Andriy Kobin

"This is bigger than your daughter. This is bigger than both of us. The people behind this, you can't hide from them."

― Andriy Kobin in a trailer for Splinter Cell: Conviction.^[1]

Andriy Kobin is a powerful criminal leader and Third Echelon asset during the Third Echelon Conspiracy, as well as being an important asset to Fourth Echelon during the Blacklist Attacks. He is ruthless, aggressive, and paranoid, which made him violent and unpredictable.

Biography[]

2011: Third Echelon Conspiracy[]

Two months prior to the Third Echelon Conspiracy in 2011, Andriy Kobin worked with Splinter Cell agent Archer and Voron operative Kestrel in a joint-operation mission to secure three EMP devices. After their final mission, Archer and Kestrel both evacuated on Kobin's cargo plane. Archer and Kestrel both received orders to kill each other; Kestrel managed to kill Archer, but Kobin appeared behind Kestrel and shot him from behind.

Kobin was first mentioned to Sam Fisher by Dmitri Gramkos; Gramkos reveals to Fisher that it was Kobin who killed Sarah Fisher. By this time, Andriy Kobin found out that Sam Fisher is alive and coming to find him, so Kobin barricaded himself inside his mansion waiting for him. Fisher was able to infiltrate his way into the mansion and interrogate Kobin about Sarah's death. Kobin tells Sam that this is "bigger than his daughter" before Third Echelon Splinter Cells breached the skylight. Fisher is forced to give up, and as he is drugged by a tranquilizer dart, Kobin kicks Fisher as he goes unconscious.

Kobin later appears at Third Echelon Headquarters, where he tells Sam under interrogation that Director Tom Reed is working with Megiddo to smuggle Russian EMP technology into the United States. They planned to use that technology to facilitate President Patricia Caldwell's assassination and have Vice President Calvin Samson take over the position since he was in Megiddo's pocket. He also reveals that Lambert asked him to find a body that could stand in for Sarah's so that Sam would think she was dead. After brutally interrogating Kobin, Sam then leaves him lying on the floor - still alive.

2013: Blacklist Attacks[]

Kobin returns in Splinter Cell: Blacklist after surviving the destruction of Third Echelon's Headquarters. He was able to leave the U.S. and fled to Libya where he went underground. He gave himself to the CIA, but after the police station was attacked by rebels, he was interrogated by three rebels. After Sam rescues him, he explains to Fourth Echelon that he supplied weapons for Blacklist Zero, and that he believed that his life was in danger because their leader didn't like loose ends.

Over the course of the events of the game, he aids Fourth Echelon by providing information about the Blacklist, and also gives him information about other groups who are presumably affiliated with the Engineers (who also happen to be his competitors). He also provides them with Black Market weapons in return for improving his accommodations in his holding cell on board the C-147B Paladin, about 14 more weapons can be purchased if upgraded to the level 2. His missions are quite similar to the Hunter mode in Deniable Ops of Conviction. These missions tends to have VIPs to capture, and there are 21 enemies minimum (41 if both Sam triggers alarm at both segments). He also assists with flying the Paladin on several occasions. By the end of the Engineer plot, his status is somewhat indefinite. While he is not part of the Fourth Echelon team per se (and still dwells in the holding cell), he is considered a useful asset to the team.

Post-Blacklist[]

Fisher continued to use Kobin's contacts during the hunt for Igor Kasperov. After they stopped the plot in Saudi Arabia, he was forced to vacate his cell when the team captured the "Snow Maiden."

Profile[]

Andriy Kobin is a smuggler, gun-runner, entrepreneur and an ex-member of the Ukrainian Mafia. He's no stranger to doing illegal activities and is commonly selling weapons to the highest bidder. He'll say pretty much anything to weasel his way out of trouble, although with a little pressure - and if his life is on the line - he'll tell the truth to save himself. Andriy Kobin was the man to go to in Malta if someone wanted anything illegal.

It is shown in during the Blacklist Attacks that he knows how to fly aircraft, showing that he has experience in aviation. He was able to assist in saving the team after The Engineers attacked the aircraft. Also, bringing back his gun-runner background, Kobin was able to sell black market weapons to the Fourth Echelon team during the Blacklist Attacks.

Trivia[]

His name is based on that of Amon Tobin, who composed the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (OST) and contributed to the soundtrack for Conviction.
In Conviction, one of Kobin's guards mentioned how Kobin had taken cocaine/some sort of drug, explaining his more insane antics during the encounter at the end of the level.
In Conviction, his first name is spelled as "Andrei" in the credits. This is a typographical error, the correct spelling is "Andriy".
After the second interrogation in Conviction, Sam cannot shoot Kobin and the enemies will ignore him as well, he is the only antagonist in the game who has been interrogated more than once.
The description for the "Andriy Kobin" Xbox Live avatar and the character's clothes itself suggest that Kobin may be Ukrainian.
Kobin seems to be a good pilot, as seen by the end of Blacklist. In the end of the prologue of Conviction, he is seen flying a Russian cargo plane (possibly a Ilyushin Il-76 or its variants) as well.
Kobin comments on Kestrel's condition in the end of the Blacklist co-op, “Getting shot like this, um, what? Is he gonna be a vegetable? Or what? Is he gonna pull through?”- This implies that Kobin shot Kestrel and that the bullet hit his head. But from the gunshot wound, Kestrel did not die. Kobin saying this causes Sam to become suspicious due to the fact nobody told him about the gunshot wound.