Character Relationship Map: Codename: Kyril

Characters

• Ivan Bucharensky - 'Kyril' (played by Ian Charleson) — protagonist

  KGB colonel sent by Marshal Stanov to defect to the West as an agent provocateur. He leaves behind a fabricated diary meant to trap a KGB mole leaking to MI6. Evades multiple assassination attempts wh...

• Michael Royston (played by Edward Woodward) — supporting

  MI6 lead agent tasked with capturing Kyril and preventing him from falling into KGB hands. Secretly a double agent with independent motives, ultimately confronting Kyril in a climactic showdown at Cro...

• 'C' (played by Joss Ackland) — supporting

  Head of MI6 who assigns Royston to capture Kyril and prevent the exposure of a KGB mole feeding information to him.

• Povin (played by Denholm Elliott) — supporting

  Deputy to General Michaelov who orchestrates the safe-cracking to verify the diary's existence and pushes for Kyril's assassination. Secretly sympathetic to the West and covertly transmits messages to...

• Laurence Sculby (played by Richard E. Grant) — supporting

  MI6-hired lawyer representing London gunrunner Loshkevoi. Coerced by Kyril to arrange a crucial meeting with the imprisoned intermediary, placing him at odds with MI6 and Royston.

• Loshkevoi (played by John McEnery) — supporting

  London gunrunner and intermediary who previously supplied Stanov but appears to have switched sides. Kyril seeks him out to extract the identity of the KGB traitor before the final confrontation.

• Sikarov (played by James Laurenson) — supporting

  Kyril's old enemy deployed to assassinate him. His mission endangers Kyril and his girlfriend Emma, escalating the tension and threatening Kyril's survival.

• Emma (played by Catherine Neilson) — supporting
• Marshal Stanov (played by Peter Vaughan) — supporting

  Head of the KGB who suspects a traitor is leaking to MI6. Orchestrates Kyril's false defection and plants a fabricated diary to identify the mole while keeping the real diary locked away.

• General Michaelov (played by Espen Skjønberg) — supporting

  Aged KGB hardliner who authorizes the safe-cracking to verify the diary's existence and approves Kyril's assassination, though he does not read the diary's contents himself.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Loshkevoi → Marshal Stanov (Professional Direct Source) — Loshkevoi is a valuable intelligence contact for Stanov.

  Loshkevoi is identified as one of Stanov's direct sources and as the person outside Russia most likely to know the mole's identity.

• Laurence Sculby → Loshkevoi (Professional Lawyer And Client) — Sculby legally represents Loshkevoi.

  Sculby is described as the MI6-hired lawyer of London gunrunner and intermediary Loshkevoi.

• Ivan Bucharensky - 'Kyril' → Laurence Sculby (Power Coercer) — Kyril compels Sculby to facilitate his investigation.

  Kyril forces Sculby, the MI6-hired lawyer, to arrange a meeting with the imprisoned Loshkevoi.

• Ivan Bucharensky - 'Kyril' → Emma (Romantic Long-Term Girlfriend) — Emma is Kyril's intimate partner and a personal vulnerability.

  Emma is described as Kyril's long-time girlfriend, and Sikarov's assassination mission places her in danger.

• 'C' → Michael Royston (Professional Mission Commander) — 'C' directs Royston's operation against Kyril.

  The head of MI6 assigns Royston to capture Kyril and obtain information from him.

• Povin → General Michaelov (Professional Deputy) — Povin influences Michaelov's decisions from a subordinate position.

  Povin is identified as Michaelov's deputy and persuades him to break open the safe and authorize action against Kyril.

• Marshal Stanov → Ivan Bucharensky - 'Kyril' (Professional Secret Handler) — Stanov directs Kyril's false defection operation.

  Marshal Stanov secretly sends Bucharensky to the West as an agent provocateur and gives him the codename Kyril.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Sikarov → Ivan Bucharensky - 'Kyril' (Conflict Old Enemy) — Sikarov directly threatens Kyril's survival.

  Sikarov is Kyril's old enemy and is sent to assassinate him.

• Michael Royston → Ivan Bucharensky - 'Kyril' (Conflict Pursuer) — Royston hunts Kyril while pursuing his own hidden agenda.

  Royston is assigned to capture Kyril, prevent his capture by the KGB, and later confronts him at Crowdon House.

• Marshal Stanov → Povin (Conflict Institutional Adversary) — Povin's covert loyalties undermine Stanov's counterintelligence operation.

  Stanov uses the fabricated diary to identify the KGB mole, while Povin secretly sympathizes with the West and sends messages to MI6.

• Povin → 'C' (Alliance Covert Informant) — Povin secretly supplies information to the MI6 leadership.

  Povin is covertly sympathetic to the West and sends messages to the head of MI6 through hidden microfilms carried by third parties.

Story Analysis

A staged defection becomes a lethal intelligence maze in which both sides pursue a man who does not know the secret they fear he will reveal.

Plot Progression

1. The Mole Within Moscow — Stanov suspects that a KGB traitor is leaking information to MI6. He designs a false-defection operation and plants a fabricated diary to expose the mole.
2. The Safe and the Threat — Povin persuades Michaelov to open the safe and confirm the diary's existence. Their response turns the false diary into a lethal threat against Kyril.
3. A Defector Under Pursuit — MI6 learns of Kyril's apparent defection and sends Royston to capture him. Royston's double-agent status makes the pursuit more dangerous and uncertain.
4. The Search for Loshkevoi — Kyril survives pressure from both intelligence services and an assassination threat from Sikarov. He coerces Sculby into arranging access to Loshkevoi, the likely source of the mole's identity.
5. Confrontation at Crowdon House — The meeting at Crowdon House brings Kyril, Loshkevoi, Sculby, and MI6 interests into collision. Royston's conflict with Kyril culminates in a final confrontation followed by an uncertain aftermath.