvillea was a front for the Russian mafia. When Asahi Industries' response seemed suspicious, Balalaika scoped the city to find anyone involved in hunting down the Lagoon crew. Later when Dutch returned to Roanapur to give Balalaika the disk, he called her again. In Balalaika's office at the Bougainvillea Trade Co. building, she had her men interrogate a Chinese man, who was forced to inform Dutch over the phone about the mercenary company that Asahi Industries hired to hunt down the Lagoon crew in the city. Accordingly, Balalaika told Dutch to change the drop-off location due to Extra Order's presence in the city. After the Chinese man stated the information, Boris and fellow Hotel Moscow members shot the man dead in the office as Balalaika calmly covered her ears from the gunfire. Soon, Balalaika and her men traveled to Palawan Island to meet up with Kageyama to negotiate the disk's price. Eventually, the Lagoon Company arrived at the port with the disk, so Balalaika told Kageyama that Bougainvillea Trade Co. would discuss the payment with him. After the trade, Balalaika commended Rock for helping the Lagoon crew.

When Chen blabbed about his plan to assassinate the Lagoon crew to lots of people in Roanapur, Balalaika got word of his plans, so she, Boris and other Hotel Moscow members went to Chen's place and confronted him before he could flee the city. After kicking him to the ground, Balalaika grabbed Chen and coldly advised him to pray since that was the only thing that would save him. Once torturing and tying up Chen to a chair, she stood by outside with Boris and fellow Russians as she called Dutch to imply that she would deal with Chen, detonating a bomb inside Chen's residence in real-time. Afterward, she told Dutch that she would have a job for him later, ending the phone call. Sometime later in the anime, it was shown that Balalaika sat in her office and smoked a cigar as her men executed Donnie Yen, who had abetted Chen's failed plan. During Garcia Lovelace's initial imprisonment by Lagoon Company (who was shipping the boy on the Black Lagoon), Dutch asked Balalaika for intel on their client, the Manisarera Cartel. She found his request interesting not only because a favor from Dutch was unusual, but her most recent job also involved the same cartel, so she promised to retrieve the information for him. Soon, Balalaika gathered the info in her office regarding the Lovelace family, and Boris listened to her mention the family history. When Balalaika asked Boris to look at Roberta's eyes in a Lovelace family photo, Boris saw that she had the eyes of a soldier. The same night, Roberta began a rampage at the Yellow Flag in her attempt to rescue Garcia, gaining the attention of Hotel Moscow. Accordingly, Balalaika remarked that she owed a favor to Dutch, so she had Boris get the Vysotniki to save the Lagoon Company from being killed by Roberta. When one soldier asked her what they should do regarding the bar fire, she told him to assure Bao not to worry about the insurance.

As Revy and Roberta started a firefight with each other at the Roanapur harbor, several Vysotniki armed with sniper rifles surrounded the two women. Balalaika told Roberta that she had no reason to fight anymore since Garcia was safe and the Manisarera Cartel's base was being destroyed in Venezuela as they spoke, but the two women refused to back down, so the snipers forcibly disarmed them. Although Boris even showed the captured leader of the Manisarera Cartel to appease Roberta, the maid still angry. Balalaika, impressed by Roberta's tenacity and skills, deliberately annoyed Roberta by telling Garcia about Roberta's past as a FARC guerrilla and terrorist, even being wanted internationally for her role in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. When Roberta and Garcia reunited, Revy still wanted to fight, so Balalaika approved their dispute to be settled by a fist fight. During the fight, Rock was the only one who wanted to stop the fight, and Balalaika teasingly said that he could try. Hours later after she smoked many cigars, Revy and Roberta ended their fight in a draw. Immediately, Balalaika ordered Boris to drive Roberta back to the airport so she and Garcia could return to their home in Venezuela, and she withdrew her Vysotniki back to their base. After going on a trip outside Thailand, Balalaika returned to Roanapur with an APS underwater rifle and gifted it to Dutch, who in turn lent it to Revy to use for a diving mission.

On several errands, Rock and Revy visited the Bougainvillea Trade Company building to speak to Balalaika about a late shipment. In a different room from her office, Balalaika was watching pornographic videos to identify someone, gloomily stating that she had a meeting to attend later concerning unauthorized drug shipments. She asked the two Lagoon employees why they came to her in-person instead of calling her, but Rock and Revy responded that Dutch told them to give her the news themselves. Before the two left, Balalaika told them to call her for any new information regarding the late shipment. Rock and Revy left as Balalaika continued fast forwarding through the pornographic videos, remarking that she wanted to die. When two murderers began to kill Hotel Moscow members in Roanapur, the killers managed to kill six of Balalaika's men, so she ordered Boris to call the Lagoon Company office and cancel their meeting. At the same time, Mister Chang summoned a discreet Council meeting between Roanapur's main crime lords, including Balalaika of Hotel Moscow, Abrego of the Colombian Cartel, and Verrocchio of Cosa Nostra. At the meeting, Chang clarified that he liked the current power balance between the syndicates and wanted to maintain that balance, with Balalaika being unconcerned about that and more concerned about her dead men. When Balalaika asked Chang if he had any involvement in the murders, he denied it and added that a high-ranking man of the 14K in Roanapur and a direct lieutenant of his both got killed.

