| Mission | Walkthrough | Gallery | Changelog |
| “ | The colossal attack results in death and destruction, but the direct road to Moscow is now open for the Soviet forces to cross. The Kremlin, where Yuri resides, is in sight, but the Soviets must be wary of the many tricks he still has up his sleeve. This is the final hour, and the last battle. | ” |
| —Mission description |
Operation: Death's Hand is the twelfth and final Soviet Act Two campaign mission.
Briefing[]
We should have seen this coming. Yuri wasn't trying to create his own army of cyborgs - he has created an unusually strong one to advance his own psychic powers even further. Cybernetic brains cannot be corrupted by his mind control - we've known that for years, but we have never considered the possibility of him using psychokinesis alone to puppeteer the machines! If he is allowed to spread this cursed power to his adepts, the Epsilon Army will be unstoppable. This unfortunate turn of events means we will have to face Volkov in battle again after all these decades, only this time there is no reprogramming to be done, no berserk soldier to bring back to his senses. We've put an end to a brave hero once before, even though his mind has probably remained unbent and aware of what's happening; now we have no choice but to do this again.
We've lost countless soldiers already, and to make matters worse, with no possibility to accurately control these untested missiles we've launched from the satellite, we struck our own formations in the bombardment. Yes, the Psychic Amplifier has been heavily damaged and is no threat to our forces for now, but the area around the Kremlin remains mysteriously unscathed. It appears while the unpredictable nuclear attack has succeeded in opening the path into the heart of Moscow, a vast network of Iron Curtains is still protecting Yuri's last hideout and each other - between the enhanced tesla weapons and this extensive shield he has prepared, it's truly terrifying to realize what he can do with our technology. Nevertheless, Comrade, you must do what needs to be done and make the sacrifices count. Remember, our dream of the World Revolution must not be allowed to fade. Kill Yuri. End this madness.
Events[]
The direct advance[]
After ending the previous unpleasant battle, the Soviet General led all remaining troops in Moscow area heading straight to the core of Moscow, noted that Yuri had begun redeploying defenses around the Kremlin, including Volkov, previously captured by Yuri. Clearly it's been a race against the clock, the commander immediately recaptured an abandoned Soviet base near the boulevard where his troops are located, and used his brought troops to encounter the first Epsilon engagement.
While the General focused on expanding his base while repelling constant Epsilon harassment in the form of paradrops and armored assaults, friendly forces from the Ural Mountains and Stalingrad finally arrived on the scene to support the general in this final battle, and quickly deployed their respective bases to attack the Kremlin area from the northeast and southwest, respectively. Since the Kremlin is being protected by an Iron Curtain shield, the Soviets needed to solve a chain puzzle set up by multiple Iron Curtain Devices in the city of Moscow. Some devices were even invisible, so the Soviet generals had to pay attention to some unnatural looking areas within the city while advancing towards the Kremlin to find and destroy all Iron Curtain Devices located at outer zones. When they found and destroyed all devices within their reach, they discovered that the Epsilon had activated an experimental combat aircraft, the Perun Flagship, which had been hidden at the High Command's former site, and dispatched it over the Kremlin. The next moves to destroy Epsilon's redeployed bases took the Soviets quite some time, and they destroyed more Iron Curtain Devices in sequence along with these newly established bases. The Centurion Siege Crawler built from War Factory and some heavy infantry support from the moon through the landing capsules also helped the process.
As casualties rapidly mounted for both sides, the Soviets slowly gained ground and eventually pushed the Epsilon back to the Kremlin's perimeters.
The invincible weapons[]
| “ | This is the end of your mind. I will seal your fate with my own hands. | ” |
| —Yuri |
With the destruction of more Iron Curtain Devices and Epsilon strongholds, the Soviets approached the Kremlin's walls. As they prepared to breach them, two giant flying objects flew out of some holes in the ground. The Soviets thought these were more Aerial Fortress Irkallas being deployed, but a shield that bubbled around each large aircraft confirmed these were new weapons and to make matters worse, no attack could damage either of these hands-shaped alike aircraft. Any direct assault against the Hands were met with futility and the latter rapidly destroyed any opposition with waves after waves of psionic-enhanced Tesla bolts. Soviet intelligence then noted the Hands were focused on the Stalingrad and Ural task forces for the time being.
