Mikhail Faustin

Mikhail Faustin (Russian: Михайл Фаустин) is a 45-year old character in the GTA IV era, and the leader of the Faustin Family.

Background in Russia
Mikhail Faustin was born and raised in 1963 in Russia (then Russian SFSR, USSR). He met his "brother for life" Dimitri Rascalov while serving in the Navy during the Cold War as early as 1987, and were later cellmates in a Siberian prison camp. Both he and Dimitri have tattoos on the palms of their hands which represent that they are "brothers for life", according to Mikhail. Also by Mikhail's record, he protected Dimitri from being raped in prison, which he will sometimes remind him of to guilt him into following orders. In 1988, when Mikhail was 25, he had a baby girl named Anna with his future wife Ilyena, who was only 18 at the time. Ilyena reminisces that Mikhail was "beautiful" at this time, before he became possessed by anger. Dimitri also says of Mikhail back then, "he had a temper, but he was fair". After the Cold War ended in 1991, they were both "selling hash to tourists in Red Square" according to Dimitri, and both men had multiple murder convictions.

Criminal enterprise in United States
Mikhail "exploited a loophole in the immigration treaty to gain US residency in the mid 90's", arriving in Hove Beach with Dimitri, Ilyena and Anna, then under 10 years old. He was living in Liberty City and situated into a criminal life by 1998, when he was arrested for extortion. Mikhail built a criminal enterprise based in Hove Beach, made up of several investments - the Perestroika cabaret, protection rackets, cocaine distribution, pornography, stolen goods (which he was arrested for in 2002) and more. This afforded him a lavish lifestyle consisting of a large Beachgate home, two luxury cars (a Turismo and custom black Schafter) and being able to raise his daughter in the upper-class American fashion (she speaks in a perfect American accent and Mikhail says he has "spoil[ed] her rotten").

Mikhail began abusing cocaine and alcohol - likely since 2005, when he was arrested for holding cocaine, as well as Ilyena and Dimitri having grown accustomed to Mikhail's disturbing new personality by 2008. After attaining his new personality he became abusive of his wife, slightly easier but still extremely harsh of his daughter, and also cheats on his wife (with employee Vladimir Glebov's sister and two women at his cabaret). He refuses to take advice from Dimitri anymore, Dimitri saying he "never know[s] who he will shoot, who he will stab!". Examples of his violent streak include the deaths of Andrei (a member of his gang who Dimitri favored, killed randomly for interrogating Niko too sloppily) and Jason Michaels (a member of the Lost biker gang dating his daughter).

If the player calls Faustin to his cellphone and listens to the answering message, it's possible to hear what Mikhail may have been like before becoming agressive. In the voicemail recording he is calm and respectfully tells the caller to "contact him at his home" when he is available or "as an alternative leave [him] a message".

Death
Among other violent, rash moves, Mikhail ordered the death of Lenny Petrovic, son of the most powerful Russian mob boss in Liberty City, Kenny Petrovic, because he frivolously assumes that Lenny has snitched on him. This results in an all-out war before Kenny Petrovic contacts Dimitri about having Mikhail killed to create peace. Dimitri agrees, and they both decide on the condition that the "hired gun" who originally killed Lenny, Niko Bellic, would be the one to kill Mikhail.

Niko is immediately sent to Perestroika to assassinate Mikhail. After a bloody shootout, Niko confronts Mikhail on the roof and shoots him so that he falls to his death. He warns Niko that Dimitri would betray him.

You can also kill Faustin before you even get to the roof, by throwing a Molotov cocktail or grenade onto the roof Faustin is standing on and having it detonate near Faustin killing him. The mission will end as a completion for Niko, but you don't get to hear Faustin warning about Rascalov.

Mission appearances

 * GTA IV
 * Crime and Punishment (Boss)
 * Do You Have Protection? (Boss)
 * Final Destination (Boss)
 * No Love Lost (Boss)
 * Rigged to Blow (Boss)
 * The Master and the Molotov (Killed)

LCPD Database record
Surname: Faustin

First Name: Mikhail

Age: 45

Place of Birth: Russia

Affiliations: Linked to Russian Organized Crime Syndicates throughout Liberty City

Criminal Record:
 * 1998 - Extortion (Age 35)
 * 2002 - Possession Stolen Property (Age 39)
 * 2005 - Possession Controlled Substance: Cocaine (Age 42)

Notes:
 * Prior murder convictions in Russia.
 * Exploited a loophole in the immigration treaty to gain US residency in the mid 90's.
 * Believed to have taken control of Russian Organized Crime in Hove Beach area.
 * Several legitimate business interests including his cabaret club, Perestroika.
 * Resides in Beachgate with his wife and daughter.

Murders committed

 * Andrei - Murdered for making too much noise in his house.

Trivia

 * Faustin's first name could be taken from Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union. He was also the same leader who introduced Economic Reforming, or Perestroika to the Soviet Union. Perestroika is the same name of Faustin's Cabaret Club.
 * Faustin's surname could be taken from Faust, a German scholar, who makes a deal with the Devil by selling his soul for immense knowledge and pleasure. The term "Faustian" is used to describe someone who has abandons one's moral integrity to achieve power and success, much like Faustin himself.
 * Sometimes, Mikhail can be seen struggling to get up, and rolling around in pain after his execution cutscene.
 * Mikhail is the second of his former employers that Niko kills. (the first being Vlad Glebov)
 * The scream Mikhail makes when he falls is not his own voice, but that of a previously scripted pedestrian.
 * Faustin never wears the black jacket seen in his artwork.
 * When you corner Faustin on the roof of the club he will drop his sub-machine gun and pace, but if you punch him he will pull out a pistol and try to kill you.
 * Mikhail's favorite radio station is International Funk, which is on when you start his Turismo.
 * A strange thing is that his last words were right (unlike his previous acts, ordering the death of Lenny Petrovic and ordering the death of Lost-biker Jason Michaels.) Michael's murder does not affect Faustin but it takes innocent people's lives because Billy Grey told the Lost MC that the Angels of Death were behind Jason's murder.)
 * Mikhail mentions that he cheats on his wife, as he states during Crime and Punishment that he kept Vlad around because "I fuck his sister".

Gallery
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