Verrocchio as well stated that one of his own men got killed, claiming that the murders had to be the work of an outsider. When Balalaika again expressed her disdain for Chang's ceasefire declaration, Chang warned her that destroying the city should not have been her intention. Leaving the meeting as Boris wrapped her coat around her shoulders, she elaborated that she would get revenge on whomever killed her comrades, including killing the family and pets of the people responsible. The next morning at the Caribbean Bar around 4 a.m., two more members of Hotel Moscow, Corporal Menshov and Private First Class Sakharov, went to the bar to collect a stipend from the bartender, but the two murderers showed up and killed everyone in the bar, but they left Menshov alive (and accidentally left a waiter alive). Menshov was taken by the killers to their hideout and brutally tortured to death and mutilated as well. Later that afternoon, Chief Watsap of the Roanapur City Police allowed Balalaika and Boris to investigate the crime scene at the bar where the two Russian men were murdered. Recalling the surviving waiter's testimony, Watsap added that the murderers were two white children but not from an English-speaking country, also saying that the murderers had a Bougainvillea Trade Co. business card which they used to enter the bar. Afterward, the two Russians left the scene. Boris sat in the back seat of a car with Balalaika, who told Boris that she despised Watsap's character and that she felt that she did not account for the special situation. Boris responded that even Menshov and Sakharov were blindsided by the assassins being children. Thinking back to their time in Afghanistan, she reminded Boris that half of their enemies in Panjshir were children, claiming that even their own souls could get lazy.

Recalling the surviving waiter's testimony, Watsap added that the murderers were two white children but not from an English-speaking country, also saying that the murderers had a Bougainvillea Trade Co. business card which they used to enter the bar. Afterward, the two Russians left the scene. Boris sat in the back seat of a car with Balalaika, who told Boris that she despised Watsap's character and that she felt that she did not account for the special situation. Boris responded that even Menshov and Sakharov were blindsided by the assassins being children. Thinking back to their time in Afghanistan, she reminded Boris that half of their enemies in Panjshir were children, claiming that even their own souls could get lazy. Smoking a cigar and glaring ahead, Balalaika sternly stated that the murderers would pay with blood for the eight men whom they killed, ordering Boris to set up an investigative team outside of their organization. Later that night, Balalaika called Rock to see if he recognized the phrases "Buona sera" and "Soră mea" that the twins used. Rock soon realized that the latter phrase was Romanian and relayed that fact to Balalaika, who told Boris. He remarked that he remembered picking up some Romanian words during his service in Kabul in the Soviet-Afghan War but was disappointed that he did not recognize the term at first. Balalaika replied that his forgetfulness was just part of growing old. In deep thought, she asked if Rowan distributed black market videos, which Boris confirmed, so she coerced the shop owner to hand over all of the tapes involving Romanians that he had. Spending a night and half a day, she finally spotted the twins in a child sexual exploitation film, finding out their stage names in the film as well as their appearance.

Upon identifying the murderers as two Romanian children named Hänsel and Gretel, Balalaika discreetly met Chang at the harbor shipping yard, giving him an envelope containing pictures of the children's faces. She mentioned the twins' history as child sexual abuse survivors who were exploited in snuff films made for pedophiles, with Chang discomforted by the story but nonetheless adding that he had no sympathy for the twins and their bloodlust. Chang then replied that he would take full responsibility, asking Balalaika what she wanted from him. In turn, Balalaika said that she wanted to start a just war instead of a gang war, so Chang agreed to have the Triad temporarily ally with her, remarking that he did not need to consult his bosses in Hong Kong on the matter. Accordingly with the meeting finished, Balalaika called Boris to tell him about her temporary alliance with the Triad to take down the twins, requesting him to gather all their men for a combat mission like their former military days. That night, Boris called all their troops into one room, ordering them to listen to Balalaika. She gave a quick speech about the brotherhood they shared with Menshov and Sakharov, confidently declaring that the souls of their fallen comrades would transform their guns into a goddess of revenge. Afterward, she received a call from Cho of the Triad about the assault on the Verrocchio family, so she advised him and the Triad gangsters to vacate the area immediately. Soon, Balalaika then received a call from Chang after the twins murdered his men, and she was pleased to hear that he diverted Watsap from hunting the twins by giving him false intel. As a result, she promised that she would return the favor later.

As the Vysotniki spread throughout Roanapur on rooftops on various streets, Boris stayed in-person with Balalaika at a fountain and had all unit commanders report back to him. As the twins began to run away and were flanked onto a specific path, Boris recorded the troops' reports to Balalaika, but they soon heard a gunshot in an area that the troops had not covered yet. In a minute, Jodorowsky reported back to Balalaika, who now took control of communications from Boris, concerning the twins' location. Learning that Revy and Eda held guns to the twins to kill them, Balalaika told her soldiers not to be concerned with the women's presence and kill them if they continued to interfere. At the point of Gretel disappearing and Hänsel following Jodorowsky's group, Boris bid good luck to Balalaika and left so that she could wait for Hänsel to be lured to her for his death. The next morning as the operation continued, Boris waited with other soldiers on a rooftop as they watched Balalaika sit and confront Hänsel. Balalaika told the boy that it was the end of the line for him, but he only pulled out an axe and smiled. Balalaika demanded him to kneel, causing the snipers to shoot Hänsel's knee and then his hand when he tried to throw his axe. Balalaika, deciding that a short murder was too good for him, watched the boy cry in agony as he bled to death from his wounds. To her amusement, the boy asserted that he would not die since his lifespan was extended by killing so many people, but Balalaika nonchalantly rebuffed that no one lived forever, grimly telling the boy to quit crying. After Hänsel finished crying and died, Balalaika radioed Boris to say she was done and told him the main pursuit was over, and Boris replied that the ordeal had him and his men on edge. Sighing, she apologized for the trouble and muttered that she had grown very old.

