WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Diplomat season 2.
The fate of Roman Lenkov is finally revealed in The Diplomat season 2 after being a mysterious shadow operative throughout the first season. Keri Russell leads the cast of The Diplomat season 2 along with Rufus Sewell as her husband Hal, David Gyasi as Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison, Ali Ahn as CIA operative Eidra Park, and Rory Kinnear as Prime Minister Trowbridge. The series picks up after the events of The Diplomat season 1's ending, which left the lives of Hal, Ato Essandoh's Stuart, and Jess Chanliau's Ronnie up in the air.
The Diplomat was created by Debora Chan (The West Wing, Grey's Anatomy, Homeland). Lead actress Keri Russell received an Emmy nomination for her role as U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler in The Diplomat season 1. The series introduces a handful of new characters while narrowing its focus on those responsible for the car explosion that killed Merritt Grove and the missile attack on the HMS Courageous, two of the biggest curveballs of The Diplomat season 1. As The Diplomat season 2 plays out, both Kate and Hal edge closer to the truth about Roman Lenkov and the government officials behind the false flag operation.
All 6 episodes of The Diplomat season 2 are now available exclusively on Netflix.
Who Is Roman Lenkov & The Lenkov Group?
Lenkov is a covert mercenary for hire
In the world of The Diplomat, Roman Lenkov is a Russian mercenary for hire who is willing to operate outside of his government's interests. He is the leader and founder of The Lenkov Group, which is a disenfranchised covert military agency hired for undocumented and unauthorized operations regardless of nationalistic interests. The fact that the Lenkov Group is based out of Russia is nearly irrelevant since the covert agency will take work from any nation or government for the right price. This is why Lenkov set up the attack on the British HMS Courageous based on U.S. Vice President Grace Penn's orders.
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The Diplomat season 1 established that Lenkov is also a war criminal who is not in good standing with the Russian government or military. This is why he has no nationalistic backing in The Diplomat season 2 and Russia has little to no response to his assassination by British troops. Lenkov is not depicted whatsoever in The Diplomat season 1 and is only shown in brief scenes in The Diplomat season 2, one of which was his assassination. Actor Sam Douglas portrays Lenkov in The Diplomat season 2, episode 3 "The Ides of March" as the news of his assassination makes international headlines.
The Lenkov Group Attacked The HMS Courageous In The Diplomat
Kate suspected that PM Trowbridge hired Lenkov
While the person behind the attack on the British aircraft carrier the HMS Courageous is the real mystery of The Diplomat season 2, it is well established that The Lenkov Group was the one who carried out the orders in season 1. Initially, both the United Kingdom and the United States initially suspected that Iran was behind the missile attack on the HMS Courageous that killed more than 40 Royal Navy soldiers. Kate met with Iranian and Russian diplomats and discovered that Lenkov was hired to attack the British warship. She believed it was done to increase tensions in the Persian Gulf to justify President Rayburn and Prime Minister Trowbridge sending more British and American armed forces around Iran.
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In The Diplomat season 1, Kate successfully convinces President Rayburn to call off military support for Great Britain, knowing that the Iranians were not responsible for the attack on the HMS Courageous. Kate then negotiates a deal with the French to arrest Lenkov on French soil but discovers that Prime Minister Trowbridge intends to assassinate Lenkov rather than arrest him and interrogate him, which is what ends up happening. Kate suspects that Trowbridge wanted to silence Lenkov so that he could not reveal that Trowbridge was the one who hired him. Ultimately, Trowbridge is proven innocent after Roylin confesses to Hal about her and Grace Penn.
Roman Lenkov's Death Explained
Trowbridge blamed Lenkov for the HMS Courageous & Merritt Grove car bomb
Roman Lenkov was assassinated by British special forces at the beginning of The Diplomat season 2, episode 3. Prime Minister Trowbridge announced Lenkov's assassination three weeks after the attack on the HMS Courageous, which allowed him to appear as a heroic figure to his country and to the United Kingdom at large. Trowbridge grouped the attack on the HMS Courageous and the car bomb that killed Merritt Grove as two terrorist acts orchestrated by Roman Lenkov. Announcing Lenkov's death provided a sense of finality to the two apparent terrorist attacks on Great Britain within the span of three weeks.
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Who Is Ronnie In The Diplomat?
Ronnie played an integral role as Stuart & Kate's aide in The Diplomat season 1 and was directly impacted by the explosion that killed Merritt Grove.
During his press conference, Trowbridge described Roman Lenkov as a Russian mercenary leader and a "shadow of the Kremlin." By including the Russian government, Trowbridge makes it clear that he is pointing the finger not just at Lenkov but at Russia itself, choosing to blame them as an easy and obvious enemy. During Trowbridge's conversation with Penn in season 2, episode 5, Penn subtly suggests that they bury the story. Fortunately, Russia was mostly unaffected by Lenkov's death and effectively handed him over to the British. Kate and Eidra suspected that Roylin was the one who encouraged Trowbridge to take out Lenkov. This turned out to protect Roylin and Penn, not the innocent Trowbridge.
The Lenkov Group Is Based On The Real Life Wagner Group
Roman Lenkov is loosely inspired by Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin
The Lenkov Group in The Diplomat is based on the real-life state-funded Russian private military organization known as The Wagner Group. The Wagner Group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed in a plane crash in western Russia in August 2023. According to BBC, "Yevgeny Prigozhin said he founded Wagner in 2014. Although mercenary forces are technically illegal in Russia, Wagner registered as a "private military company" in 2022. Prigozhin was a wealthy businessman and convicted criminal, known as "Putin's chef" because he provided catering for the Kremlin."
The Lenkov Group was inspired by The Wagner Group, meaning that Yevgeny Prigozhin was the primary inspiration for Roman Lenkov in The Diplomat.
Known as "the most sinister figure in Russian politics after Vladimir Putin", Yevgeny Prigozhin was a convict before becoming the leader of The Wagner Group (via The Wall Street Journal). "Yevgeny Prigozhin started his career as a petty thief and crook, ending up in prison for nearly a decade." While not much is revealed about The Lenkov Group in The Diplomat, it's clear that the fictional group of mercenaries was inspired by The Wagner Group, meaning that Yevgeny Prigozhin is the primary inspiration for Roman Lenkov. In The Diplomat, he is the scapegoat used by Trowbridge and Roylin to unite the United Kingdom and by V.P. Penn to secure the United States' nuclear defenses against Russia.
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Sources: BBC, The Wall Street Journal
The Diplomat is a Netflix drama/thriller series that tells the story of a career diplomat named Laura Simmonds as she wrestles with the complexities of her new job as ambassador to the U.K. As Laura attempts to acclimate to her high-profile, high-stress job, her marriage, and personal life begin to suffer in the midst of an international crisis.
Release Date April 20, 2023
Seasons 1
Directors Liza Johnson , Simon Cellan Jones
Showrunner Debora Cahn
English (US) ·