Although it is not specified which country in Eastern Europe is Niko from, the European language spoken in the game is Serbian, and considering his past history as described in the game and other related publications, he is likely an immigrant from Yugoslavia and fought in the Yugoslav wars.[1] His father was an alcoholic who bullied him. His mother, Milica, had a maternal and caring nature, and regretted that a decent person like Niko was forced to grow up in such a harsh environment. He grew up during the harsh times of the Yugoslav wars, in which he participated as an angry youth. Niko witnessed and committed numerous atrocities during the war, which led to his cynical perspective on life, and a certain degree of regret, depression, and emotional detachedness. A defining moment in the war, for Niko, was when his army unit of fifteen young men were ambushed by the enemy. Niko barely escaped and most of his friends were killed. He later discovers that two other members of the unit also survived, and concludes that one of those two sold the unit out for money. Niko vows to track down the culprit, motivated not solely by revenge, but a need for closure and to move on with his own life.
When the war ended, Niko had difficulty finding work and continuing a normal life. His cousin, Roman, moved to America to start a new life in Liberty City. Niko, knowing only violence, turned to the Eastern European criminal underworld for the next ten years, while at the same time trying to track the two other men who survived the ambush. At some point during this interval, he was briefly imprisoned. After he was released, Niko joined a human trafficking ring run by Rodislav Bulgarin. Eventually, Niko discovered that Florian Cravic, one of the two survivors of the ambush, was also living in Liberty City.
During one smuggling run into Italy, the boat that Niko was working on was attacked and sank into the Adriatic Sea. Niko managed to swim to safety, but everything else was lost. Bulgarin, needing someone to blame, accused Niko of sinking the boat and escaping with the money onboard. Niko denied this, but Bulgarin refused to believe him and was too powerful to argue with, so Niko joined the merchant navy to flee from Bulgarin. He spent the next seven months at sea, befriending the crew of the Platypus and contemplating Roman's request for him to come to America. Roman had been asking Niko to come to Liberty City to share his lavish life[3] of a mansion, cars, money and women, which Niko desired, but primarily needing to locate Cravic and evade Bulgarin's wrath.
Upon arriving in Liberty City, Niko realizes that Roman's tales of success were embellished; he actually lives in a tiny apartment, runs a small taxi depot[3] and owes gambling debts across the city to several criminals. Niko's hardened past proves useful for his cousin, and Niko ends up protecting Roman and himself from the loan sharks that keep harassing him. Roman soon introduces Niko to friends and enemies alike, which Niko - although somewhat angry - accepts, needing the money and contacts that can help him to find that "special someone". Starting from Roman, Niko's relationships keep expanding over the course of the game.
Niko's view of American culture is one of confusion and mild disgust. The rampant materialism annoys him and he has trouble relating to Roman's fascination with the country. And, after working for so many criminals, his cynicism is reinforced in Liberty City.
Personality-wise, Niko is a very down-to-business person, and is very protective when it comes to his family and loved ones, especially Roman, despite the fact that Roman often gets Niko in trouble. During the game, many of his female acquaintances of his point out that Niko has sophisticated manners and appears to be a very decent person. Niko also maintains a no-nonsense attitude, and at many times throughout the game attempts to resolve conflicts between two parties without the use of violence. However, he tends to get angry easily when he is argued with irrationally, falsely blamed or cheated upon - a trait that might have been aggravated by his past experiences during the war, and he is often sarcastic. But he can also be a caring figure: the player can make Niko help various random people on the streets who are having problems; Niko also consoles the family of a friend after one of their family members dies. He appears to be a more mature and sensible person than many of his acquaintances; for example, Niko criticizes his friend Packie when Packie jokes over the death of his own brother, and brings people down to reality in a flat-out way, e.g. during a chase sequence, when an acquaintance makes a trivial comment about the ride, Niko responds by saying "We're not on a sight-seeing cruise!".
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