Oktober Guard

The Oktober Guard (or October Guard) (Russian: Октябрьская Гвардия, Oktyabr'skaya Gvardiya, lit. October Guard) is a fictional special operations unit first introduced in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comics and cartoon, and subsequently the toyline itself. The name is a reference to Russia's October Revolution. Usually thought to be the Soviet (Russian after the Cold War) equivalent of G.I. Joe, they are in fact composed of members from several Warsaw Pact countries. Unlike the Joes, the team is composed of just a small squad and most do not use code names.

Originally, the Oktober Guard was to be called the Pravda Patrol (Russian: Патруль Правды, Patrul' Pravdy, may be translated as Truth Patrol or by the name of the main CPSU newspaper Pravda) with the members sporting far different costumes. The designs were created by Tom DeFalco and Herb Trimpe, but Hasbro did not approve of the design. The Pravda Patrol made a brief appearance in Bizarre Adventures #31, in the short story "Let There Be Life". Further revisions led to the final design, as seen in #6 of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comics. The team name was initially spelled October with a "c", but was written as "Oktober Guard" in all subsequent appearances.

The Oktober Guard often operates internationally, protecting and promoting Soviet and Warsaw Pact interests. Despite the fact their respective countries are rivals with the United States during the Cold War, the members of the Oktober Guard are never portrayed as evil, but as military professionals doing their job and serving their country. Their missions often put them at odds with G.I. Joe, but opposing Cobra is a major objective for the squad, and when the situation arises, they often find themselves temporarily allied with the Joes against a common foe.

...
Wikipedia