Ray Bulgarin

"There is a price for everything in this city."

- Ray Bulgarin

Ray Bulgarin (Russian: Родислав Бoлгарин) was a 50-year old Russian mobster in Grand Theft Auto IV as a minor character and The Ballad of Gay Tony as the main antagonist. He was an extremely wealthy, powerful Russian crime lord operating across the Adriatic Sea (either Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro or Albania) and Liberty City until he was deported. He returns to seek revenge on Niko Bellic and others involved in the loss of his diamonds.

Prior to Grand Theft Auto IV
Bulgarin was born in 1958 and had a sister named Galina Bulgarin. As a boy, he was in a wrestling academy, where his coach apparently made him take steroids.

He immigrated to Liberty City and began his life as an international criminal. In 1989, at age 31, he was arrested for receiving an entire ship full of Albanian sex slaves. Sometime after, he continued human trafficking across the Adriatic sea, where he also lived in a large mansion on the waterfront.

He employed Niko Bellic, who smuggled people into Italy from Eastern Europe, until one run in which the ship sank, and Niko was forced to abandon the ship. Bulgarin blamed Niko for this loss, and sought to hunt him down. Niko joined the merchant navy to escape Bulgarin's influence within Europe, and spent seven months on the Platypus before escaping to Liberty City.

During Grand Theft Auto IV
In 2008, Bulgarin returned to Liberty City to expand his business interests, met up with his old friend Dimitri Rascalov. Dimitri offered Niko, who was working for him by chance, to Bulgarin without hesitation; Niko escaped the ambush and Bulgarin still insisted on tracking him down, with Dimitri's help.

Much more about Bulgarin is revealed in the Ballad of Gay Tony; he is interested in buying the Liberty City Rampage hockey team from Marki Ashvilli, as well as the Maisonette 9 nightclub from &quot;Gay&quot; Tony Prince. More about his personal lifestyle is also shown - he owns an Oracle, a blue Landstalker (which he sacrifices to kill a crooked NOOSE team on his case) and a black Marbelle. In his spare time he enjoys playing rock music with his bodyguard Timur. He also has very impressive collections of arcade machines, sports and rock memorabilia (some of it used by famous rock stars, including a $50,000 guitar) and even fine art (he talks on the phone about wanting to pay $20 million for a painting). Bulgarin believes "everything has a price, you just have to find out what it is", going so far as to try to hire a Maisonette 9 waitress as a prostitute for the night. Bulgarin hired Luis Lopez to assist him with the hockey team acquisition. Eventually, he and Ashvilli have an argument, and Luis must kill the team owner in a hectic ambush.

Eventually, Bulgarin discovers that Tony and Luis had obtained the diamonds that were stolen from him by a cook, which made him turn against Luis. He set a trap for Luis, having beheaded the cook and leaving his head in a birthday cake box on a rooftop for Luis to find. When the diamonds are being traded in a hostage situation, he finds Niko and Luis representing opposing parties and orders his men to fire. Bulgarin failed again, as Niko and Luis both escaped and his diamonds were lost for good.

After cooperating with Giovanni Ancelotti (a mob boss and the hostage's father) about the diamond situation, they agree to try to force Luis to kill Tony. Luis instead kills the Ancelotti associate and Bulgarin's hit squad. After learning that Tony and Luis survived, Bulgarin decides to leave the city. Before he can do so, Luis stowsaway in his private jet and kills his guards. Finding himself cornered, Bulgarin pulls out a grenade and threatens to blow up the plane if Luis shoots him. Luis ignores this and shoots Ray after he pulls the pin off the grenade. Luis manages to parachute out of the jet alive but Bulgarin is ultimately killed when the grenade explodes.

Murders committed

 * The Cook - Murdered for stealing his diamonds.
 * Galina Bulgarin - Possibly Murdered in order to slience her.

Trivia

 * Bulgarin's appearance has changed significantly from GTA IV to The Ballad of Gay Tony. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, his skin tone has changed to a more pale color and his hair color is much darker. Much more detail was also added to his face and he wears a different outfit.
 * Bulgarin is the only associate of Dimitri other than The Killer that wasn't betrayed by him in the GTA IV storyline.
 * Ray Bulgarin, Massimo Torini and Dimitri Rascalov are the only main antagonists who don't appear in the introduction of their games.
 * Bulgarin is the only antagonist in the GTA series to be enemies with two protagonists, Niko Bellic and Luis Lopez.
 * Bulgarin is the only GTA IV era antagonist who doesn't disappear after his betrayal.
 * Bulgarin seemed to be a very powerful and dangerous man, as Niko said in GTA IV. This is also shown in the TBOGT mission Departure Time, where Ray sends numerous thugs and associates in an attempt to kill Luis, but he himself ends up getting killed by Luis.
 * Bulgarin's surname in Russian means 'Bulgarian', which is ironic because Ray is Russian.
 * Niko pronounces his surname as 'Bolgarin' as it's spelled in Russian, while the others pronounce it as it's written.
 * On libertycitypolice.com in GTA IV, Ray is listed as 'deceased' even before the final mission which supposedly takes place either before, or at the same time with the final mission of TBOGT, where Ray is actually killed. However, Timur mentions Dimitri's death during that mission, meaning it actually takes place after the final mission of GTA IV.
 * Niko tells Packie in GTA IV that he has intentions of going after Bulgarin following Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (only if Pest Control has been completed first), but Bulgarin would be killed by Luis in TBOGT. This is similiar to Johnny Klebitz, as he told Thomas Stubbs that he had intentions of going after Ray Boccino, who would later be killed by Niko in GTA IV.
 * Bulgarin is the only main antagonist in the GTA series who was introduced in a different game than the one he served as an antagonist in, as he first appears in the mission Russian Revolution in GTA IV.

LCPD Database information
Surname: Bulgarin

First Name: Ray

Age: 50

Place of Birth: Unknown

Affiliations: Linked to Russian Organized Crime Syndicates throughout Liberty City

Criminal Record:
 * 1989 - Human Trafficking

Notes:
 * People smuggler and high profile figure in global Organized Crime.
 * Believed to be operating in Europe on the Adriatic.
 * Deported after being caught receiving a shipment of Albanian sex workers at the Liberty City Docks in late 80s.
 * Reports indicate that he may try to return to the US.

Mission appearances

 * GTA IV
 * Russian Revolution
 * Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend


 * The Ballad of Gay Tony
 * Boulevard Baby
 * ...Blog This! (Post-mission phone call)
 * Going Deep (Boss)
 * Dropping In... (Boss)
 * In the Crosshairs (Boss, Betrayal)
 * Ladies Half Price
 * Departure Time (Killed)

Gallery
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