Commanding and Obeying
In English, verbs like "to order" or "to obey" take a direct object (e.g., "I obey him"). In Russian, these actions are viewed as being directed to or toward someone. Therefore, the person or thing receiving the action takes the Dative case without any prepositions.
When using verbs like приказывать / приказать (to order) and подчиняться / подчиниться (to obey, to submit), put the person receiving the order or the authority being submitted to in the Dative case.
You can also submit to an inanimate concept, like a rule or a command (приказ). The noun will still take the Dative case.
Threats, Harm, and Revenge
Verbs describing interpersonal friction, hindrance, or retaliation also require their targets to be in the Dative case. Think of these actions as dealing harm to someone, issuing a threat to someone, or serving revenge to someone.
Use the Dative case without prepositions after угрожать (to threaten), вредить / навредить (to harm), and мстить / отомстить (to take revenge).
Putting It All Together
Notice how the Dative case remains consistent across pronouns, singular nouns, and plural nouns, whether the target is a person or an inanimate object.
