RUSSIANS

The Russians first became suspicious of the US stargate program after the loss of the Russian foxtrot submarine, code name Blackbird, to an attack by Replicators. Following the crash of Thor's ship, the Russians recovered the alpha stargate from the bottom of the Pacific, and they established their own short lived stargate program. During their second mission, one of Cronus's Jaffa was captured alive and held by a renegade faction of Russian military intelligence. The symbiote carried by the Jaffa was later acquired by Maybourne in an operation financed by Adrian Conrad.

Major Valentine Kirensky, serving under Colonel Sakolov in Siberia while taking secret orders from certain hard-line elements in Russian Army Intelligence, led the first mission to P2X-388, based on research from Alexander Britski, an archaeologist and expert on ancient Mesopotamia. Two years earlier, Britski had discovered stone tablets at an excavation in Rafha in southern Iraq which led to the search for the Eye of Tiamat, however during the subsequent mission, Kirensky, Britski, and two officers died in Marduk's ziggurat on the planet.

After the disaster following the mission to the Water Planet, a US-Russian agreement closed down the Russian stargate program, and Russia continued to push for more direct involvement in the American program. The return mission to P2X-338 was a joint US-Russian mission in which three of the four members of the Russian team were killed. The Russians reluctantly cooperated with the SGC when Teal'c was trapped within the stargate matrix, and in return for the use of their stargate and DHD, the Russians demanded full disclosure, the sharing of technology, and a permanent Russian presence at the SGC. Following the destruction of the SGC stargate by Anubis's Ancient weapon, the US entered into a formal agreement with the Russians in which the SGC acquired the only remaining Earth stargate from the Russians in exchange for a financial settlement, the plans to the X-302 and X-303, and the promise of increased Russian participation in the SGC.

As technology was shared, Dr. McKay was sent to Russia to supervise the development of Russia's new naquadah generator program. SG-4, under the command of Colonel Evanov, became one of the first permanent Russian teams at the SGC, and they participated in the joint mission to P3X-367. When Anubis's ship crashed in the Pacific, Russia cooperated with the US in the creation of the cover story that the Russian submarine Rostov was less than 75km from the impact of a meteor, and the shock wave caused the ship to sink to the bottom. In the spirit of international cooperation, a deep submergence rescue vehicle was sent from Pearl Harbor, however the Rostov's reactor went critical before a rescue was possible.

Colonel Chekov participated in the Pentagon meeting in which the stargate program was disclosed to other nations, and he continued to offer support for the US, voicing the advantages of being a partner and allowing the US to shoulder the cost and the risks while Russia reaped the benefits of shared technology.

Following the destruction of Anubis's fleet over Antarctica, Russian cosmonaut Anatole Konstantinov was possessed by the non-corporeal entity of Anubis. Upon Konstantinov's death in a Moscow hospital, the entity entered Colonel Alexi Vaselov, who arrived at the SGC, hopeful of an appointment to SG-1. Instead, Vaselov sacrificed himself to save the SGC, and he became the new host to Anubis.

Despite increased cooperation within the stargate program, Russia and the United States were brought to the brink of nuclear war when members of the shadowy organization known as the Trust were taken as Goa'uld hosts and used their connections within the military to breed suspicion between the two governments. Both Russian Defense Minister General Miroslav Kiselev and American former Vice President Robert Kinsey were taken as hosts in an elaborate scheme by the Goa'uld to seize control of the Ancient defense weapon in Antarctica by getting the United States and Russia to destroy each other. Through the cooperation of General O'Neill, Russian envoy Colonel Chekov, and Russian President Mikhailov the world was saved from self annihilation.

With the establishment of the International Oversight Advisory, Colonel Chekov continued in his role as the Russian delegate and envoy to the SGC. On the eve of the renewal of the Gate Alliance Treaty, Chekov informed Landry that despite the fact that the SGC had been an admirable comrade over the past three years, Russia would no longer be participating under the current structure and would be taking back the stargate that had been loaned to the SGC. Chekov informed Landry that Russia was prepared to establish its own stargate program with backing from China, but his announcement was merely intended as leverage in negotiating terms for the treaty that were more favorable to Russia. In the end, Russia agreed to renew the current treaty in exchange for a BC-304 Daedalus-class ship, and Russia acquired the newly completed Korolev.

Russia has remained a cautious ally of the SGC. When the Ori began their invasion of the galaxy, Colonel Chekov commanded the Korolev on its maiden voyage, joining the armada of ships in the battle against the Ori at the supergate. However, the Korolev was destroyed in the battle and most of its crew was lost.

Cross Reference: Ambassador from Britain, Ambassador from China, Ambassador from France, Beta Stargate, Alexander Britski, Colonel Chekov, Ruslan Chernovshev, Adrian Conrad, Paul Davis, DEFCON, Disclosure, Sergei Evanov, Eye of Tiamat, International Oversight Advisory, Robert Kinsey, Valentine Kirensky, Miroslav Kiselev, Anatole Konstantinov, Korolev, Lieutenant Marchenko, Marduk, Svetlana Markov, Rodney McKay, P2X-338, P3X-367, Pentagon, Russian Officers, Russian Stargate, Lieutenant Tolinev, Trust, Major Vallarin, Alexi Vaselov, Daria Voronkova, Water Planet, Colonel Zukhov

Episode Reference: Small Victories, Watergate, The Tomb, Desperate Measures, 48 Hours, Redemption, Metamorphosis, Disclosure, Lockdown, Full Alert, The Fourth Horseman, Crusade, Camelot, Flesh and Blood