The following contains spoilers for Stranger Things: Kamchatka #3, on sale now from Dark Horse Comics.
One of the biggest mysteries in Stranger Things' fourth season was how exactly the Russians got ahold of their own Demogorgon. Many wondered if they stole it from America and brought it over, which admittedly, would have been difficult in terms of logistics. Or the more plausible option: Russia opened their own rift.
The latter was something Season 3 suggested was possible due to Soviet experiments being conducted on home soil. Now, thanks to Stranger Things: Kamchatka #3 (Michael Moreci, Todor Hristov, Dan Jackson, and Nate Pietkos), fans have finally gotten the full details, and it's a dark remix of what happened to Dustin in Hawkins, Indiana, when he found a pet.
In this comic, Dr. Karine has been conducting twisted projects at the base, set before Season 3. She's been trying to get Orlov, a scientist, to build a telepathic helmet like the one Brenner used with Eleven. This would allow the Russians to access the creature's mind and open up a rift, but it's been unsuccessful. As such, she tried to force Orlov's hand, feeding his fellow scientist, Lem, to the creature.
Here, Karine's flashbacks revealed she was part of a team that built the "Key," which tried to copy what the Americans did. However, the machine blew up, mimicking the problems MKUltra program had in the past. Ironically, Alexi was part of this Russian team, hinting this is why he was shipped to the U.S., so the Russians could replicate the project under Starcourt Mall. But while the unit saw failure, Karine was lucky, finding a baby Demogorgon.
She confessed it's her "pet," and that in the time that elapsed, they forged a special connection. It mirrored how Dustin found Dart and tried to protect him as he grew to size. Unfortunately, while Dart didn't want to kill the teens, he died after Eleven closed the gateway. Karine's methods were much more sadistic, torturing and starving the beast, so it'd become a slave. The chapter ended with her minions confessing they found Orlov's helmet that he tried to get rid of from his home. This means Karine's going to push to open the portal again, with or without the doctor.
It has fans wondering what eventually happened to this group at Kamchatka base, because they weren't seen in Season 4. The only remnant was the Demogorgon, which Hopper and Enzo fought in the arena pit. Interestingly, the teaser for Volume 2 showed Hopper discovering more dark experiments in the base. Maybe, with one more issue left, fans will learn more about the other projects Karine was running. And ultimately, the curtain will be dropped on what happened to her team, and who took charge of the Demogorgon, so it could be bred as a war hound for Season 4.