Oprichnik

[4] Modern theories suggest that the motivating purpose for the organization and existence of the Oprichniki was to oppress people or groups opposed to the Tsar.

Ivan himself carried a fearsome canine head made of iron with jaws that would open and snap shut as his horse galloped.

[7] The Oprichniki were ordered to execute anyone disloyal to Ivan and used various methods of torture to do so, including quartering, death by boiling, impalement, and roasting victims tied to poles over an open fire.

[2] When Ivan declared himself the "Hand of God", he selected 300 of the Oprichniki to be his personal "brotherhood" and live in his castle at Aleksandrovskaia Sloboda near Vladimir.

[9] In the Novgorod incident, the Oprichniks killed an estimated 1500 "big people" (nobles), although the actual number of victims is unknown.