Colonel Kranin

In the short story Jane in Search of a Job, Colonel Kranin is an official in the service of the Grand Duchess Pauline of Ostrova. He shortlisted applicants for the position of a body double to impersonate the Princess Poporensky as a precaution. Persons who were shortlisted were sent to Streptitch for further evaluation.

When Jane Cleveland first met Kranin, she deduced that he must be a colonel from the military looking nature of his moustache. She was delighted that Count Streptitch confirm that Kranin was indeed a colonel. However the Grand Duchess who employed Jane proved in the end to be an imposter and a robber. Kranin, likewise, was a fake and a member of her gang.

Portrayals
In the episode Jane in Search of a Job of The Agatha Christie Hour, a TV film adaptation of the story, the part of Colonel Kranin is played by Geoffrey Hinsliffe. In the show, the Grand Duchess introduces Kranin to the Countess of Anchester as Ostrovia's representative in London.