When the two Hands began their slow advances of doom towards the Soviet forces in the northeast and southwest, the General speculated that the Hands were directly controlled by Yuri. As long as the Hands remained invincible, this became a race of time for the Soviets - therefore he accelerated the progress of continuing to uncover and destroy the remaining Iron Curtain Devices. Saboteurs were then provided via reinforcements and they were instructed to infiltrate the Psionic Converters in order to temporarily disable the attacking capability of the flying Hands. With all Iron Curtain Devices turned to rubble, the General went on to annihilate the Psychic Beacon in the Kremlin's grounds controlling the Black Guards to free them. The liberated honor guards of the now deceased Alexander Romanov pledged their loyalty to the Soviet military and unleashed their might against the Epsilon, while the General ordered his forces to fire on the Kremlin at will.
Dasvedanya, Volkov[]
By the time the General was able to directly assault the Kremlin building itself, both Hands had already started to unleash their wrath on the Stalingrad and Ural armies, driving them into a near-total rout. Just as the vanguard of the Soviets prepared to level the Kremlin and turn it into a grave for the accursed Yuri, the former Russian cyborg emerged and accompanied by another coverage of the Iron Curtain on the Kremlin again, and its power source turns out to be... Volkov himself!
Despite being quite reluctant to end the former cyborg hero's life, the General was left with no choice as he had become a puppet for Yuri under the control of psychokinetic energy. Although Volkov used unrivalled firepower to help the General eliminate the enemy in the previous mission (and throughout the Soviet campaigns in this war and the previous one), this was now employed against the Soviets - the initial Soviet forces that faced him head-on were promptly exterminated into either ashes or charred pieces of burnt metal. Not only was his psionic-enhanced Tesla weapons impossible to withstand for the Soviets, but he was also invincible and none of the weapons the Soviets had at their disposal did any visible damage to Volkov. Soviet command then realized their only option was to quickly deploy Chitzkoi to the battlefield - rebuilt with the last few cybernetic parts left, the former canine companion of the crazed Russian hero was airdropped into the field.
As the other Soviet forces kept Volkov occupied, Chitzkoi rapidly approached its target and tore its former master part in a single lunge. Once again, Volkov fell to the hands of his comrades because he had fallen control to the very enemies he was supposed to fight against. What an irony. Nevertheless, the Soviets swore that no more heroes under their banner would fall today.
No traitors tomorrow[]
Even the demise of Volkov did not stop the action of the Hands and the entourage generals declared that their soldiers had failed. With the Stalingrad and Ural task forces' bases now in smouldering ruins, the Hands took the General's main base as the next target and continued the massacre. The General's instinctive reaction led him to destroy the Kremlin immediately after ending Volkov, but instead noticed traces of a burrowed hole that led underground instead of Yuri's presence. It became clear the traitor was now trying to escape now that he learned his once-impenetrable fortress was about to fall.
In desperation, the General had to send as many troops as possible to guard every intersection where Yuri might call a Mandjet Transport to leave the city, to observe his every move. Moscow's canals would eventually force Yuri himself to surface so it was imperative they caught him before he had a chance to flee. Soon, the troops guarding one of the intersections noticed a Driller emerging from the ground nearby, and it so happened to contain Yuri himself onboard! The Soviet soldiers who had accumulated their anger ever since their beloved Moscow was seized by the treacherous psychic immediately released all their hatred on the traitor, executing the mastermind behind this whole war with extreme prejudice.
Yuri's death raised Soviet morale at an all-time high - even more so when his end resulted in the Hands becoming inoperational and crashing into the ground. Even more troops on standby entered the field to wipe out the last of the traitor's followers. Taking advantage of this momentum, the General led his remaining forces to annihilate every last member of Epsilon in the city. The remaining Epsilon forces either fled the battlefield or were gunned down without mercy by the Soviet liberators.
With Moscow secure and the traitor finally dead, the Soviets declared their victory over the Epsilon. The war was finally over.
