Colonel Grechko Character Analysis in City of Thieves

Father to the colonel's daughter. An NKVD officer who Lev understands has been "disappeared" in the past by the same organization he now works for. When Lev and Kolya are brought to him, Grechko takes their ration cards and instructs them to bring him eggs to make a cake for his daughter's wedding before the end of the week. This ridiculous quest imperils Lev and Kolya’s lives in food-starved Leningrad, and even after Lev succeeds in it he discovers that Grechko already had the means of finding eggs, hinting at the corruption inherent in the army that Lev originally hoped to serve in as a hero.

Colonel Grechko Quotes in City of Thieves

The City of Thieves quotes below are all either spoken by Colonel Grechko or refer to Colonel Grechko. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

She wants a real wedding, a proper wedding. This is good, life must continue, we're fighting barbarians but we must remain human, Russian. So we will have music, dancing... a cake.

Related Characters: Colonel Grechko (speaker), The Colonel's Daughter, Lev Beniov, Kolya Vlasov

Page Number and Citation: 34

Explanation and Analysis:

Colonel Grechko, Lev, and Kolya are standing on the edge of the river, watching the colonel's daughter skate. The colonel is explaining to Lev and Kolya what their mission is. It's abundantly clear that Colonel Grechko and his daughter are faring much better than Lev and Kolya are during the siege, and it's also apparent that the colonel has a very different idea of how life should be conducted in a time of war. While Lev and Kolya are concerned simply with eating enough to stay alive, Colonel Grechko places a great deal of importance on throwing a lavish (by Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem

"Those words you want to say right now? Don't say them." He smiled and cuffed my cheek with something close to real affection. "And that, my friend, is the secret to living a long life."

Related Characters: Colonel Grechko (speaker), Lev Beniov, Kolya Vlasov

Page Number and Citation: 254

Explanation and Analysis:

Lev has just delivered the dozen eggs to Colonel Grechko and found out that the colonel already has three dozen eggs. Lev is realizing with intense clarity that his and Kolya's journey was an absurd wild goose chase. While it seemed to mean something once, and seemed very important at the start, in the end Lev and Kolya went through everything they did, and Kolya died, for little more than a pat on the back. This turn of events cements Lev's coming of age as it's what truly illustrates to him that he's not going to be a hero—he's denied Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta

Colonel Grechko Character Timeline in City of Thieves

The timeline below shows where the character Colonel Grechko appears in City of Thieves. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...look back as the soldiers remark that Lev looks like a good one for the “colonel,” and shove Lev and the German corpse into the backseat. (full context)

...and the deserter's" cuffs, to which Kolya replies that he's not a deserter. The man—the colonel—approaches, not allowing Kolya to explain, and laughs when Lev apologizes for looting. He asks Lev... (full context)

Returning to the window, the colonel confirms that Lev's father was the poet. He commands an aide to bring Lev and... (full context)

Lev realizes that the colonel's teeth are false, and suddenly knows that the colonel had been tortured, just like his... (full context)

Sexuality, Masculinity, and Power Theme Icon

The colonel continues, saying that his daughter wants a real wedding, which means they need a cake.... (full context)

...but the soldiers won't take Kolya seriously until he offers them the letter from Colonel Grechko. Finally they ask Kolya and Lev to lead them back to the building, but the... (full context)

...A sergeant approaches them and asks for their papers. Kolya hands the letter from the colonel to the sergeant and tries to make conversation, but the sergeant wants to know why... (full context)

...going to kill some Nazis and find eggs. Kolya continues, saying that he'll make the colonel invite them to his daughter's wedding, and says he's truly in love with her and... (full context)

...off and asks Kolya if he's a deserter. Kolya explains that their papers from Colonel Grechko are in the house. Lev notices that one of the men next to Korsakov is... (full context)

Lev and Kolya continue their march. Kolya declares that the colonel will invite them to his daughter's wedding, while Lev wonders where he's going to sleep... (full context)

...questions later, and the lieutenant threatens to kill him. Kolya offers the letter from Colonel Grechko to the officers, and they stiffen when they see the name. As Kolya prepares to... (full context)

...him to the hospital at the Works. Kolya asks them to take Lev to the colonel after. (full context)

...how much blood a man can lose, and Kolya instructs Lev to dance with the colonel's daughter. The car is held up several times and Kolya is growing weaker by the... (full context)

At Colonel Grechko's mansion, a sergeant leads Lev through the house until they find Grechko in the wine... (full context)

Grechko says that they can now make fish pies, and instructs the soldier to give Lev... (full context)

Colonel Grechko Character Analysis

Colonel Grechko Quotes in City of Thieves

Chapter 3 Quotes

Chapter 26 Quotes

Colonel Grechko Character Timeline in City of Thieves