Oleg Ivanovich Zaitzev Character Analysis

Without a doubt, Oleg Ivanovich Zaitzev is taking a massive risk by deciding to defect to the United States; a crime for which the KGB, if they are feeling unusually forgiving, will very publicly demote, shame, and shun (in that order) the traitorous mongrel. In retrospect, I believe that what he chose was inevitable and morally right. Explicitly, there are many reasons for which Zaitzev must have chosen to defect, for there are definitely many reasons which prevented most of his countrymen from doing likewise. The list of reasons for which Zaitzev defects to the United States is a comprehensive and powerful one. One such reason is the known brutality of the KGB. For example, Oleg Ivan’ch has heard of a tale in which the KGB loaded a defector
Eventually, a response to the rezident’s answer confirms Zaitzev’s fears: the KGB wants to assassinate the Pope. Consequently, he ruminates and contemplates God, politics, and the Soviet Union for three days before coming to a decision: he cannot and will not allow the KGB to execute an innocent, unarmed man. That aside, there are many benefits of moving to the United States. Of course, there are many sides of the U.S. that the U.S.S.R. displays negatively as propaganda; for example, their mistreatment of the civil rights movement and its leaders is deplorable. Given his posting in the KGB, the truth is much more accessible to Zaitzev. For the record, the videos show that even the blacks in America have cars, which is more than can be said for Oleg or his fellow citizens, except those higher up in the hierarchy. Besides, Oleg notes, Russians are more racist anyway; there are just too few blacks for them to display such opinions. Plus, the danger that he is under, which comes from making contact with two Americans (Edward Foley, CIA Chief of Station, Moscow, and his wife/field agent Mary Pat), will all be over when he makes it to the United