Vladimir Makarov

"It doesn't take the most powerful nations on Earth to create the next global conflict. Just the will of a single man."

- Makarov's infamous motto during the reveal trailer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. "Remember - no Russian."

- Makarov to his men just before the airport massacre – and his most famous line.

Vladimir Makarov (Russian: Владимир Макаров) is the main antagonist of the Call of Duty franchise's original Modern Warfare sub-series.

He serves as a minor antagonist in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (as well as the 2016 remaster of the same name), the secondary antagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the main antagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. He is also the unseen titular main antagonist of the short film Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish.

He was one of the leaders of the Russian Ultranationalists and the successor of Imran Zakhaev, as well as the founder of the Inner Circle and the arch-nemesis of Captain John Price. He was a sadistic terrorist leader who was best known for leading an attack on an airport in Moscow that instigated World War III between the Western Civilization and Russia, in an attempt to restore the power of the Soviet Union.

He was voiced by Roman Varshavsky.

Past
According to information in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Vladimir Makarov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy as an officer in the Russian Army first serving as a paratrooper along with his longtime best friend, Yuri. Later on in his career he made it into Spetsnaz and served two tours in Chechnya. It is believed that a company under his command were involved with some of the most brutal "cleansing" raids.

Eventually, the U.N. held an inquiry investigating charges of human rights abuse. Makarov's name appeared at the top of the list presented by an EU Investigation panel. The inquiry was ultimately dropped when Makarov opted for discharge from the armed forces. This incident would mark the beginnings of his pathological hatred towards the West and the Russian government for giving him no other option but to leave the armed forces. Makarov would soon bring his former military training to bear, focusing his efforts in many criminal and terroristic enterprises, such as kidnapping, human trafficking of women, hijackings, money laundering, incrimination, terror bombings of military/civilian targets, drug trafficking, assassinations, jingoism, oppression, and many more.

At some point, the leader of the burgeoning Ultranationalist Party, Imran Zakhaev, took notice of Makarov's actions and allowed him a position within the anti-western movement. It is said that Makarov was "kept in check" by Zakhaev during this partnership, possibly due to the former's ambitions. In 1996, Makarov and Yuri were present when Zakhaev was negotiating a deal in Pripyat, Ukraine that would assist their cause. When Lieutenant John Price blew off Zakhaev's arm in an attempt to assassinate him on Captain MacMillan's orders, Makarov and Yuri rushed him out of the town and helped him recover. This earned Makarov a promotion to becoming Zakhaev's lieutenant. According to Yuri, this corrupted and drove Makarov further into madness.

Modern Warfare
"Understand, Yuri: this is only the beginning."

- Makarov after ordering the detonation of the nuclear bomb that kills 30,000 U.S. Marines in the process.

During the present day events, Makarov didn't physically appear in the original game (except for One Shot, One Kill in the 2016 remaster). Although he was in the S.A.S. photo of the Ultranationalist's "Four Horsemen", Makarov was crossed out for unknown reasons. In 2011, Makarov and Yuri were overseeing the battle at Basra, Iraq between the U.S. Marines and Khaled Al-Asad's forces during the events of Shock and Awe. Makarov ordered an unknown person on the phone to detonate the nuclear device, killing 30,000 marines in the process. He then told Yuri that it was only the beginning, which all secretly disturbed Yuri.

After Zakhaev was eventually killed by British and Loyalist forces during the course of the Russian Civil War, the Ultranationalist party splintered between its remaining leaders: Makarov and Boris Vorshevsky. After the Ultranationalist won the war over Russia and became its ruling government, Vorshevsky became its president and outcasted Makarov due to his extreme methods and ambitions. Makarov's resources and contacts within the criminal world allowed him to assume control of a large portion of the Ultranationalist party and found the Inner Circle.

According to newspaper clippings in his safe-house, Makarov held up photos of Bravo Six (Gaz, Griggs, Price and Soap) and declared they were responsible for the death of Imran Zakhaev. Most likely, it is for this reason that he holds a grudge against Price and Soap. Included were news articles showing Makarov responsible for terrorist attacks in London and Moscow; threatening the removal of the Ultranationalist party controlling Russia.

Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish
"Shepherd: That's it? Soap: WHO IS KINGFISH?! Shepherd: *shows the file of Makarov* We'll get him."

- General Shepherd and Captain "Soap" after the failed mission, whilst declaring to hunt down and kill Makarov for his innumerable crimes.