Aftermath[]
| “ | You did it, Comrade. When we thought it was over, you turned the tide and put an end to Yuri's insane machinations. The traitor is dead and the Motherland ours again. Now will be the time to rebuild, with you as the new leader of the World Revolution. For the Union! | ” |
| —Battlefield report |
The two colonels are cheering their victory. However, no one knows the winners will soon become losers...
Despite high causalities, the Soviet General finally claim victory and put an end to the traitor right in the Russian Soil. As a natural result, the Soviet General would inherit the position with the task of rebuilding the war-torn Motherland.
Of course all of it soon became futile: during a victory parade to honor the new Soviet Premier, the effects of the Mental Omega Device finally reached Russia, slowly bending civilians and soldiers' minds to the Epsilon's will. Too late to do anything, the Soviet General at his last ounce of will power contacted the garrison forces still stationed on the Moon warning them to never return to the capital - however before he could say the reason, he too fell to the same brainwashing that happened before except this time it is permanent.
Difficulty changes[]
Casual[]
- Starting credits: 200,000
- Enemy attacks are relatively weaker.
- The player can call in 15 Moon Drops in total, which have a cooldown of 5 minutes.
- There will be 1 invisible Iron Curtain Device in the outskirt of the city.
- The player can reconstruct the Centurion Siege Crawler indefinitely.
- Reznov and Krukov can each return to battlefield for no more than 3 times.
- Enemy superweapons normally will only target allies.
- 6 MCVs will appear after about 3:30 have passed since the text prompt and given to the player.
- Chitzkoi can return to the battlefield 3 minutes after it falls in battle for the first time.
- The Hands of Ereshkigal will emerge under any of the following 4 conditions:
- About 66 minutes has passed since game start;
- About 42 minutes after all invisible Iron Curtain Devices are destroyed;
- Any friendly unit (including disguised ones) approach the Kremlin close enough;
- There are no more than one Epsilon Construction Yard remaining.
- 3:30 after the destruction of the Kremlin, Yuri will appear at one of 5 random locations at the edge of the map and attempt to evacuate via transport.
- The bridge to the southeastern Iron Curtain Device starts repaired.
- Tactical Nukes from allies will prioritize enemy Construction Yards.
- The player gains an extra squad of Saboteurs.
- One enemy MCV will be sent to establish a forward base, whose location will be revealed.
Normal[]
- Starting credits: 160,000
- Enemy attacks are of normal strength.
- The player can call in 12 Moon Drops in total, which have a cooldown of 6 minutes.
- There will be 3 invisible Iron Curtain Devices in the outskirt of the city.
- The player can reconstruct the Centurion Siege Crawler once after its destruction, which gains inproved durability and production speed.
- Reznov and Krukov can each return to battlefield for no more than 2 times.
- Enemy superweapons normally will equally target allies and the player.
- 4 MCVs will appear after about 5:30 have passed since the text prompt and given to the player.
- Chitzkoi can return to the battlefield 3 minutes after it falls in battle for the first time.
- The Hands of Ereshkigal will emerge under any of the following 4 conditions:
- About 43 minutes has passed since game start;
- About 18 minutes after all invisible Iron Curtain Devices are destroyed;
- Any friendly unit (including disguised ones) approach the Kremlin close enough;
- There are no more than one Epsilon Construction Yard remaining.
- 3:20 after the destruction of the Kremlin, Yuri will appear at one of 7 random locations at the edge of the map and attempt to evacuate via transport.
- When a player unit approaches the abandoned base to the south of the starting location, enemy Engineers will arrive via Driller and attempt to capture and sell the Barracks, Airbase and Field Bureau there.
- 2 extra Shadow Tanks will be guarding the southeastern Iron Curtain Device.
- 2 enemy MCVs will be sent to establish forward bases.
Mental[]
- Starting credits: 125,000
- Enemy attacks are the strongest.
- The player can call in 6 Moon Drops in total, which have a cooldown of 7 minutes.
- There will be 4 invisible Iron Curtain Devices in the outskirt of the city.
- The player cannot reconstruct the Centurion Siege Crawler after its destruction.
- Reznov and Krukov can each return to battlefield for no more than 1 time.