Meanwhile, Dutch was shipping Gretel out of Roanapur, irking Balalaika since she still wanted revenge on the child. Accordingly, Boris waited near the front door of her office room while she called Dutch to confirm that Gretel would not escape alive. After Dutch saw that Bougainvillea Trade Co. had paid off the Vietnamese Navy to force his boat to drop the girl off elsewhere, Balalaika finished the call and ordered Boris to get a hold of Elroy in Indonesia so that she could pay him to kill Gretel as insurance. Elroy succeeded in killing the girl, receiving a hefty pay from Balalaika. Sometime later, Hotel Moscow's Japanese branch leader, Vasili Laptev, contacted her to request her soldiers' help in increasing the Russian mafia's dwindling influence in the country. Bringing Rock as her Japanese-to-English interpreter, Balalaika arrived in the country and Laptev briefed her that Tsugio Bandō of the Washimine Group was the one who first sought out Hotel Moscow's help to crush and intimidate the Kōsa Council. During the meeting with Bandō, Balalaika clarified that Hotel Moscow had a different way of doing things, demonstrating her power by having Polanski and others set off a bomb in one of the Kōsa Council's clubs, scaring the Washimine affiliates. In contrast, Bandō appreciated the gesture and approved her alliance, pleasing her.

After the meeting, Balalaika and Boris went to a restaurant to talk with Laptev. Boris asked her if she wanted him to get her some Russian tea, but she replied that she did not want to make a fuss, asking him in turn if he wanted some toast, but he turned it down. As Balalaika and Laptev ate their food, Boris summarized the Vysotniki's recent attacks on the Kōsa Council, reporting many successful kills without any casualties or fatalities for the Vysotniki. He added that the Washimine Group transcribed the Kōsa Council's wireless communications, so Balalaika told him to have Rock provide her with the translation as soon as possible. When Laptev commended Balalaika for her leadership, she instead insulted him, saying that he could not get the Japanese branch's strength together. Laptev replied that he was a high-ranking boss back in Moscow, but Balalaika sneered at him, saying that he only had a rank from money rather than merit. Angered, he insulted her back as an ex-military dog, so she slammed his head onto the table, stating that she had no time to deal with ex-KGB officers like him.

At the second meeting between Hotel Moscow and the Washimine Group, Balalaika advocated to abduct the head of the Kōsa Council and his family members. This proposal surprised Bandō, who immediately rejected her new plan and had enough of her methods since it could have easily grabbed the attention of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Hearing the translation from Rock, the annoyed Balalaika rhetorically asked Boris if he heard Bandō's sentiment, laughing about the reply. Firmly disagreeing with Bandō, she grinned and asserted her position that Hotel Moscow was the one in charge of the violence and thus was in charge of the entire operation and deal. Stating her ultimate position, she also declared that Hotel Moscow's purpose was to maximize their profits and decimate anyone who got in their way, be they allies or enemies. Interrupting the tense atmosphere, Chaka's cellphone rang and he loudly answered it, so Bandō apologized for Chaka's behavior and asked Balalaika to discuss his agreement with her later. She agreed to his request so long as he did not interfere in her operations. Exiting the private room into the hallway, they saw Chaka beating up Rock, so Yoshida and Bandō intervened while the latter apologized to Rock, assuring the interpreter that Chaka would be severely reprimanded. Commenting on the situation, Balalaika and Boris agreed that the incompetent yakuza lacked their men's discipline.

At the same restaurant where they talked to Laptev, Balalaika and Boris met up with Revy and Rock while Boris again informed Balalaika about the Kōsa Council increasing police surveillance in their own territory. He added that the local police wanted to interrogate Washimine members, making her remark that the yakuza could blow their cover and they might have to move their main team to the Marya Zaleska. Curious, Rock politely interrupted to ask Balalaika a hypothetical question, but she responded that he should not be concerned with her actions since he was not a Hotel Moscow member and only a translator. Revy defended Rock's curiosity since they all needed to trust each other, so she answered him by saying that she would crush the Washimine Group if they decided to change plans and backstab her. Boris on another topic wondered if they needed to talk to Laptev, but Balalaika remarked that she had permission from Slevinin to cause chaos for the Japanese, proclaiming that Laptev needed to die a useful death too. In his desperate attempt to assassinate Balalaika and protect the Washimine Group, Bandō confronted Balalaika in a building parking garage and attempted to stab her. She easily dodged his lunge and stabbed him using his own weapon, joking in Russian that it had been a while since she engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Looking at Rock, she furiously shouted at him to translate her words. Maintaining her grip on Bandō's neck, she gleefully told him that the truth was that she had no need to work with others and only lived to bring destruction and to see how long she could dance on the bottom of hell's cauldron. Bidding him farewell, Balalaika cracked his windpipe, killing him. Upon Bandō's death, Balalaika arranged for his corpse to have a note stuffed into his mouth with the message "Yellow is the color of cowards" written in Russian, and then she had her men put the body into a suitcase and toss it in front of a Washimine Group office.

