The second volume of the fourth season of ‘Stranger Things’ witnessed things get a lot stranger, with a pineapple pizza debate, a Metallica concert, and a face-off with Vecna.

The season also dived into the storyline of Yuri, the Russian smuggler who is all about betrayal, cold cash, and peanut butter with a lot of crunch. 

It did so by shedding light on Yuri’s background through Enzo, who appealed to the Russian man with the help of history. On the show, Enzo recalled stories of Yuri’s bravery at Damansky in the Sino-Soviet war of 1969, a seven-month conflict that witnessed the world’s two largest Communist countries – China and the USSR, fight over ideologies. 

Enzo knew how to get to Yuri, who was shaken to the core after recalling his days at Damansky.

Also Read: Stranger Things Season 4: How Jason ruined plan to stop Vecna

Yuri Ismaylov, played by actor Nikola Djuricko, has always been an important character to depict the show’s Russian storyline. He was introduced in the first part of the fourth season as the man who assisted Joyce and Murray to rescue Hopper. However, his true colours of betrayal were revealed only later, when he turned Dmitri in, spiked drinks, and betrayed the ones who were on a mission to save Hopper from captivity.

Also Read: Stranger Things Season 4 Part 2: Of course Eddie is an Iron Maiden fan

Nonetheless, the character has been a hit among viewers, who are always curious to find out about the bad guy’s past. Makers of the show offered a glimpse into his backstory by using a real-life historic event- the 1969 Sino-Soviet war. However, this isn’t the first time that ‘Stranger Things’ has used real-life references to add relatability and familiarity to the show. From Eddie wearing a Michael Myers mask to Vickie being styled after Molly Ringwald’s character in ’16 Candles’, the second volume of season four, which dropped on July 1, is packed with the two elements.