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The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The subject of this article appeared in Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The subject of this article appeared in Soap's Journal The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Ghosts The subject of this article appears in Extinction mode The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Mobile This article was previously featured
For other uses of Makarov, see Makarov.
For the character in the reboot, see Vladimir Makarov (Reboot).

"You think I am mad. But soon, you shall see that every move, every strike, was meant to bring us to this."
— Makarov, in the "Redemption" campaign trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3


Vladimir Makarov (Russian: Владимир Макаров, and also referenced as Vladimir R. Makarov in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Vladimir A. Makarov in Modern Warfare 3) is the main antagonist of the Modern Warfare franchise known for his ruthless tactics. He's the leader of an Ultranationalist terrorist cell and Imran Zakhaev's protégé.[3] Makarov was the unseen overarching antagonist in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the secondary antagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and the main antagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. As well, he appeared as a customization option in Call of Duty: Ghosts. He was the grand mastermind behind World War 3 and the cause of the entire series' events, always pulling the strings from behind the lines as the puppet master.

Makarov, a ruthless yet cunning strategist, often outmaneuvered his enemies, made them play by his rules and responsible for a number of acts and terror throughout the series. Taking the zero-sum game to heart, he did whatever was necessary to gain the upper hand without any regard to the loss of human life in the process, even shooting Yuri (his only known friend) to reach his objective. Makarov truly believed the end justified the means and until his death at the hands of John Price, Makarov's tactics would dictate the course of history.

According to the newspaper clippings in his safehouse, Vladimir Makarov held the photos up of Bravo Six (Gaz, Griggs, Price and John "Soap" MacTavish) and declared they were responsible for the death of Imran Zakhaev. Most likely, it was for this reason why he held a grudge against Price and Soap. The news articles showed that Makarov was responsible for the terrorist attacks in London and Moscow, threatening the removal of the Ultranationalist Party that was controlling Russia.

Biography[]

Makarov profile

Profile of Makarov.

Early Military/Terrorist Career[]

"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 country or any set of ideals. He trades blood for money."
— General Shepherd discusses Makarov's track record.

According to the intelligence that was gathered by General Shepherd, Vladimir Makarov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy as a captain in the Russian Army by serving as a paratrooper in the 98th Guards Airborne Division of the VDV. In the early nineties, he was stationed in Berlin during the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Later on in his career, he made it into the Spetsnaz and served two tours in Chechnya during the First Chechen War. It was believed a company under his command was involved with some of the most brutal "cleansing" raids.[4]

At some point, the U.N. held an inquiry to investigate these charges of human rights violations. Makarov's name appeared at the top of the list that was presented by an EU Investigation panel, but the inquiry was dropped when Makarov opted for discharge from the armed forces. This incident would mark the beginnings of his immense hatred towards the West and the Russian government for giving him no other option but to leave the armed forces. Afterward, Makarov brought his past military training to bear in many criminal and terrorist enterprises such as human trafficking, money laundering, the bombings of military/civilian targets and assassinations. At some point, the leader of the burgeoning Ultranationalist Party, Imran Zakhaev, took notice and allowed Makarov a position within his anti-Western movement. It was said Makarov was "kept in check" by Zakhaev during this partnership.

Zakhaev's assassination attempt[]

Makarov1996

Makarov in 1996.

"This deal will generate millions for our cause. Money can buy many things. Even power. The road to our future begins here, my friend."
— Vladimir explaining to Yuri their purpose of being at Chernobyl.

In 1996, Makarov along with his fellow soldier Yuri were present in Pripyat when Zakhaev was trading the fuel rods for the gold to fund the Ultranationalists and witnessed Zakhaev being shot and having his left arm mutilated by Lieutenant Price during the deal. Makarov drove Zakhaev away from the area, saving his life and earning his trust.

Crisis in the Middle East[]

Vladimir Makarov during Shock and Awe MW3

Makarov watching the Nuke go off.

"Thousand of souls... extinguished... by the push of a button..."
— Yuri recounts Makarov detonating the nuclear device.


