Attending another Stalin sighting, it turns out that the event is being staged to promote a new political party called the Russian Patriots (reminiscent of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia), whose purpose is to divert opposition votes. After physically disrupting the media spectacle, Renko smiles at the thought of Zurin's reactions to his chief investigator crossing with the political elite. The source of the strain between Arkady and Eva is revealed to be Isakov, whom Eva had known from her time as a medic during the Chechen war. To confound matters, Arkady soon discovers that Isakov is also the primary candidate for the Russian Patriots and will receive judicial immunity as a Russian Senator if elected. Out of both professional and personal concerns, Arkady starts to gather more information on Isakov and Urman. Isakov is known as a war hero, having allegedly fought off much greater Chechen forces without losing a single man. A war reporter named Ginsberg gives Arkady "two truths from the same man": the official story and a far more tawdry rendition - the execution of unsuspecting business partners. Arkady notices that Isakov's fellow platoon members are also turning up dead, and that most of these untimely demises are being investigated by Isakov and Urman themselves. Even Ginsburg is murdered in an apparent face-off with a large snow plow.