# Captain Ribnikov — Short Fiction character guide

> Captain Ribnikov in Short Fiction by Aleksandr Kuprin.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Staff-Captain Ribnikov, Ribnikov, Vassily Alexandrovich Ribnikov

**First appearance:** 0007-captain-ribnikov

## Snapshot

A staff-captain with a Japanese face and a feverish tenderness who moves through St. Petersburg society while hiding a dangerous secret.

## Who they are

Ribnikov appears in St. Petersburg as a Russian staff-captain, but his Japanese features, strange passion, and delirious cries of 'Banzai!' mark him as something other than he seems. He drifts through the company of barristers, actresses, and night-revellers, arousing both pity and suspicion, while his true allegiance remains hidden beneath a surface of charm and vulnerability. His presence turns an ordinary social evening into a quiet crisis of loyalty and observation, setting the story's machinery of detection in motion.

## In the story

### [Captain Ribnikov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/captain-ribnikov)

The enigmatic staff-captain who is the focus of the chapter, suspected of being a Japanese spy.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/i)

The central figure, a seemingly impoverished and wounded staff-captain who uses his pathetic persona to gather war intelligence across Petersburg.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/ii)

A loud, seemingly drunk officer who claims to have returned from the Far East; Schavinsky notes his odd behavior and strange facial expressions.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/iii)

A hoarse, tippling infantry captain whom Schavinsky believes may be a Japanese spy; he deflects Schavinsky's probing with crude jokes and feigned ignorance.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/iv)

Ribnikov appears weary and hollow, drinking little despite his noisy demeanor; he cryptically states he walks up to death every day.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/v)

Spends the night with Clotilde; his suppressed passion erupts, but he is haunted by nightmares and mutters 'Banzai' in his sleep, deepening the mystery of his identity.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/vi)

The mysterious visitor who resembles a Japanese officer and shouted 'Banzai!'

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/vii)

Wakes suddenly, suspects surveillance, attempts escape through window, falls and breaks his leg.

### [The Army Ensign](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/the-army-ensign)

The central figure of the chapter, a Japanese spy posing as a Russian army ensign, displaying intense and erratic behavior.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/i)

The narrator's captain; a gruff, cynical man who mocks poetry and romance, sings old songs, and rescues an old woman from a calf.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/i)

The colonel of artillery, a good-natured sloven and glutton who personally selects fresh fish from the chef each morning.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/chapters/iii)

The captain's mate, recruited by the student as a capper for the gambling scheme.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/characters/captain_ribnikov
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_se/characters