Yannis Pappas was a sergeant in the Greek army. He served in the 2003 war fought between Socialist Greece and the Soviet Union on the one hand and Turkey on the other. On 7 June, he led the first squad of Greek troops to enter Istanbul with the intent of reclaiming it. Pappas was a devout Communist, but even he maintained an almost religious awe of the city. Pappas and Kiapos left the two bodies in the Hagia Sophia.