Zaitsev

Private Zaitsev was a Red Army solider who fought in the Battle of Stalingrad in World War 2.

October 3, 1942
Zaitsev and the squad he was assigned to encountered a Mark IV Panzer amidst the streets of the largely devastated city. He and the squad, having been cut off and surrounded, attempted to charge the tank and its escort forces, only to die en masse in the attack. Coincidentally, Lieutenant Tanya Pavelovna and her party were passing through in the midst of this massacre and judged that the presence of the Panzer would prevent them from traveling above ground.

Gameplay
Zaitsev is one of several hapless soldiers you see after you follow Private Kirelenko out of the building in Dead In Her Sights. He always dies in the mission, no matter how long it takes. Zaitsev is one of several soldiers who you cannot save or entice to follow you, no matter how long he survives.

When you follow Kirelenko out of the building, you'll see Zaitsev perched on some high ground, which is little more than a pile of rubble. He's usually the first you'll see and identify by name amongst the soon to be dead soldiers. He like the rest are only in the game to serve as an example to the player, and to force him or her to progress through the sewers as the plot demands.

Trivia
It is possible that the creators took inspiration from Vasily Zaitsev, the famed Sovet Sniper, when coming up with names for the characters. At any rate, the similarities end with the name; Private Zaitsev shares no relation to Vassily, first and foremost being Vassily lived through Stalingrad.