In the second season of Kleo, Nikolai Zhukov, played by Andrej Kaminsky, is revealed to be Kleo’s father.
In Kleo season 2, Kleo’s mother informs her that she is going away for a while because she is being threatened. She also tells Kleo that her house has been bugged.
Although Kleo’s mother cannot provide details, she leaves a secret message for Kleo instructing her to destroy the red suitcase.
It turns out that Kleo’s house was bugged by a KGB agent named Nikolai Zhukov, who visits Kleo to warn her against searching for the suitcase.
Nikolai gives Kleo a necklace she used to wear as a child, which brings back some of her forgotten childhood memories. Furthermore, Kleo finds herself unable to harm him.
Otto and Nikolai’s Operation Ludsch
Years ago, Nikolai, who was the KGB officer in charge of the GDR, developed the plan for Operation Ludsch with Otto, Kleo’s grandfather.
Operation Ludsch aims to establish the Soviet Republic of Germany by bringing about the annexation of the Federal Republic to the GDR.
However, with Gorbachev now in power, the reunification of Germany seems inevitable, and the Soviet Republic of Germany appears to be a distant dream.
Like Kleo and the Americans, Nikolai is searching for the Reagan-Honecker pact in the red suitcase, which is why he has been keeping an eye on Kleo.
Nikolai opposes Gorbachev’s perestroika and the German reunification, so he decides to disregard his orders and takes matters into his own hands.
When the KGB chief learns of Nikolai’s actions, she orders his execution. Nikolai not only kills the agents sent to eliminate him but also flies to Moscow, kills the chief, and seizes control of the KGB.
As the new chief of the KGB, he has Gorbachev’s supporters executed and focuses on finding the pact to blackmail the Americans into ending negotiations with Gorbachev.
Clashing with his own blood
As Kleo starts to recall her past, she realizes that she witnessed her father Fabian’s death at Nikolai’s hands on Christmas.
When she questions her mother, she finds out that Nikolai is her father. Kleo had spent a lot of time with him and her grandmother in Moscow.
Kleo’s parents eventually separated, and Kleo started thinking of Fabian as her father. Fabian was then killed by Nikolai in front of Kleo and her mother.
The event was so traumatic that Kleo repressed the memory and forgot about Nikolai. Otto covered up Fabian’s murder, leading Kleo to believe that Fabian died in an accident.
After her mother answers her questions, Kleo witnesses her mother’s death in a missile strike ordered by Nikolai, whose warnings Kleo has been ignoring all along.
Nikolai does not want to hurt Kleo, but he warns her one last time that he will not hesitate to do so if she interferes with his plans, which Kleo is determined to do.
Kleo travels to Moscow and manages to steal the pact, despite Nikolai’s efforts to stop her, which leads to a confrontation between them.
Kleo considers Nikolai a monster, but she fails to kill him when the time comes. On the other hand, Nikolai has no such reservations; he shoots Kleo when she leads him to believe that she has burned the pact.
As it is Sven who takes the bullet for Kleo, she finally gets the strength to kill Nikolai, who dies without seeing his dream come true.
Also Read: Kleo season 2 summary and ending explained