Although Makarov doesn't appear in the live-action short film, he was still its main villain. Sometime between the events of Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, Task Force 141 was sent to kill or capture the target known as "Kingfish", who was later revealed to be Makarov himself. After they arrived there, he wasn't present but they did find photos of Zakhaev International Airport and that he was targeting the remaining members of Bravo Six. He also left a trap for them and although they escaped with a facially scarred Soap, Captain Price was captured and declared K.I.A. before being sent to the Petropavlovsk Gulag in Russia. Soap then briefed General Shepherd about the mission and the latter revealed who Kingfish was. As Soap oversaw the file of Makarov, Shepherd declared that they will get him.

Modern Warfare 2
"That was no message. This is a message. The American thought he could deceive us. When they find that body... all of Russia will cry for war."

- Makarov after the massacre and just as he kills Joseph Allen in order to incriminate America.

In 2016, Makarov indirectly becomes the conduit for General Shepherd's recruitment plan. After Shepherd sends C.I.A. agent Joseph Allen (under the alias Alexi Borodin) to Russia, Makarov accepts Allen, though he finds out the latter's undercover identity. Prior to the massacre, Yuri tried to warn the authorities but Makarov learnt of this and shot him for his betrayal before leaving him for dead. Using Allen as a scapegoat for his plans, Makarov leads a brutal terrorist attack on Zakhaev International Airport with him and three other Ultranationalist extremists, where they used weapons supplied by his associate Alejandro Rojas. After fighting their way through FSB forces, Makarov and one of his surviving men escape. However, Makarov shoots Allen with an M9 and leaves him for dead, revealing that he knew of his true identity and also instigating a war between Russia and the United States. Little did Makarov know was that Yuri barely survived the gunshot wound and tried to stop him during the attack before collapsing and being rescued by paramedics. This would lead Yuri to hold a grudge against his former best friend and swore to kill him for his crimes.

Eventually, after a week of the aftermath of Makarov's airport attack, he and his men are tracked down to two possible locations, leading Task Force 141 to investigate. Roach and Ghost are sent to a safehouse on the Georgian-Russian border and had obtained intelligence on Makarov's operations, but both are killed by Shepherd who is trying to avenge his 30,000 Marines by taking down Makarov himself, become a war hero and soon initiate a major strike on Russia with a planned strong military force while burying any evidence against him. Makarov and his forces are attacked by Shepherd's Shadow Company in an aircraft boneyard, where Price and Soap were also at. Makarov is then contacted by Price, who asks for intel on Shepherd, saying the famous phrase "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Realizing that his only hope for survival was getting rid of Shepherd, Makarov begrudgingly agrees and tells Price of Shepherd's location. Although no outcome of the battle between the Shadow Company and Makarov's forces is given, Makarov survived and went into hiding.

Modern Warfare 3
"Goodbye, Captain Price."

- Vladimir Makarov to Price just before he kills Yuri and attempts to kill him as well; and is also ironically his last words before his death.

A few hours after Shepherd's death, Makarov sends his men to kill Soap, Price and their Loyalist ally Nikolai in India. However, they failed thanks to Yuri. Two months later, Makarov resurfaced with an intention to have Russia take control of Europe. To ensure this, he leads his men to hijack the plane carrying Vorshevsky and his daughter, Alena. After killing his security, Makarov revealed himself and demanded the launch codes. When Vorshevsky refused, Makarov sent his men to find his daughter, who was able to escape during the struggle. Meanwhile, he has his associate Volk and the warlord Waraabe deliver cargoes across Europe's biggest cities (i.e Paris, London, Dublin, Rome, Berlin, Hamburg, etc.), which were later revealed to be chemical weapons that he soon detonated. This allowed the Russian forces to invade Europe and take over the continent. Price, Soap and Yuri as well as Sandman's team all tracked Waraabe and Volk, in which they learned that Makarov was holding a meeting in Prague. However, Makarov expected this and set a trap for them and in the process killed Soap and revealed his history with Yuri.

After Price and Yuri intercepted an Ultranationalist command centre in an old castle near Prague, Makarov is seen interrogating Vorshevsky for the launch codes. He then mocks the president as they hear that his men have found his daughter. However, although his men successfully take his daughter to a diamond mine in Siberia, Makarov was unable to get the launch codes as Price, Yuri and the Americans rescued the two of them, which then later brought peace treaties into discussion, officially ending World War III. However, with Makarov still at large, Price wasn't done yet. After calling Makarov, Price threatened that he was coming for him, regardless if the war's over. Makarov then mocks Price for Soap's death and even claimed that he would be looking for him too.

