What is the name of the Russian mobster lost in the Pine Barrens? His name is Valery.
Valery is a Russian mob enforcer connected to Slava, a businessman who has dealings with Tony Soprano's organization. In the season-three episode "Pine Barrens," Paulie Gualtieri and Christopher Moltisanti are sent to collect money from him. Their attempt to intimidate Valery escalates after Paulie insults him, and the Russian seriously overpowers both men.
Paulie strikes Valery with a heavy object, apparently killing him. The pair wrap him in a carpet and drive into the snowy Pine Barrens to bury the body. Valery unexpectedly awakens, escapes into the woods, and disappears after Paulie shoots at him. The episode never gives viewers a definitive on-screen answer about what happened next.
That unresolved disappearance is why Valery is sometimes remembered simply as “the Russian.” He is not Ivan, Boris, or Yuri. The mystery became one of The Sopranos' most discussed loose ends, although the question of his identity itself is straightforward: the mobster is Valery, played by Vitali Baganov.