In his desperate attempt to assassinate Balalaika and protect the Washimine Group, Bandō confronted Balalaika in a building parking garage and attempted to stab her. She easily dodged his lunge and stabbed him using his own weapon, joking in Russian that it had been a while since she engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Looking at Rock, she furiously shouted at him to translate her words. Maintaining her grip on Bandō's neck, she gleefully told him that the truth was that she had no need to work with others and only lived to bring destruction and to see how long she could dance on the bottom of hell's cauldron. Bidding him farewell, Balalaika cracked his windpipe, killing him. Upon Bandō's death, Balalaika arranged for his corpse to have a note stuffed into his mouth with the message "Yellow is the color of cowards" written in Russian, and then she had her men put the body into a suitcase and toss it in front of a Washimine Group office. Because of Bandō's murder coupled with her group needing a blood-relative successor, the schoolgirl Yukio Washimine decided that she would volunteer to succeed her late father as the Washimine Group's boss. Upon learning about Laptev's murder (by Ginji Matsuzaki), Balalaika was glad to hear of it since she wanted him dead so that someone more competent, Monk Burgashvili in particular, would replace his position as the boss of Hotel Moscow's Japanese branch. Complimenting Burgashvili's cunning and ability to scheme, she nonetheless explained to her men that they would still carry out the violence for the time being. The next day on the Marya Zaleska, when Boris wondered what Rock could be spending his time on, Balalaika replied that it did not matter, and she began her campaign to destroy the Washimine Group, with Boris following her commands as usual.

That morning, the Vysotniki left the ship in vans and attacked the remaining Washimine Group offices, crippling the group greatly. Once the assassinations of various enforcers like Kudō, Takeshi Ogami, and Shigeru Itō were carried out, Polanski reported on Corporal Daniil's movement, but Balalaika wondered if Corporal Lazar had completed his objective. Boris confirmed and reported the killings to her while they remained in the war room. Much later, Rock found Balalaika and Boris in an underground parking lot, and he demanded that she wage war with the Kōsa Council instead of the Washimine Group, surprising Revy. Cutting him off, the Russian leader sternly reminded Rock that he was merely her interpreter and not her comrade who could advise her on decisions. When Rock tried to reason that the Washimine Group was already weak enough, Balalaika grabbed him and slammed him onto a car hood, pointing her pistol at his head. In response, Revy drew a gun on her and on Boris, who drew a gun on Revy in turn. In the standoff, Balalaika mocked his conception of justice and derided the word as people's favorite word. Although terrified at the glaring Balalaika, Rock stated that it was his hobby to save people, making her laugh and withdraw her gun, which prompted Boris to withdraw his gun too. In the anime only, when Yukio and Ginji committed a bank robbery, they framed Hotel Moscow by using a van designed to mimic one of the Russian vans. Minutes after the robbery, Japanese police cars chased the van that Jodorowsky was driving, so Jodorowsky quickly lost them. Afterward, Boris told Balalaika that they would get rid of their van due to Yukio's countermeasure, causing her to decide that she would not underestimate the young girl again.

Eventually, Balalaika and Boris, with Rock as their translator, arrived at the Kōsa Council headquarters to discuss allying with Masami Kōsa against the Washimine Group. Outside the meeting room, Balalaika ordered Boris to prepare transportation for their leave. While waiting for Masami to prepare, Rock looked outside the window to see the koi pond. Walking up to Rock, Balalaika stated that she had to see how the Kōsa-Kai's leader was going to persuade the Kanto Peace Council, adding that her replacement from Moscow would handle the rest. Seeing Rock's face while smoking her cigar, the curious Balalaika sternly asked him if he had anything else to say since she had already spared his life once. Opening his mouth, Rock replied that he had one request: completely crush the Washimine Group if her meeting resulted in an alliance against the Washimines since he wanted Yukio to be forced out of the criminal world into a normal life. Surprised at his answer, Balalaika saw his reasoning and put her arm against the wall and leaned her head to his face, telling Rock that he had made a good decision and was also a good villain.

Politely interrupting them, Boris informed Balalaika that Masami was ready to talk, so she and Rock headed inside the meeting room. As Rock interpreted for her, Balalaika apologized for her delay, and Masami smiled that their previous fighting was just water under the bridge. Although he extended out his hand, Balalaika smoked her cigar and did not reciprocate, confusing him. Although Masami had agreed to her terms, Balalaika was still hesitant of his gang's firepower capabilities. Consequently, Balalaika asked his bodyguard to show her his weapon, which she gave to Boris. She also asked Morozumi for his backup weapon, a small pistol, and she insulted the small size of the pistol, then immediately killing Masami and Morozumi. As the police heard the gunshots, they tried to barge into the residence. Telling Boris that she had clearly followed Pyotr's orders, Balalaika then handed the Accu-Tek pistol to Rock and said that it could be a souvenir. With a solemn and serious expression, Rock politely rejected the gun, claiming that he did not like guns but nonetheless acknowledged that he pulled the trigger. After throwing the pistol into the pond, Balalaika exited the headquarters with Boris and Rock, ordering the Japanese police officers to clear a path for her.