Makarov was present during the U.S. Marine Corps invasion of the Middle East in an attempt to remove Khaled Al-Asad from power in 2011. He gave the order to detonate a nuclear device after receiving a phone call from Al-Asad (Who was actually hiding out in his safehouse in Azerbaijan) watching the detonation from Al-Asad's safehouse, with Yuri being the only one to witness this. The blast resulted in the deaths of over 30,000 Marines. Among the dead were Sgt. Paul Jackson, Lt. Vasquez, Cpt. Pelayo and Lt. Volker. This was the start of Makarov's madness as his hatred escalated even further. This event would also be a reason for Lieutenant General Shepherd's (Who served as the invasion force's supreme commander) motives in 2016.[5]

Rise to power[]

Zakhaev was killed by John "Soap" MacTavish thanks to the combined U.S. Marines, Loyalist and SAS forces at the climax of the Second Russian Civil War which caused the Ultranationalist Party to splinter.[6] Makarov's resources and contacts within the criminal world allowed him to assume control of a large portion of the dissolved Ultranationalist Party that was known officially as the "Inner Circle".[7]

After the Ultranationalists became the victors in the Second Russian Civil War through the Russian presidential election on August 10, 2016, Makarov played some part in the new Ultranationalist Russia under the mainstream party's newly elected leader and President Boris Vorshevsky. However, Vorshevsky and the other moderate Ultranationalist leaders knew Makarov's extreme tactics would deter any hopes of trying to distance the party from its violent past and winning the support of the Russian people and for Makarov causing strained relations with the United States and the Russian Loyalists. Another reason behind his removal was his vision to see Russia return to autocratic rule, which was the time of the Tsars. His vision could have incurred the wrath of a large number of members in the party including Vorshevsky, because this vision endangered their position as the new ruler of Russia. To ensure the Ultranationalist position as Russia's legitimate representative to the world, Vorshevsky, backed by a strong majority of members in the party, removed Makarov and his men with immediate effect and tried to improve relations with the United States and the Russian Loyalists. Furious with Vorshevsky's decision, Makarov vowed to kill Vorshevsky and his inner circles by calling all of them traitors to their cause. A news clipping in his safehouse confirmed this newfound hatred, explaining continuous attacks that conducted by the Inner Circle toward Russia and the Western interests for the next five years.[8]

In 2015, he became the CIA's most wanted terrorist (This could be seen in the cutscene for "Return to Sender").

Blaming the team for Zakhaev's death[]

Many newspaper articles stated Makarov held up photos of Bravo Team (Gaz, Griggs, Price and MacTavish) and declared them to be responsible for the death of Imran Zakhaev. Most likely, Zakhaev's death was the reason why he held a grudge against Price. The other news articles showed him responsible for several attacks in London and Moscow, threatening the Ultranationalists' removal from the government, fulfilling his vow to eliminate the traitors to their cause.[9]

Staging the Plan[]

PFC Allen: "So Makarov is the prize."
Shepherd: "Makarov's no prize. He's a whore. A mad-dog killer for the highest-bidder."
Private Allen and Shepherd.

In 2016, General Shepherd and his Task Force 141 were seemingly responsible for capturing Makarov and bringing him to justice. Shepherd selected an American soldier named Joseph Allen from the 75th Ranger Regiment and groomed him to become a CIA agent.[10]

"Alexei Borodin"[]

Shepherd inserted Allen within Makarov's terrorist cell, seemingly for the purpose of some deep cover operation. However, unknown to the young soldier, Makarov knew who he was and saw him as a pawn to further escalate the tensions between the Russian government led by Vorshevsky and the U.S. government by implicating him in a terrorist attack, resulting in a new conflict between Russia and America.[4]

Airport Massacre and Global Conflict[]

"The American thought he could deceive us. When they find that body... all of Russia will cry for war."
— Vladimir Makarov after he kills Joseph Allen.
Makarov&Co

Makarov and his team begin the assault.

Makarov and his men launched their terrorist attack on Zakhaev International Airport with their latest member, Alexei Borodin, (Joseph Allen) in tow. By the end of the assault, it was apparent that Makarov knew Borodin was an undercover CIA operative. He killed Allen and left his body at the scene of the massacre, implicating the American soldier in the attack. Makarov explained to his men his actions were meant to bring a full-scale war between the United States and Russia. Incidentally, General Shepherd also wanted a war between the United States and Russia as part of a plan to become a national hero and deliberately sent Allen to die.[4] Yuri, who was seemingly aware of Makarov's true plan, tried to stop the massacre by informing the FSB only for him to be shot and left to die for betraying his old friend. Yuri tried vainly to stop the massacre, only to collapse due to the massive loss of blood from his wound. Eventually, he was rescued and held a deep grudge toward Makarov for his betrayal and his violent acts against his own countrymen since then.[5]

Presumed Location[]