After Price and Yuri tracked Makarov hiding in the Oasis Hotel in Dubai, they attacked it on January, 2017. During the attack, Makarov had multiple armed men to hold them off before his helicopter arrived. After the helicopter destroyed the restaurant on the top floor, he attempted to escape, but Price was able to catch up and crash it back onto the roof. Makarov survived this and tried to execute him when Yuri shot him from behind. Makarov angrily shot him three times and killed his former best friend in front of Price. Fully enraged by the loss of another friend, Price tackled Makarov down and started beating him before wrapping a steel cord connected to the helicopter around his neck. After hooking him the cord, Price slammed him through the glass roof, shredding and hanging him at the same time. Price smokes a cigar as he gazes on Makarov's lifeless body, dangling from the cable. After many years of spreading death, chaos, war and destruction to millions of innocent people, Vladimir Makarov was finally dead.

Appearance
Makarov was a pale stocky 5' 11" Caucasian man who weighed 184 lb, had short dark brown hair and several scars and marks on his face. He had a green left eye and a blue left eye, meaning that he was diagnosed with Heterochromia iridum. Unlike many of his Russian troops and co-leaders, Makarov wasn't shown to be wearing any tattoos over his body. However, it may have been due to him wearing a lot of clothing that would've been covering them. During his time as Zakhaev's lieutenant, and even before that, Makarov was seen constantly wearing military uniform and wearing a dark grey beanie. After becoming the leader of Inner Circle, Makarov starting living a more extravagant life, even in the field. He would occasionally be seen wearing a suit and both leather gloves and shoes. On at least three occasions, Makarov also wore a coat and a grey scarf which was shown when he personally led the kidnapping of President Vorshevsky.

Personality
"This man Makarov is fighting his own war and he has no rules, no boundaries. He doesn't flinch at torture, human trafficking, or genocide. He's not loyal to a flag, or a country, or any set of ideals. He trades blood for money."

- General Shepherd describing to Joseph Allen about Vladimir Makarov's nature.

Vladimir Makarov was a terrorist who is defined by his lack of empathy, sadism, ruthlessness, psychopathy and ambition. It has been implied by Yuri that prior to the assassination attempt on Zakhaev, Makarov was more sympathetic. However, as Yuri later pointed out, the power that Zakhaev rewarded him with for saving his life also corrupted Makarov to the point of him being the most dangerous and intimidating Ultranationalist the world had ever known. Also, it is possible that Zakhaev kept him "in check" due to being aware of his true nature.

Makarov was highly hypocritical and jingoistic, as he believed that massacring an entire airport in his home country would further machinate in restoring it to its former "glory" in the Soviet Union. In his eyes, anyone who didn't share his beliefs/madness, it would be marked as the enemy. Makarov had no faith in fellow Ultranationalist President Boris Vorshevsky as he viewed as stubborn, weak and unwilling to make the "necessary" steps to rebuild Russia's higher power. Makarov believed that he was a part of a greater purpose in the "changing world" due to enacting World War III, blinded by the belief that it would further influence his plans.

He also notably held Zakhaev in high regard to the point of see him as a true hero of Russia. It is this idolization that led him to view Vorshevsky as everything that dishonors Zakhaev's legacy and mission. After his death, he went to great lengths to avenge his death, including killing his murderer "Soap" MacTavish, and attempting to kill Captain Price. He even began trying to restart his mission while also fuelling his own goals. Makarov appeared to even have a philosophical side to him as he came to the belief that all it really takes to start a global conflict and change the course of human history is a single man's willpower, which actually proved to be quite true.

