Summary

• Valery's fate in The Sopranos remains a mystery, with theories ranging from his death in the woods to a hidden escape plan.
• The idea of Valery being handed off to the Russian mob boss by Boy Scouts provides one possible resolution to his disappearance.
• Despite fan speculation and creative team discussions, The Sopranos creator maintains that Valery's fate is irrelevant to the overall story.

Though there were a number of unresolved questions in the show, many fans are still wondering what happened to the Russian in The Sopranos. The Sopranos, which had an extensive and successful six-season run, ended in 2007, but Tony's (James Gandolfini) final moments on screen weren't the only unsolved mystery during the show's run. The Sopranos creator David Chase and longtime writer Terence Winter have been peppered with questions about the fate of Russian gangster Valery (Vitali Baganov) along with several fan theories that speculate about what might have become of him.

Standout The Sopranos episode “Pine Barrens” finds Christopher (Michael Imperioli) and Paulie (Tony Sirico) supposedly killing the Russian in a rage. They drive into the heavily forested area in New Jersey, to bury the body, only to discover Valery is still alive. After forcing Valery to dig his own grave, he attacks them with a shovel and runs away. Christopher and Paulie give chase, and Paulie shoots Valery with a glancing shot to the head, yet he still gets up and runs. Christopher and Paulie return to Christopher’s car to find it stolen and Valery is never heard from again.

Future The Sopranos cast member Steven Buscemi directed "Pine Barrens".

Valery Liking Died Out In The Woods

Some Theories Suggest He Went Into Hiding

Leaving Valery as a loose end is set up to be a big problem. Paulie and Christopher tell Tony of the incident, and Tony says if issues arise with the Russian mob boss Slava (Frank Ciornei), Paulie will be held responsible. However, by the end of The Sopranos, there is no sign of Valery. The obvious fate of Valery is that he died in the Pine Barrens. Because Slava never raised questions to Tony, one could speculate Valery never made it back to tell his tale.

Due to the extent of his injuries, he would not have survived the harsh conditions without help.

Another theory is that Slava was behind the attempted hit, and Valery went into hiding, keeping the secret to himself for his safety. However, more realistically, due to the extent of his injuries, he would not have survived the harsh conditions without help. As for the stolen car, it is more than likely Valery hijacked the vehicle and sought a daring escape only to succumb to his injuries and die in the woods.

What The Sopranos Creators Have Said About The Russian

There Was A Plan To Address The Russian

When it comes to the fate of Valery in The Sopranos, the show's creator has very little interest as David Chase is quoted as saying, “Who gives a s—t about this Russian?” (via Slate). Upon unrelenting questions, however, Chase finally stated that some Boy Scouts found the Russian who had Slava’s number in his pocket. Slava then took Valery to the hospital where he underwent brain surgery and was sent back to Russia. This seems more appealing to those who speculate because Terence Winter, who wrote “Pine Barrens,” offered more to the story.

Further pressuring Chase, and to Chase’s frustration, the two finally agreed on a resolution set to appear in the final season of The Sopranos. Tony and Christopher would visit the Russian mob boss and find Valery sweeping the floor, but due to a traumatic brain injury, he would not recognize Christopher as his attacker.

Chase continues to insist that whatever happened to Valery is irrelevant to the overall story of the show.

This would have explained that the local Boy Scouts did in fact find Valery, but it would not explain why nothing ever came of the incident, meaning why Slava never raised concerns to Tony. This scene, which could have put an end to the speculation, was never put in the final season of The Sopranos and Chase continues to insist that whatever happened to Valery is irrelevant to the overall story of the show.

While there are a host of possibilities as to the Russian’s fate in The Sopranos, sometimes the biggest television mysteries either remain unsolved or just simply don’t have a worthy explanation, no matter how badly fans may want one. What the mysterious fate of Valery demonstrates about the series is the creative team's commitment to building an open-ended world that The Sopranos only shows a small piece of.