The war ensued and General Shepherd was given supreme command over the military and a mandate to continue his search for Makarov, who the General truly needed dead so he could bury any evidence of foul play. Makarov and his men were tracked down to two possible locations. One element of the Task Force was sent after Makarov in his safehouse in the Caucasus Mountains and another was sent to assassinate him at an airplane graveyard in Afghanistan. Shepherd began to purge his own Task Force of anyone who knew about his involvement with the airport massacre and the surrounding events. Makarov (present at the Airplane Graveyard and unlikely to evade Shepherd for long without his forces or safehouse) was contacted by Captain Price, who asked for intel on Shepherd's whereabouts. Realizing his only hope for survival was getting rid of Shepherd, Makarov agreed to tell Price about the location of Shepherd's base, Site Hotel Bravo. Price and MacTavish acted on this information and assassinated Shepherd, giving Makarov a window to escape and go underground.

Escalation[]

Makarov: "Russia will take all of Europe, even if it must stand upon a pile of ashes. I want the launch codes, Mr. President."
President Vorshevsky: "You'll never get them."
Makarov: "Every man has his weakness. (to his men) Find the girl."
— Makarov and President Boris Vorshevsky at the end of "Turbulence."
Vladimir Makarov dossier MW3

Makarov's dossier in Modern Warfare 3 (Note that now he's called Vladimir A. Makarov).

Following Shepherd's betrayal of the Task Force, Makarov went underground. Two months later, after the initial Russian invasion of the United States failed, Makarov planned a massive terrorist/military blitzkrieg attack on all European capitals and major cities with the goal of Russia being the supreme ruler of the continent. To achieve this goal, he secretly procured and produced a large arsenal of deadly chemical weapons to be used as a first strike weapon on many key government and military installations throughout Western Europe. To cover his trail, Makarov convinced Viktor "Volk" Khristenko to become his bomb-maker and Volk created a front company called Fregata Industries, distributing the chemical weapons to various rogue shipping outlets in Africa and Europe. To further cover his tracks, Makarov rallied a Somalian warlord named Waraabe to take control of several African paramilitary groups in Sierra Leone, Somalia and presumably other African countries to seize control of the aforementioned outlets. Makarov also recruited most of the Russian military to his plan of invading Europe and plotting a coup d'état against President Boris Vorshevsky by using the Russian people's belief that their war against the U.S. was still justified and convincing the top Russian officers that Vorshevsky's peace agreement was a mistake.

With his chemical weapons ready and military invasion force settled, Makarov hijacked President Vorshevsky's plane en route to negotiate a peace treaty with the United States and NATO. Makarov's men forced the plane to crash land they swarmed the site. Makarov killed Andrei Harkov, Leonid Pudovkin and the rest of the President's security detail. With Vorshevsky's as his hostage and the majority of the Russian Command structure swearing loyalty to the Inner Circle, Makarov effectively became the de facto leader of Russia.

Assassination Attempt and Vorshevsky's Daughter[]

"Yuri, my friend. You never should have come here."
— Makarov to Yuri in "Blood Brothers".

With a full-scale war on the European continent, Makarov met with his advisers, whose identities or nationalities are never disclosed to the player, in Prague. Aware he was the target of assassination like Zakhaev before him, Makarov set a trap for the TF 141 operatives. Price and Yuri escaped, but Soap was mortally wounded and eventually died from his injuries. Makarov talked to his second in command, who was stationed in an Ultranationalist stronghold not far from Prague and discussed their plans to capture Alena Vorshevsky. Makarov's men got there before Delta Force could and took her to an Ultranationalist base in a diamond mine in Eastern Siberia. However, a joint operation by both Delta Force and TF 141 rescued both Vorshevskys. A separate Special Ops assignment by Frost blows up the mine, killing most of Makarovs loyalists. Still furious over his abduction and betrayal by his own men and with most of Makarov's loyalists killed in the mine, Vorshevsky launched a purge to arrest every last hardliner in the party and bring them before the International Criminal Court. Fearful he might face the same fate, Makarov fled from Russia along with his small band of surviving followers.

Death[]

"Goodbye, Captain Price."
— Makarov's last words.
Makarov Just About To Kill Captain Price

Makarov aiming his gun at Price as he was about to kill him.