Waiting for her transportation, Balalaika told Rock to relay her message to Yukio that Hotel Moscow would cease all attacks on the Washimine Group if Yukio and Ginji left Tokyo by sundown. In the anime only, she also learned from Monk Burgashvili that Yukio intended on rebuilding her yakuza syndicate in Roanapur, amusing the ex-soldier. Swiftly stopping her motorcycle near the police, Revy yelled at Rock to hurry. Silently observing, Balalaika saw Rock instinctively barge through the police officers and hopped on, speeding away. When the cops eyes turned to the two fleeing pirates, Balalaika sternly ordered the cops to quiet down because they were there only for her. At that point, a Russian Federation embassy car with a diplomatic plate arrived, preventing Yasuzawa and Ishiguro from questioning Balalaika and Boris due to their supposed diplomatic affiliation. Sitting in the front, Balalaika mockingly advised the police to call First Secretary V.N. Valizhinov of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, Japan if they had any questions for her. Fleeing the scene, Balalaika evaded Kouno, who wanted to arrest her for her illegal presence in Japan, just in time. Once they drove to the docks, she and her men boarded their ship and returned to Roanapur. In the end, Yukio and Ginji did not heed Balalaika's ultimatum and died during their confrontation with Rock and Revy. In the anime only, Balalaika sent to Rock a letter containing a photograph of Yukio with a red X over her face. When it was confirmed that Roberta had returned to Roanapur, Mister Chang called for a Council meeting between Roanapur's crime lords, including Balalaika, at The Golden Swingin Night Club. At the Bougainvillea Trade office, Boris informed Balalaika of the meeting, adding that Chang was likely going to tell them important information about the maid.

When it was confirmed that Roberta had returned to Roanapur, Mister Chang called for a Council meeting between Roanapur's crime lords, including Balalaika, at The Golden Swingin Night Club. At the Bougainvillea Trade office, Boris informed Balalaika of the meeting, adding that Chang was likely going to tell them important information about the maid. Balalaika wondered who Roberta's enemy was, and Boris guessed that the people responsible for killing Diego Lovelace could not have been local forces or a political party since the latter would not need refuge in Roanapur, adding that it was likely a well-trained third party. Balalaika was impressed by Boris' deduction skills, declaring that she was amused at how Chang would react as she exited her office to attend the meeting that night. Outside the club, Balalaika agreed to temporarily surrender her weapons. Inside, the meeting between the four bosses (Chang, Balalaika, Abrego, and Ronnie the Jaws) began with Balalaika exchanging harsh words with Ronnie and Tommaso, but Chang passive-aggressively interrupted them to tell them that they needed to focus on their topic. Ronnie suggested that they throw a party for the Grey Fox soldiers, which was immediately rejected and laughed off by Balalaika. Abrego wanted to kill Roberta so he could stabilize the Colombian Cartel's relations with FARC. Having no problem with his desire, Balalaika stated that their real enemy was the U.S. Army since they could crush Roanapur's drug trade, with Chang understanding their sentiments but warning Abrego not to make a move. Soon, Chang ended the meeting by articulating that they should not make any moves against the Americans' presence until they could confirm if part of Grey Fox's mission was to meddle in Roanapur, but Balalaika was still adamant in confronting and killing the U.S. soldiers.

Outside the club, Balalaika agreed to temporarily surrender her weapons. Inside, the meeting between the four bosses (Chang, Balalaika, Abrego, and Ronnie the Jaws) began with Balalaika exchanging harsh words with Ronnie and Tommaso, but Chang passive-aggressively interrupted them to tell them that they needed to focus on their topic. Ronnie suggested that they throw a party for the Grey Fox soldiers, which was immediately rejected and laughed off by Balalaika. Abrego wanted to kill Roberta so he could stabilize the Colombian Cartel's relations with FARC. Having no problem with his desire, Balalaika stated that their real enemy was the U.S. Army since they could crush Roanapur's drug trade, with Chang understanding their sentiments but warning Abrego not to make a move. Soon, Chang ended the meeting by articulating that they should not make any moves against the Americans' presence until they could confirm if part of Grey Fox's mission was to meddle in Roanapur, but Balalaika was still adamant in confronting and killing the U.S. soldiers. Nonetheless, Chang concluded the summit by advising that the mafia leaders should not backstab each other since Roanapur would be a bloodbath if that occurred. Later the next day at the Roanapur Harbor, Chang met Balalaika, who wanted to know why Chang was telling her details about Grey Fox. He told her that Roberta would attack at dawn, elaborating that getting Roberta out of the city as well as the Americans would prevent the possibility of Roanapur's destruction. The Russian ex-soldier then coldly told Chang that she would continue her mission to fight the U.S. soldiers. Surprised, Chang asked her if she really wanted to die as a soldier, and Balalaika responded that a gangster like him would never understand, gloomily articulating that ex-soldiers like her who were cast aside by the USSR and betrayed by the Russian Federation only had memories of battle to cling to.

Chang merely replied that her mindset was pointless, as valuing one thing adamantly meant not putting value on anything else. Annoyed, Balalaika decided to walk away, but Chang stopped her, adding that if he needed to place value on one thing, it would be his own life after surviving their firefight back in November 1993 and living another day. With Roberta's imminent attack in mind, Chang asked Balalaika if she valued her own life, and as she left the harbor, she told him that she did not have much time to think about her plan carefully. Having a change of heart, Balalaika decided that it would be better to escort Grey Fox out of Roanapur, mobilizing her Vysotniki to protect the U.S. soldiers from the vengeful Roberta in return for Grey Fox leaving the city alone. That night when Roberta attacked, the Vysotniki deployed onto the rooftops to surveil Grey Fox and Roberta so that they could provide cover for the former. Balalaika sent Corporal Zamyatin, with fellow snipers, to scout adjacent rooftops. Soon, when Roberta prepared to ambush Shane Caxton and his men, Zamyatin radioed the sighting to Balalaika, who in turn warned Caxton of the ambush to come seconds later. As Roberta jumped from her position, Zamyatin's snipers began shooting at her, and soon the U.S. soldiers also began shooting at her so that they could retreat. Balalaika then gave command to Zamyatin to get his snipers into position so that they could give Grey Fox time to escape to the city's harbor.