Associates

 * Yuri - Status - Deceased. Former right-hand man and friend of the Ultranationalists. He defected after he attempted to stop the airport massacre, in which he sided with Task Force 141 in the hopes of killing him. He was later killed by Makarov at the end of "Dust to Dust".
 * Imran Zakhaev - Status - Deceased. Arms dealer and former chairman of the Ultranationalist Party. Served as Makarov's mentor who saved him from bleeding out when his left armed severed in his assassination attempt. He was killed by John "Soap" MacTavish in "Game Over".
 * Viktor Zakhaev - Status - Deceased. Imran Zakhaev's son and commander of the Ultranationalist forces in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. He killed himself in "The Sins of The Father".
 * Khaled Al-Asad - Status - Deceased. Leader of the OpFor and organizer of the coup in the Middle East. He was ordered by Makarov on the phone to detonate the nuclear device in "Shock and Awe". Killed by John Price in his Azerbaijani safehouse in "Safehouse".
 * Alejandro "Alex the Red" Rojas - Status - Alive/Deceased (dependant on player's choice). Arms dealer who supplied Makarov for his airport massacre. He was captured by Task Force 141 whilst hiding in a favela in Rio De Janeiro. His status is dependant on if the player kills him at the start of "The Hornet's Nest".
 * Joseph "Alexei Borodin" Allen - Status - Deceased. Undercover C.I.A. operative sent by General Shepherd. Killed by Makarov himself at the end of "No Russian" to instigate World War III.
 * Viktor - Status - Deceased. One of the terrorists who assisted Makarov in "No Russian". Killed by the H.V.I. in "Exodus".
 * Anatoly - Status - Unknown. One of the terrorists who assisted Makarov in "No Russian" and one of the getaway drivers. He is never seen afterwards.
 * Makarov's Driver - Status - Unknown. One of the terrorists who assisted Makarov in "No Russian" and one of the getaway drivers. He is never seen afterwards.
 * Lev - Status - Deceased. One of the terrorists who assisted Makarov in "No Russian". Killed by either the F.S.B. or Alexei Borodin on the runway.
 * Kiril - Status - Deceased. One of the terrorists who assisted Makarov in "No Russian". Killed by either the F.S.B. or Alexei Borodin on the runway.
 * Viktor "Volk" Khristenko - Status - Alive (Captured) Makarov's bomb-maker who was caught hiding in Paris due to creating the chemicals released in muliple European cities.
 * Waraabe - Status - Deceased. Leader of the Somali Militia. Served as one of the Makarov's foreign contacts through Volk and assisted in transporting the chemical weaponry. Killed by John Price in "Return to Sender".
 * Major Petrov - Status - Unknown. A hearable character that appeared in the mission "Eye of The Storm", who could be heard speaking to the Czech people over the public address system. It is unknown whether or not he is the same Major Petrov from the mission "Cliffhanger" in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 * Alexi - Status - Deceased. Member of the Inner Circle and probably a commander of the cell in Prague Castle. He was seen talking to Makarov about Alena Vorshevsky in "Stronghold". He was killed by John Price when he detonated a frag grenade in the room.

Victims

 * Vasquez (Caused)
 * Paul Jackson (Caused)
 * "Deadly" Pelayo (Caused)
 * Joseph Allen
 * Vasili Zhukov (Caused)
 * Pavel Morozov (Caused)
 * Bogdan Sokolov (Caused)
 * Anya Kovaleva (Caused)
 * Leonid Pudovkin
 * Andrei Harkov
 * Kamarov (Caused)
 * John "Soap" MacTavish (Caused)
 * "Sandman" (Caused)
 * "Truck" (Caused)
 * "Grinch" (Caused)
 * Yuri
 * 30,000 United States Marine Corps soldiers (Caused)
 * Numerous counts of unnamed people (Caused and Direct)

