Nikolaï Luzhin

born in Russia, Nikolai’s early life is mysterious, and he doesn't talk much about it. His elaborate tattoos reveal more about his past than anything else. One tattoo shows that he was in prison in Siberia – for stealing spare parts from the cars of government official, he claims, when he was 15. According to another tattoo, he was in prison in St. Petersburg, where he spent a lot of time in solitary confinement. Whatever the exact circumstances of Nikolai’s childhood, one thing is certain – it wasn’t easy.

professional criminal, working for one of London’s most notorious Russian crime families. A cleaner and a driver, Nikolai is, above all, a problem-solver. Reliable and cool-headed, Nikolai is the man to contact when you absolutely need something done. He understands the mechanical nature of things, and is comfortable taking both engines and people apart.

a bit of fun here and there, but mostly business. Often partnered with the boss’ son, Kirill, Nikolai comes across as stoic by comparison. Kirill likes expensive, flashy displays of wealth, getting drunk, and soliciting private whorehouses. Nikolai goes along, but only as far as he has to. When left to his own devices, Nikolai would rather be peacefully fixing broken things.

single. To humor Kirill, Nikolai has to accompany him on his sybaritic jaunts from time to time, but Nikolai seems to take no pleasure in them.

calm, reserved, and dependable. Without a doubt, Nikolai is the man you’d want at your back in any hairy situation. Quiet and perceptive, Nikolai often picks up on small things other people miss – a tremendously useful skill in the world of organized crime. While outwardly cold and calculating, his occasional jokes and acts of kindness suggest a spark of humanity somewhere beneath Nikolai’s robotic exterior.

balancing his personal ethics with the harsh and unforgiving dictates of “thieves’ law.” The Russian mafia is guided by a set of unbreakable principles, and to diverge from them is to risk death. But when a doctor and baby threaten to bring down Nikolai’s boss, he must try to find a way to balance his own life against the moral imperative of protecting the life of a child.