Yuri Kosygin
Encyclopedia
Yuri Kosygin is a fictional character on the HBO prison drama Oz
, portrayed by Olek Krupa
.
, and illegal possession of a firearm. Even though Kosygin appears harmless, he is one of the most dangerous inmates in Oz. According to Kosygin, He murdered 49 men including upper class criminal bosses in cold blood and wanted Stanislofsky to be the 50th. He came to America from Russia
to find a better life for his family. He was a teacher in Russia and, after struggling to make ends meet, he got a job painting houses for a member of the Russian mob. The man abused and ridiculed Kosygin, who eventually strangled him. Kosygin then earned a reputation for ruthlessness and was hired by the mob as an assassin
. He is known as "the most brutal hitman in Little Odessa
."
attempts to befriend him but Kosgyin rebuffs Nappa, putting him immediately at odds with the Italians. Chucky Pancamo
approaches fellow Russian inmate Nikolai Stanislofsky
to strong-arm him into apologizing for the insult. Stanislofsky tells Pancamo that Kosygin has no allegiance to him, and that the former hitman's ethnic group, the Cossack
s, were widely feared in Russia, specifically by Jews.
Fellow inmate Ryan O'Reily
pays Kosygin to kill William Cudney
in order to keep Cudney silent about O'Reilly spiking the water in a prison boxing tournament. Stanislofsky knows of O'Reilly's plot, and tells Pancamo that Kosygin spiked his water before a boxing match as a means of having the Italians eliminate him. At O'Reilly's suggestion, Pancamo tells Kosygin that Stanislofsky informed Pancamo of his involvement as a means of getting Kosygin sent to death row without the Italians being suspect. He then waits until he and Stanislofsky are alone in the library and attempts to kill him with the sharpened temple pieces of his eyeglasses. Stanislofsky survives, and Kosygin is sent to the hole, then to Oz's segregated unit for the rest of his life.
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
, portrayed by Olek Krupa
Olek Krupa
Aleksander Krupa , often credited as Olek Krupa, is a Polish actor best known for playing villains and/or criminals, such as in Blue Streak and Home Alone 3...
.
Character overview
He came to Oz in Season 3, serving life without parole for eight counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murderAttempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
, and illegal possession of a firearm. Even though Kosygin appears harmless, he is one of the most dangerous inmates in Oz. According to Kosygin, He murdered 49 men including upper class criminal bosses in cold blood and wanted Stanislofsky to be the 50th. He came to America from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to find a better life for his family. He was a teacher in Russia and, after struggling to make ends meet, he got a job painting houses for a member of the Russian mob. The man abused and ridiculed Kosygin, who eventually strangled him. Kosygin then earned a reputation for ruthlessness and was hired by the mob as an assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
. He is known as "the most brutal hitman in Little Odessa
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach is an oceanside neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As of 2000, it has a population of 75,692 with a total of 31,228 households.-Location:...
."
Season 3
When Kosygin first arrives in Oz, Antonio NappaAntonio Nappa
Antonio Nappa is a fictional character played by Mark Margolis on the HBO dramatic series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #98N744. Convicted June 4, 1998 - Murder in the second degree. Sentence: 80 years, eligible for parole in 50...
attempts to befriend him but Kosgyin rebuffs Nappa, putting him immediately at odds with the Italians. Chucky Pancamo
Chucky Pancamo
Charles "Chucky The Enforcer" Pancamo is a fictional character, played by Chuck Zito, on the HBO series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P468. Convicted June 4, 1997 - Second degree murder. Sentence: 35 years, eligible for parole in 15....
approaches fellow Russian inmate Nikolai Stanislofsky
Nikolai Stanislofsky
Nikolai Petrovich Stanislofsky was a prisoner character played by Philip Casnoff on HBO's Oz in Season 3 and 4.-Character overview:Prisoner 99S233. Convicted February 14, 1999 - Possession of stolen goods with intent to sell. Sentence: 15 years, up for parole in five.-Season 3:Nikolai was a...
to strong-arm him into apologizing for the insult. Stanislofsky tells Pancamo that Kosygin has no allegiance to him, and that the former hitman's ethnic group, the Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s, were widely feared in Russia, specifically by Jews.
Fellow inmate Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily is a main character in the television series Oz. He was portrayed by Dean Winters from 1997 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P904. Convicted July 12, 1997 - Two counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance,...
pays Kosygin to kill William Cudney
William Cudney
William Cudney, played by Will Cote, is a fictional character on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #99C124. Convicted February 10, 1999 - Murder in the first degree. Sentence: Life imprisonment without the possibly of parole....
in order to keep Cudney silent about O'Reilly spiking the water in a prison boxing tournament. Stanislofsky knows of O'Reilly's plot, and tells Pancamo that Kosygin spiked his water before a boxing match as a means of having the Italians eliminate him. At O'Reilly's suggestion, Pancamo tells Kosygin that Stanislofsky informed Pancamo of his involvement as a means of getting Kosygin sent to death row without the Italians being suspect. He then waits until he and Stanislofsky are alone in the library and attempts to kill him with the sharpened temple pieces of his eyeglasses. Stanislofsky survives, and Kosygin is sent to the hole, then to Oz's segregated unit for the rest of his life.