Dmitry Bykov

A blond man with wheat-colored hair and light blue eyes—the color of a sky tinged with light, almost invisible clouds. Handsome, smart, strong, and a quick thinker.

The Soviet command learns that German forces have used a new type of mine operating on unusual physical principles. The liberation of Novorossiysk and the passage of Black Sea Fleet ships are at risk.

1943, the period of preparation for the Novorossiysk-Taman offensive operation.

Konstantin Lavrov is the captain of the SMERSH group.

Pavel Romanovich Semyonov is also a captain of the SMERSH group.

Alexey Emelyanovich Ermakov - colonel of the SMERSH group.

Konrad von Bützow - Oberst-Lieutenant of the Abwehr (German)

Genrikh Miller - Colonel-in-Chief of Novorossiysk (also German, but speaks Russian with an accent).

Unlike staff heroes or purely intellectual ones (like Konstantin Lavrov), Bykov is a man of action, accustomed to facing real danger head-on. For him, efficiency, honesty, and reliability are important.

Bykov is recruited by SMERSH counterintelligence officers to carry out a complex and risky operation to clear mines and counter German saboteurs at strategic waterways.

A courageous, decisive, and selfless officer. As a professional in his field, he maintains composure in the face of mortal danger (a prerequisite for a sapper), and is diligent and reliable in combat. The specific nature of his military profession (underwater mine clearance) has left its mark on his character: he possesses composure, nerves of steel, and the ability to make instant decisions in critical, life-threatening situations.

A senior lieutenant and highly skilled underwater sapper, he is well versed in mines/explosive devices and dangerous underwater operations. Due to his rank, the young officer, a senior lieutenant in the airborne forces and an experienced underwater sapper, technically could not be younger than 23-26 years of age (as he required time to complete academy or accelerated courses and gain combat experience).