As Revy and Shenhua prepared to ambush Horner and Sanchez to save Garcia Lovelace, Corporal Zamyatin shot them in the limbs as a warning shot. He then tossed a radiophone to Revy, who listened to Balalaika sternly warning her that the fight was between Soviet and U.S. soldiers, threatening to kill the pirate if she interfered again. Not wanting to die, Shenhua and her own team backed out while Revy was angry that she could no longer get paid (although Fabiola assured her that she would). As Balalaika radioed Caxton when he was escorted by truck to the harbor, he commended her for her group's discipline and strength, having questions about her Soviet affiliation. She conveyed to him that they were of the same soldier's cloth and informed him about her discharge due to violating an international cross-border agreement by saving a child. Through tears, she claimed that her country cast her aside while the U.S. saw Grey Fox as heroes. At that point, she then ordered her men to perform a gun salute while she bid good luck to Caxton. When the Frenchwomen of Les Cinq Doigts arrived in Roanapur and began killing Black men in the city, Chang hosted another Council meeting at his nightclub with Balalaika and Ronnie in attendance, but Gustavo (who then replaced Abrego as the head of the Colombian Cartel's Thai branch) did not come since he was busy rivaling with the Nuevo Laredo Cartel in Latin America. Ronnie accused Chang of complicity in the recent murders since both he and the women wore black suits, and Chang and Balalaika refuted his accusations since the women also killed a Black bouncer at a Triad-owned go-go bar. Ending the meeting, the Triad boss suggested that they should spread rumor of the killings around Roanapur to lure the women out, but they needed to avoid any overt action to prevent scaring tourists out of the profitable red-light districts in Thailand.

Subsequently after Rock's team captured Le Majeur and identified her group's members and goals, Rock visited Balalaika at her office. Inside, he told her about his plan to use Dutch, a Black man who fit the assassins' target's description, as bait to lure the Frenchwomen into the open. Balalaika was skeptical at first, but Rock assured her that Le Majeur would fulfill her end of the plan to convince the women to spring the trap. Boris stood by as Balalaika listened to his plan, and she agreed to mobilize the Vysotniki three nights later, adding that she would inform the Council. On the night of the plan, Dutch walked into a nightclub where the four women confronted him, but half of the nightclub's patrons were actually Vysotniki, with Balalaika telling the hostiles that they would end up as pig food. Completely surrounding them, the Vysotniki managed to flank them on all sides and block the exits, cornering each agent. L'annulaire tried to lunge toward and shoot Dutch, but he got a hit on her first, felling her to the ground. Albeit her resentful face, the Russians surrounded the wounded woman and killed her. Because of her death, L'index surrendered, but Balalaika chuckled and did not accept her surrender since she did not view L'index as a soldier like her. Pointing her pistol at the assassin, she shot the Frenchwoman right in the head and immediately ordered the other Vysotniki to sweep the area for the remaining two agents. In the end, Revy killed L'auriculaire while Le Majeur killed Le Pouce herself.

The next night, the surviving traitor Majeur was brought to Chang's nightclub's meeting room to answer for her collaboration in the murders. Chang told the attendees the information that Rock relayed to him regarding Majeur's betrayal. Rock himself said to Ronnie during the meeting that Majeur could be a valuable asset, but Balalaika interrupted him to sternly assert that she was speaking. Though Chang agreed with Rock's reasoning, he stated that Balalaika would be given the final say on the Frenchwoman's fate since most of the Black men killed were contracted under Hotel Moscow. She angrily informed Majeur that her French friends killed two Vysotniki and wounded six others. She then proposed to Majeur that she would allow her to live on the condition that she became property of Hotel Moscow, threatening death if she refused to be a shield for her men. Unfazed, the assassin accepted it. Sighing, Balalaika remarked that she had gone soft, making Chang smile. Skeptical of Majeur's loyalty, Ronnie interrupted to claim that a traitor to her own group would always be a traitor to any other group that she joined. Revy vouched for Majeur's fidelity and offered to take her in under the Lagoon Company, piquing Balalaika's interest. Once she accepted the extra condition, Chang reiterated to everyone that Majeur would be under Hotel Moscow's control, finishing the meeting. In conclusion, Balalaika told Majeur that she would have to get her own food and was not an official member of Hotel Moscow. Revy kindly responded that she would make sure that Majeur did jobs for the Lagoon Company in the meantime, and Ronnie was dismayed at the outcome. Leaving the meeting with Boris after donning her military coat, Balalaika advised Revy to let her know how to reach her once the ex-assassin settled in.

Wanting to build a new casino on Yatchalaya Street in Roanapur to further maximize Hotel Moscow's profits further, Balalaika arranged for people from the United Kingdom to design her casino. Soon, they finished building and designing the elaborate casino. Afterward, she decided to host an opening night where the city's prominent residents, including Chief Watsap and the members of a few mafias like the Triad and Cosa Nostra, would attend. Although she invited Ronnie the Jaws, the Sicilian politely turned down the invitation while his captains and lieutenants went to the casino. Having Le Majeur under her control, Balalaika ordered the ex-assassin to follow the opening night's dress code and serve as a bouncer for the place, so Majeur dressed up in a Playboy Bunny outfit. On the opening night, Balalaika ordered her employees to disallow the carrying of weapons inside, and she herself donned an elaborate dark-colored dress with various jewelry around her neck.

