- Media
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Volya Kirienko in 2047.
- Birth name
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Volya Kirienko (Воля Кириенко)
- Born
- Died
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Russian
- Known for
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Connection to the death of Connie Muren
Volya Kirienko (Воля Кириенко, born April 6th 2009 - died October 6th 2049) was a Russian military veteran working as an operational security consultant for Pokrov. Born in Tolyatti, he enlisted in the Russian military in 2028 and joined the Wagner Group following his discharge in 2035. In 2042, Kirienko was headhunted by Pokrov, becoming director of operational security in 2046. His role was most visible as personal bodyguard of Pokrov’s majority owner, Yuri Golitsyn.
On October 6th 2049, the body of Kirienko was recovered in Zadar, Croatia. According to local authorities, he was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. It is currently unclear whether the incident is related to the assassination of Xu Shaoyong and Golitsyn that took place on September 30th 2049.
Table of contents
Military career
Volya Kirienko was born on April 6th 2009 in Tolyatti, Russia. After failing to find regular employment, he enlisted in the Russian military in 2028, eventually earning reassignment to the prestigious 3rd Special Purpose Brigade of the Spetsnaz GRU in 2030. Details of Kirienko’s service record remain classified, though it is believed that he was active as a military advisor shortly before the Donbas Conflict, and continued to operate in the region throughout the war. Following his discharge in 2035, Kirienko joined the Wagner Group as a contractor.
Association with Frontoviki
At Wagner, Kirienko came into contact with Matvey Kozlov, who helped found the Frontoviki in 2039. Kirienko officially joined the Frontoviki in 2040 when the group acted as a political club for disaffected service members. As the Frontoviki began to coordinate rallies in cities across Russia, Kirienko was careful to avoid public appearances, preferring to provide behind-the-scenes support. His involvement with the Frontoviki ended in 2042, only weeks before Russian authorities arrested the group’s senior leadership following the Battle of 1905 Square.
Pokrov
In 2043, Kirienko was one of several Wagner contractors headhunted by Pokrov to form the basis of a new internal security team. In 2046, he was promoted to the position of director of operational security. From 2047 to 2049, Kirienko acted as personal bodyguard of Pokrov’s majority owner, Yuri Golitsyn.
Volya Kirienko (left) and Yuri Golitsyn (right) at the Pokrov complex in Innopolis, Russia in 2047.
In 2048, Kirienko became the centre of a public argument between Golitsyn and Russian President Denis Molchalin, who chided Golitsyn for “the company he keeps.” This was seen as a veiled reference to Kirienko and his time in the Frontoviki, as the group was formed out of dissatisfaction with Molchalin’s “appeasement” of foreign powers. International observers have suggested that Golitsyn gave Kirienko a visible role in his entourage as a “taunt” to Molchalin.
Death
On October 3rd 2049, a Golneft official indicated that Kirienko had not been seen since September 17th 2049, which initially gave rise to rumours that he had been with Golitsyn and Xu Shaoyong when the latter’s helicopter was destroyed in an assassination on September 30th 2049.
Still from a livestream issued by Sofia Peña in 2049, showing the bodies of Volya Kirienko and Connie Muren behind her.
On October 6th 2049, Sofia Peña issued a livestream from Zadar, Croatia to reveal the deaths of Kirienko and Connie Muren, claiming that Muren had been murdered by Kirienko before Peña killed him in self-defence. [1] Local authorities have confirmed Peña’s account, who remains in custody. The incident is currently under investigation, including its possible connection to the assassination of Xu and Golitsyn.
On October 8th 2049, an Interpol representative indicated that Kirienko travelled from the Pokrov complex in Innopolis, where he was last seen on September 17th 2049, to Zadar, where he arrived on October 5th 2049. It is believed that he travelled alongside Muren. [2]
On October 9th 2049, a Russian audit of Pokrov’s activities uncovered redacted travel records of Kirienko, including a week-long visit to Costa Rica under an assumed name in August 2049. On October 10th 2049, Russian investigators uncovered details of a Pokrov operation to conceal Muren’s presence at the company’s Innopolis complex, with Golitsyn having hired Kirienko in 2043 to assemble an internal security team with the purpose of providing both physical and digital security for Muren.