Mikhail Loskov

Mikhail "Kestrel" Andreyevich Loskov (1982 - Living)(Russian: Михаил Андреевич Лоськов) a mercenary, former special forces operative and former soldier who fought in the Second Chechen War operated internationally in the intelligence services sector in service of the Russian Federation.

Background
Mikhail Loskov was born to Alexey Loskov, a retired Soviet career soldier, embittered by the injuries he sustained in battle, and a Slovenian homemaker named Anna Levic. His family was distant due to his father's treatment of Mikhail and his mother, and the although he resented his Mikhail respected him due to his mother's conviction in her belief that he was a decent man.

As Mikhail grew up, he became more disenfranchised with the Soviets, so when Russia became a Federation under President Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail developed a new sense of national pride and patriotism and ignited an interest in recruitment with the Russian Airborne Troops, and at the age of 18 in 1999 Mikhail volunteered to join the air force.

108th Regiment & The Caucasus Mountains
Between 1999 and 2009, Mikhail was assigned to the 7th G.M.A.A. Division, 108th Regiment, and was assigned to spend his time travelling through the Caucasus Mountains with his comrades, fighting the bulk of the Chechen forces.

Battle of Grozny
When the 3rd Battle for Grozny began, he and his squad were assigned to participate in the assault on the city, and on October, 15th, Mikhail fought in the rubble of Chechnya's capital until November, 23rd, when they were diverged to assist the 247th Regiment in taking the city of Novogrozensky, which provided a tactical advantage to the Russian Ground Forces during their invasion.

Seige of Novogrozensky
On November, 25th, 1999, he and his squad alongside the troops of 247th Regiment, were assigned to retake the city of Novogrozensky and engage the militant Islamists that held it until the enemy was eliminated or captured. The combined power of each unit saw the city taken in little more than 3 days.

On December, 1st, he was summoned by President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation to the Kremlin in Moscow. There he was presented by President Putin, with the medal of the Hero of the Russian Federation for his valour during the Battle of Novogrozensky.

On December, 6th, the 108th Regiment returned to Grozny to wipe out Chechen militants in the southern outskirts of the city. He spent the rest of his time in Grozny waiting at a border crossings and shooting the odd Chechen before acting mostly as part of an unorganized police force.

Aftermath of the Chechen War
In the days following the end of the war, Mikhail was still working as a peacekeeper in Grozny and had been kept out of combat almost entirely since the end of the war as a result. After requesting an assignment in the Caucasus Mountains, he was introduced to the leader of VORON, Viktor Kovalev. Kovalev offered Mikhail employment as a mercenary for the Spetsnaz task force, and accepted contacts for the capture and assassination of Wahhabist terrorists hiding in the general Grozny region. For each man he received a small fortune, and each time the Kremlin took credit to show it was adamant in refusal to negotiate with terrorists.

He worked with VORON forces for years, training in their Chechnya compounds and leading the mission to assassinate several Chechen rebel leaders. When Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, however, Mikhail was called on as a reserve soldier to fight with the 7th G.M.A.A. Division and assigned to the 247th Regiment.

Russian-Georgian War
On August, 9th, 2008, Kestrel was sent with the 247th Reg. to Kodori Valley to hold the border on the gorge against Georgian forces on behalf of the newly declared Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, who Russia viewed as a useful tool to fight the Georgians. In a scheme to provide enough relief on Abkhazian forces that they could take Abkhazia City, Mikhail and his men were to bear down on Georgian forces in the gorge. They were successful, but the plan failed to come to fruition and the 247th Reg. was withdrawn from the region on August, 12th, just 3 days later.

When the Abkhazian government was driven into exile, Russia dismissed allegations that it supported the upstart movement during the war, and fought Georgian forces to tip the scale in Abkhazia's government.

Invasion of Ukraine & the Crimean Crisis
On August, 7th, Mikhail was sent along with the 7th G.M.A.A. Division to Ilovaisk, Ukraine to assist pro-Russian separatists in seizing the city of Ilovaisk from the Ukrainian government. The 7th Division assisted in holding the city against the Ukrainians, and helped the Seperatists retain power of the city until the signing of the Minsk Protocol, which led to a ceasefire between the Russian Federation, People's Republic of Donetsk, and Ukraine, however the rebels still hold the city, they are no longer actively at war.

Abilities
The Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) are the air force of the Russian Federation and former Soviet Union. They emphasize high level of physical conditioning, training, and basic political knowledge. Airborne combat is also a highlight, and all VDV units receive some form of paratrooper combat training. They partake in an extensive amount of training, and are an international phenomenon for their ability to operate effectively as a ground and air force.

Daily routines of units in the Russian Airborne Troops include: In addition to the skills he attained during his time serving in the Vozdushno-Desantnye Voyska (VDV) and the VORON Spetsnaz, he also gained a multitude of skills as a result of his travels and different occupations which include: While working with the VORON Spetsnaz, he was trained intensively in:
 * Melee Combat Training: Daily sparring practice, boxing, and Russian Systema training.
 * Daily Firing Range Practice: Each day units in the Russian Airborne Troops tested their marksmanship in the firing ranges of their respective compounds, and as a result are one of the best ground forces internationally.
 * Parachute Training & Rigging: Despite the fact that they often work as a mechanized ground force, the Russian Airborne Troops are paratroopers and thus receive comprehensive training in the use and handling of parachutes. Lessons on preparing a parachute for use, and regular practice and training in parachuting techniques are a daily occurence.
 * Multilingualism: Mikhail speaks Russian, Ukrainian, and Chechen.
 * Systema Spetsnaz; A martial arts form developed by Russian special forces, and now used internationally.
 * Guerilla Combat: Fighting in small, disorganized, opportunistic attacks is a tactic that proves particularly useful in situations where small forces are outnumbered, and when military forces are supporting rebellions in foreign countries.

Trivia

 * Although he was never convicted of war crimes, Mikhail admitted he and his squad participated in the atrocities perpetrated against the Chechens.