Speaking with Balalaika that night, Mister Chang complimented the retro theme that she chose for opening night. Enjoying herself, the Hotel Moscow leader elaborated that she brought in people from the United Kingdom to design the building, also talking about the no-weapons policy. Having been at the joint for a bit, Chang wondered where Ronnie the Jaws had been. Balalaika answered that Ronnie was not attending despite her invitation but his captains and lieutenants were present. Smirking, Chang claimed that Ronnie was not the social type, with Balalaika replying that she was glad that he at least accepted her invitation. The Triad boss in turn reciprocated her sentiment and reminded themselves that they had had a long history. At that moment, Revy, Rock and Le Majeur greeted Chang and Balalaika, congratulating the latter for her new business. Thanking them, she then stood by as Chang himself greeted Rock. Hearing Chang's question about Rock's "gambling" habit, Balalaika advised him to be nice. Apologizing for his comment, Chang then waited as Revy commended the beauty of Balalaika's casino. Wanting to lighten the mood, the Russian woman encouraged the three to play whatever games they wanted, be it craps, slots, or roulette. Accordingly, Majeur guided Revy to the slot machines while Chang bid goodbye to Balalaika to gamble on roulette with Rock.

Around the time that she sent more Vysotniki to Mexico to aid the Guadalajara Cartel, Balalaika signed off on an investment for a plan to supposedly refine water into oil. Rather than using Bougainvillea Trade Company, she used a shell company to carry out the transaction as part of her obligation to keep her branch financially self-sufficient. On a later day, she had Feodora welcome Rock and Revy into her office, learning that her shipment from them would arrive in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia on schedule. As Balalaika opined that she appreciated good business, Rock saw her document for the oil refining plan and warned her that it was likely a scam. Knowing that was possible, she told him that she was not concerned because she was waiting to ask the planners if it was a scam so that she could threaten them into generating genuine revenue for her one way or another. Opening the office door, Boris informed her that it was almost time for her meeting with Varenkov and Vasily Krivchenko. Balalaika apologized to the pirates for not being able to treat them to tea, joking to Rock that she could introduce him to the scammers if they needed to be intimidated into fulfilling their deal. Soon, Balalaika sat down and learned about her boss Slevinin's next order for her, to which Varenkov apologized because he did not expect the news either. Thinking about their topic, she reminded him that she sent Maskaev's team on the operation in Cananea and was told that it was a success. Despite that, she clarified that it was not, recalling that Miguel Navarro's death was the catalyst of the situation. Additionally recalling that Hotel Moscow was supporting Navarro's Guadalajara Cartel until he died, she noted that Mexico's territory was up for grabs. Having an idea, she proposed coming to an agreement with the new jefe of the upcoming Nuevo Laredo Cartel.

Soon, Balalaika sat down and learned about her boss Slevinin's next order for her, to which Varenkov apologized because he did not expect the news either. Thinking about their topic, she reminded him that she sent Maskaev's team on the operation in Cananea and was told that it was a success. Despite that, she clarified that it was not, recalling that Miguel Navarro's death was the catalyst of the situation. Additionally recalling that Hotel Moscow was supporting Navarro's Guadalajara Cartel until he died, she noted that Mexico's territory was up for grabs. Having an idea, she proposed coming to an agreement with the new jefe of the upcoming Nuevo Laredo Cartel, to which her men responded that the result of that was the Cananea-California conflict, saying that her Vysotniki did good work but their opponents still outnumbered them.

Varenkov also mentioned that though Maskaev's team achieved localized victories, the situation changed after their withdrawal, resulting in Navarro's successors and the Guadalajara Cartel being wiped out. According to him, the Nuevo Laredo Cartel recently allied with the emerging group known as Los Soldados because they led the way in the changing tide in Mexico. In addition, he repeated that Maskaev's team hit the other side hard but his men also took a hit concerning their forces, concluding that Nuevo Laredo wanted to settle the score due to Hotel Moscow's amount of damage to them. Sighing, Varenkov admitted that he had held frequent meetings to resolve things with the Hispanic gangsters but the latter were bent on getting revenge since they viewed the ordeal as a matter of honor. Krivchenko told Balalaika that the gangsters suggested having him killed as a condition for a truce, prompting him to flee to Roanapur. Assessing the situation, Balalaika remarked that she should have gone there to settle the matter personally. Krivchenko replied that they could not always be shedding blood because the world of crime had entered an era of reconciliation and coexistence. Disagreeing, Balalaika reasoned that Hotel Moscow was not taken seriously because they had avoided using more violence to destroy and conquer as they did before 1993. She reminded them that the Colombian Cartel was losing their seat on the Council at the next meeting, specifying that Fernando Lobos of the Nuevo Laredo Cartel would replace them. Finishing the meeting, the three Russians agreed to prepare for the arrival of a representative of Los Eses who was traveling to Roanapur to attend the Council meeting with Lobos to resolve the feud. Balalaika relayed to them that Slevinin ordered her to cooperate with Nuevo Laredo, proclaiming that a decision on their dispute would be made at the subsequent Council meeting the next week.

meeting, the three Russians agreed to prepare for the arrival of a representative of Los Eses who was traveling to Roanapur to attend the Council meeting with Lobos to resolve the feud. Balalaika relayed to them that Slevinin ordered her to cooperate with Nuevo Laredo, proclaiming that a decision on their dispute would be made at the subsequent Council meeting the next week.

