Artur Kharzin

"We will settle this personal matter later...but I promise you it will be settled. There will be an accounting."

- General Kharzin

General Artur Kharzin is a Russian general and the main antagonist of James Rollins' The Kill Switch. He is a shadowy Soviet hard-liner who wishes to return Russia to its glory days during the Cold War. To do this, he attempts to acquire LUCA, a plant-based stem cell bioweapon that he plans to unleash on the United States.

His former ally Abram Bukolov assists the help of former U.S. Army Ranger Tucker Wayne to smuggle LUCA out of Russia and fight against his plans.

Biography
Artur Kharzin was born in the Soviet Union and rose to become a General. He was assigned to the closed town of Sarov/Arzamas-16, which became known for its nuclear and scientific experiments. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the program was shut down, but Kharzin was convinced science could return the country to its former grandeur.

Sometime in the 1980s, Kharzin had a daughter, Anya. She was groomed to become a fanatic GRU operative. A few years prior, Anya befriended Bukolov and became a daughter-figure who helped him with his research.

Pursuit of LUCA:
With the help of pharmaceutical tycoon Abram Bukolov, Kharzin learned about LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor), a hypothetical plant organism that could be weaponized to destroy entire ecosystems. After realizing Kharzin wanted to weaponize LUCA, Bukolov contacted the U.S. and made plans to be extracted with his research. Kharzin then hired freelance mercenary and former Swedish sniper Felice Nilsson to kill anyone helping Bukolov.

The U.S. sends former Capt. Tucker Wayne to help Bukolov get out. Felice tries to befriend him to get information, but Wayne uncovers her true identity and escapes. In revenge, Kharzin sends Spetsnaz soldiers to track Tucker. With the help of locals, he evades them and even kills one.

Kharzin then plans to use Anya's status to acquire Bukolov's research; she tells them she is a GRU operative who is feeding Kharzin false information, and wants to help the group. Along the way, she secretly reveals their location to Kharzin, allowing his forces to track and ambush them multiple times.

The ruse works- Tucker believes Bukolov's lab assistant is the mole, and leaves him to die in one of Felice's ambushes.

Battle in the Caves:
Eventually, Tucker and his group, with the help of antique journals. discovers LUCA can be found in a cave in Namibia's mountains. As they explore the caves for it, Tucker's boss back in Washington gives him information that lets him deduce that Anya is the true mole. He ties her up, but not before she managed to contact Kharzin.

Kharzin arrives with Spetsnaz men, who begin to besiege the caves. Tucker uses traps to stall them, but is attacked by an escaped Anya. He kills her and steals a Spetsnaz radio to contact Kharzin himself. He stalls for time as Bukolov and his allies escape with LUCA samples. Kharzin becomes furious upon hearing Anya's fate and sends soldiers to kill Tucker, but he detonates C4, destroying the caves and the natural LUCA supply.

Defeat:
Kharzin escapes with one of the LUCA samples, which Anya stole from Bukolov.

Personality
"Did you really think I would risk handing myself over to you? Even in death, my beautiful girl did her job"

- Kharzin, when confronting Tucker

Artur Kharzin is a ruthless military man who is still loyal to the Soviet Union. He surrounds himself with similar-minded men and commands a shadowy presence in the Russian military. He prefers to use soldiers and body doubles then confront his enemies by himself, and for most of the novel he is never shown in person.

His one weak spot is his daughter, Anya. After learning Tucker killed her, he sends an armed body double to trick him into handing over LUCA before killing Tucker.

Trivia

 * It is possible that Kharzin was being helped by the Guild (from Rollins' other books), as he was able to hire a top-notch assassin and had access to research and tracking sources. However, this is unlikely, as Kharzin stated that he wanted to use LUCA for himself to destroy America (instead of stealing it for the Guild's leaders, which is their usual strategy with lower pawns)