- Enemy superweapons normally will only target the player.
- 3 MCVs will appear after about 9:00 have passed since the text prompt and given to the player.
- Chitzkoi cannot return to the battlefield. Therefore, its death before completing the objective will cause the mission to instantly fail.
- The Hands of Ereshkigal will emerge under any of the following 4 conditions:
- About 35 minutes has passed since game start;
- About 10 minutes after all invisible Iron Curtain Devices and the extra Iron Curtain Device in the Epsilon forward base are destroyed;
- Any friendly unit (including disguised ones) approach the Kremlin close enough;
- There are no more than one Epsilon Construction Yard remaining.
- 3:00 after the destruction of the Kremlin, Yuri will appear at one of 9 random locations at the edge of the map and attempt to evacuate via transport.
- When a player unit approaches the abandoned base to the south of the starting location, enemy Engineers will arrive via Driller and attempt to capture and sell everything except Tesla Reactors there.
- 2 extra Shadow Tanks will be guarding the southeastern Iron Curtain Device. Also, a squad of Shadow Tanks and Tyrants will assult the player if they get close to this.
- The player gets an extra use of fundraising.
- The Tech Machine Shop near the abandoned base is removed.
- The Driller at the Player's initial location will self destruct if captured.
- The Palace owned by the guards (colored Black) will be sold during the mission and replaced by a Tactical Nuke Silo.
- Compared to the other difficulties, Yuri will respond and take countermeasures based on the Player's unit composition more timely.
- One Grinder in the Epsilon base is replaced by an Iron Curtain Device, which also needs to be destroyed.
- 3 enemy MCVs will be sent to establish forward bases.
Easter eggs[]
- Capture two Advanced Radar Dishes after getting the relevant hint, the player can steal control of the Perun Flagship from enemy hands.
- Capture three similar and unique statues near the player's base, Stalingrad forces and Ural forces;
- A smaller stealth statue will appear at the very center of the triangle formed by the three statues, order an infantry that can garrison into it, and a large amount of the spirits of Soviet martyrs will appear.
Trivia[]
- This mission is a spiritual successor to Robot Storm, the penultimate Soviet mission in Version 2.0 that involves destroying the Kremlin to kill Yuri, which itself is a remake of Red Revolution, the penultimate Soviet mission in Red Alert 2 with the same goal.
- The multiple Iron Curtain Devices shielding the Kremlin is likely inspired by the final Allied mission in Red Alert 3 (The Moon Shall Never Have Them), in which a series of Iron Curtains permanently shield each other, with the last one shielding a rocket launch platform.
- The final confrontation against a supercharged Volkov is likely a homage to the Soviet mission Deus Ex Machina in Red Alert - The Aftermath.
- The mission's name might be a reference to one of the following:
- The Dead Hand, an automated nuclear control system used by the Soviet Union / Russian Federation to launch all of their available nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack on Russian soil.
- A namesake offensive support power is used by House Harkonnen in Dune games from Westwood Studios, it is similar to the Tactical Nuke.
- Ereshkigal, whom the Hands of Ereshkigal are named after and is associated with death for being the ruler of the underworld in Mesopotamian mythology (hence "Death's Hand").
| “ | This is bad, Comrade! Yuri is no longer Kremlin! Only a tunnel dug by a Driller! | ” |
| —Soviet intel after the Kremlin is destroyed |
- The deliberate grammatically incorrect quote above is a reference to the infamous debriefing of Chrono Storm in Version 2.0.
- This mission is the only one where more than one stolen tech unit can be built: the Apocalypse Tank and the Grumble.
- The Soviet player becoming the Premier of the Soviet Union at the end of the (albeit not canon) Soviet campaigns is a tradition in the Red Alert series. It is the case in each base game.
- The epilogue of this mission is the only one out of the four Act Two / Origins epilogues that does not involve active fighting.
- There is an anti-cheat measure in this mission: if the Hands of Ereshkigal are destroyed while the Kremlin is still invulnerable, the mission will end in failure.
- The soundtrack used when Volkov has resurfaced is Heavy Duty by World Beyond Soundtracks.