On the night of the Council meeting, Chang began the formalities by asserting that the Colombian Cartel had officially pulled out of Roanapur. Lobos responded that he was honored to be given a seat among them. Soon, one of Chang's subordinates introduced Gris el Tigres, the head of Los Soldados, to the Council. Sitting down, Gris joked that he was disappointed because he heard Roanapur was like Dante's Inferno. When he rhetorically asked if the Russian woman was "Miss Balalaika," Ronnie the Jaws sneered and sternly asked him who else at the meeting could be Balalaika. Gris asserted that despite his rivalry with Hotel Moscow, he came to Roanapur to tell her something in person. He explained that his men were like her men insofar as being ex-military men whose backs were turned on by their country, and he began Los Soldados after learning about her similar story. Claiming that Balalaika indirectly taught him about not pledging loyalty to a country that tossed her aside, Gris thanked her for helping him realize that, clarifying that was the only thing he wanted to say. Glaring at him, she asked why he crossed swords with Hotel Moscow if he truly understood the Russian mafia so well.

Glaring back at her, he explicated that he was not holding back against her forces precisely because he was dealing with Hotel Moscow, asserting that he would do everything to crush her group. Feeling nervous, Lobos warned him to stay quiet because he held the real authority while in Roanapur. The Nuevo Laredo Cartel boss then assured the Council members that he and his boss also wanted peace with Hotel Moscow but first wanted the Guadalajara Cartel to be decimated. Vehemently disagreeing, Gris exclaimed that as long as his group was allying with the Nuevo Laredo Cartel, they could not expose their backs to their enemy. Restating that Hotel Moscow's willingness to talk was not enough to settle their feud, Gris claimed that back in Mexico, those who attempted to negotiate with their enemy got deceived and consequently murdered. Addressing Balalaika, he emphasized that appropriate actions needed to be taken to end a conflict, elaborating that his men did not want Krivchenko, who ran Hotel Moscow's operations in California and Cananea, remaining alive. Warning her not to play dumb, he affirmed that he came to Roanapur to kill Krivchenko to satisfy the men of Los Eses. Unfazed, she asked what he would do if she refused his request, to which Gris answered that it would be war between them. Annoyed by Chang's question about the point behind the desire for more bloodshed, Gris said that it was Hotel Moscow who needed to think about the point since Los Eses would normally have hit the Russians in Mexico so hard that they would never recover.

Laughing, Balalaika remarked that he had quite the gall and accepted his challenge. Grinning, she mentioned that her men were also not satisfied with the conclusion in California either, adding that she was not the type of person to tolerate disrespect. Raising his hand, Rock asked Chang for permission to propose an idea, which the latter allowed. Recalling the division of the Colombian Cartel's territory between the four syndicates, he posited that the Nuevo Laredo Cartel could take some of Hotel Moscow's territory in return for sparing Krivchenko. Knowing that Balalaika wanted something in return, Rock explained that a treaty of amity with Nuevo Laredo would be best because Hotel Moscow would have time to assess the final deal without unnecessary bloodshed. Whereas Ronnie and Chang were content with the proposal, she rhetorically asked if they thought the Russians would agree to being less powerful than Nuevo Laredo. Politely urging her to agree to the terms, Rock reasoned that starting a war went against the spirit of the Council. Though Lobos accepted the initial plan of not taking any shares of territory, Gris sternly disagreed and claimed that Rock could not comprehend that what they wanted was for Krivchenko to die, not profit or peace. Professing that their leader statuses meant nothing to him, he also chastised Balalaika for thinking that she was able to take on his forces, stating one last time that he only wanted Krivchenko's head. Smirking, she warned him that he had sealed his fate, to which Gris replied that he was willing to take on anyone who got in his way. Gris proclaimed that war would commence as soon as he exited the nightclub. Rock pleaded with him to reconsider, but the crime boss ignored him and left.

After the meeting's sour end, Balalaika asked Varenkov what they should do as they exited the nightclub. The latter decided that he would head back to Russia to seek Slevinin's counsel and suggested that she prioritize protecting Krivchenko. She admitted that her headquarters was not concurrently prepared for a siege, and Varenkov guessed that Gris was likely true to his word, therefore reasoning that Krivchenko needed to be guarded until Slevinin judged whether or not he would be sent home. Affirming that she would do so, Balalaika then informed Boris that they had to set up a strategy meeting upon returning to base.

Laughing, Balalaika opened the ring case to show that there was no ring inside, surprising them. Clarifying the background, Balalaika told them that there was no ring inside from the very beginning, adding that the man could not choose between the two women and decided to instead send himself to the bottom of the sea with the box. The two old women looked down for a second and then began to laugh heartily, agreeing with each other that they were idiots. Balalaika offered to take them out for a drink, and the women agreed, remarking that it had been 60 years since they shared a drink together. As the three women walked away together, Balalaika casually yelled to Sawyer's group that she would cover their bill to clean up and bury the corpses from the two-sided massacre. Balalaika and Boris traveled through town as they searched for two criminals who killed a Hotel Moscow drug dealer. Near the Roanapur Public Cemetery, the two criminals attempted to flee the area after being confronted by Martin. However, the two Russians were at the scene by chance and accordingly fired a barrage of bullets at the enemy car before they almost ran over a stray cat. As soon as the car crashed and the two criminals died, Boris picked up the cat and examined the vehicle. He asked his captain what they would do next, and Balalaika ordered him to have a third party deal with the criminals' corpses. As a result, he arranged for the corpses to be disposed of by Sawyer. When Balalaika learned about the zombie epidemic, she stocked up on weapons and locked herself and her people in the headquarters to survive.