Yuri Ilyich Kronov was a mid-level Russian bureaucrat in the CoDominium Bureau of Relocation working in Moscow. His immediate superior was Genadi Ivorovich Kirichenko who he despised as much through bigotry (Kirichenko was a Ukrainian) as he did due to the man's personality. While he did his work satisfactorily, he was a secret supporter of the Russian Nationalist movement.