Acts of Terrorism

 * 2001 - To start off Makarov's reign of terror, Imran Zakhaev orders Makarov to bomb a Moscow city bus. The mission succeeded and killed 29 people and injured 19 more.
 * 2001 - Used a modified London Underground train filled with explosives to bomb Piccadilly Circus, killing 407.
 * 2001 - Massacre at GUM mall in Moscow, 87 dead.
 * 2002 - Hijack of Greek oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea. Greek Navy boarding party along with two crew members killed before $3 million ransom is paid.
 * 2002 - Murder of three Russian infantry soldiers.
 * 2002 - $1.5 million stolen from a ZBV bank.
 * 2003 - Repression of North Caucasus-based, pro-Western nationalist groups.
 * Assassinations of political leaders, arson and bombing of opposition parties.
 * Murder of Moscow-based journalist Ilya Lovitch, who was investigating political crimes in the region.
 * 2003 - Bombing of several high Government buildings in Kazakhstan, 245 dead.
 * 2003 - Commander of two Kreigler Airliner hijackings, 378 dead, including eight of his own men.
 * 2004 - Robbed an HBS bank in Istanbul.
 * 2004 - Kidnapping of 15 college students from Russia, five dead.
 * 2004 - Bombing of two embassies in Africa, 28 dead 48 injured.
 * 2005 - Hold-up of billion trucks in Moscow, stole three million rubles. Three security guards dead.
 * 2005 - Hijacking of cruise ship in the Baltic Sea, tortured US passengers until $5 million ransom is paid.
 * 2006 - Robbed the Russian State Postal and Banking Service Depot of 32 million rubles.
 * 2006 - Murder of famous British designer Rob Millington.
 * 2006 - Murder of three U.S. airmen based in Turkmenistan.
 * 2006 - Helped coordinate attacks by Janjaweed militias and Sudanese military against rebels. Implicated in human rights abuse.
 * 2007 - Capture and beheading of Mossad attache to Ukraine who was investigating Makarov's links to Islamic extremists.
 * 2007 - Assassination of Pakistani politician Hasni Al'Bura.
 * 2007 - Blowing up of Russia-Germany gas pipeline in Belarus because of Gasneft refusing to pay a fee to prevent “disruption to service”.
 * 2007 - Robbing of $15 million worth of diamonds, gems and stones from a Siberian mining company.
 * 2008 - A Swedish furniture store in a shopping mall located in St. Petersburg is bombed, 100 killed or wounded.
 * 2008 - FSB vehicle ambushed, five agents dead.
 * 2008 - Abduction and murder of SibGaz owner's wife and daughter.
 * 2009 - The offices of a U.S. oil company in Baku were bombed, three people dead.
 * 2009 - Shopping mall bomb blows up Swedish furniture store in St. Petersburg, one hundred shoppers killed or wounded.
 * 2009 - Bomb plot against English-speaking school in Moscow foiled.
 * 2009 - Soccer stadium in Moscow is rigged with explosives. Authorities burst a pipe to halt the match, denying publicity to Makarov.
 * 2009 - Trafficking of over $2,100,000 worth of weapons, drugs, and people.
 * Operations in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Kosovo (No Russian cutscene).
 * 2011 - Detonates a nuclear device, killing 30,000 U.S. Marines and countless others.
 * 2016 - Massacre at Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow, which provoked the Russo-American war (234 civilians, security, and FSB killed {total of 237 people killed - according to Return to Sender cutscene}).
 * 2016 - Abduction of Russian President Vorshevsky, unknown number of FSO agents dead.
 * 2016 - Biochemical attacks at every capital city in Europe which allowed the Russian army to invade the continent, killing thousands of people.

In Other Media
Makarov appears in HISHE (How It Should Have Ended) animated parody video. One of his Troops goes to the wrong floor in which there are Nazi zombies before closing the door and going to the correct floor. Joseph Allen points his weapon to the people, however, he was arrested along with Makarov and his men. In the jail cell, after Allen hits the wall with his weapon, he showed his true identity to Makarov and his troops and shot them dead before continuing to hit the wall to escape the prison.

Trivia

 * He is the most evil character from the Modern Warfare sub-series, and arguably the entire video game franchise, even more so than Imran Zakhaev, Khaled Al-Asad, Nikita Dragovich, Lev Kravchenko, Salen Kotch and Metz.
 * Makarov has repeatedly been named one of the best and most popular villains in the Call of Duty franchise alongside Raul Menendez, and also one of the greatest villains in video game history.
 * He is also arguably the franchise's most iconic and most memorable villain to date.
 * It is possible to kill him BEFORE Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. This can be performed in the Modern Warfare Remastered version of the game. However, this is considered non-canon as the official canon of his death takes place in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
 * But, if you do kill Makarov in the Modern Warfare Remastered level "One Shot, One Kill", you will gain an achievement/trophy, 'Time Paradox'.
 * Makarov is the overarching villain of the Modern Warfare trilogy because if he hadn't caused World War III, the trilogy wouldn't have happened. Plus, he was around longer and had a bigger impact on the trilogy than any other villain, and he also had bigger plans than anyone else.
 * The mission "No Russian" in Modern Warfare 2 is not available in that game's Russian release. In addition, if the player kills a civilian in either its German or Japanese releases, the player will recieve a "You killed a civilian!", causing the mission to fail and restart from the nearest checkpoint. However, no such penalty exists on other versions, and the player can skip "No Russian" if desired.
 * He was responsible for the deaths of approximately 31,000 people.
 * Although Makarov never physically appeared in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, he was directly responsible for the nuke scene that killed 30,000 men. This event was also the catalyst that caused General Shepherd's motives in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 * While his initials have been referenced in Modern Warfare 2 as "Makarov, V. R.", his initials was then slated as "Makarov, V. A." in Modern Warfare 3. However, the latter was most likely a spelling error since the Ukrainian ghost town Pripyat was also misspelled as "Prypiat" in the opening cutscene of Return to Sender and Makarov's first name was also misspelled as "Vladamir" at the end of the mission Down the Rabbit Hole!.

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Władimir Makarow