- While Uncle Ruka wasn't that into his job, he did love codes and languages, and could convert any secret message into a mysterious string of numbers. He would do this at times for the amusement of Vladimir and his eldest brother Sergey.
- He was a well-spoken man who couldn't pronounce "p" and "b" sounds very well, but learned to work around it.
- Uncle Ruka had a great many hobbies besides code translation. He also wrote music, traveled, and played poker well.
- Despite complaining about a heart condition, no one believed him until he dropped dead at age 45. It was family disbelief that leaves Nabokov feeling a bit guilty.
- He was a difficult man, poorly treated by his father, and who sought relief in the Roman Catholic Church.
- Upon his death in 1916, Uncle Ruka as promised left Vladimir about a million dollars and the estate. Both were taken by the state soon after.