With the war over, Makarov went into hiding in the Arabian Peninsula at the Hotel Oasis. In January, Price and Yuri assaulted the hotel, intent on killing him. Price caught up with Makarov, preventing his escape by helicopter by killing the pilots. As the helicopter crashed in the ensuing chaos, Makarov beat Price to his Desert Eagle and was about to kill him before being shot by Yuri. Makarov retaliated by executing the Mozambique Drill on Yuri, shooting him in both his shoulders before killing him with a shot to the head. Enraged by the loss of another ally, Price beat Makarov down, punching him in the face and slamming his head into the roof. Eventually, Price wrapped a steel cable around his throat and slammed him through the glass roof. The roof broke, sending Price and Makarov tumbling to the floor below. Price landed on his back and suffered no major injuries, but the steel cable yanked Makarov upwards as he fell, causing his spine and neck to be broken, killing him instantly. Price lit a cigar as he looked upon Makarov's hanging body, knowing his reign of terror was finally over.

Death (Time Paradox)[]

Player Default BO3 "You're not real. None of this is!"
The subject matter of this article is non canon.

Makarov's presence at the 1996 Chernobyl Assassination cost him his life in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered. While he was monologuing to Yuri inside the Jeep and watching the weapons deal between Imran Zakhaev and the Spetsnaz soldier, Makarov was shot and killed by Price using a Barrett .50cal after Zakhaev got his arm blasted off by the sniper.

Associates[]

Crimes[]

Acts of Terrorism[]

  • 2001 - To start Makarov's reign of terror off, Imran Zakhaev ordered Makarov to bomb a Moscow city bus. The mission succeeded with 29 people killed and 19 injured.
  • 2001 - The bombing of Piccadilly Circus by using a modified London Underground train filled with explosives by killing or wounding 407.
  • 2001 - The massacre of the GUM department store in Moscow. 87 are dead or wounded.
  • 2002 - The hijacking of a Greek oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea. The Hellenic Navy boarding party along with the two crew members are killed or wounded before the $3 million ransom was paid.
  • 2002 - The murder of the three Russian infantry soldiers.
  • 2002 - The $1.5 million was stolen from a ZBV bank.
  • 2003 - The repression of the North Caucasus-based and pro-Western nationalist groups.
    • The assassinations of the political leaders, arson and the bombing of the opposition parties.
    • The murder of a Moscow-based journalist named Ilya Lovitch who was investigating political crimes in the region.
  • 2003 - The bombings of several government buildings in Kazakhstan. 245 are dead or wounded.
  • 2003 - The hijackings of the two Kreigler Airliners. 378 are dead or wounded. Eight of them are his own men.
  • 2004 - Robbed a HBS bank in Istanbul, Turkey.
  • 2004 - The abduction of the 15 college students from Russia. The five students are killed or wounded.
  • 2004 - The bombing of the two embassies in Africa. 28 are dead and 48 are injured.
  • 2005 - The hold-up of an armored truck in Moscow and stole the three million rubles (Approx. $100K). The three security guards are dead or wounded.
  • 2005 - The hijacking of the cruise ship in the Baltic Sea and tortured the U.S. passengers until the $5 million ransom was paid.
  • 2006 - Robbed the Russian State Postal and Banking Service Depot of the 32 million rubles (Approx. $1.2 million).
  • 2006 - The murder of a famous British designer named Rob Millington.
  • 2006 - The murder of the three US airmen that are based in Turkmenistan.
  • 2006 - Helped coordinate the attacks by Janjaweed militias and Sudanese military against the rebels. Implicated in human rights abuse.
  • 2007 - The capture and beheading of the Mossad attaché to Ukraine who was investigating Makarov's links to the Islamic extremists.
  • 2007 - The assassination of a Pakistani politician named Hasni Al'Bura.
  • 2007 - The bombing of Russia-Germany gas pipeline in Belarus because Gasneft refused to pay a fee to prevent “disruption to service”.
  • 2007 - Robbed $15 million worth of diamonds and other gemstones from a Siberian mining company.
  • 2008/2009 - The bombing of a Swedish furniture store in a shopping mall that was located in St. Petersburg. The 100 people are killed or wounded.
  • 2008 - The ambush of an FSB vehicle. Five agents dead or wounded.
  • 2008 - The abduction and murder of a SibGaz owner's wife and daughter.
  • 2009 - The bombing of the Baku-located U.S. oil company offices. The three people are dead or wounded.
  • 2009 - The unsuccessful bomb plot against the English-speaking school in Moscow.
  • 2009 - The unsuccessful rigging of the explosives in a Moscow-located soccer stadium. The authorities burst a pipe to halt the match, denying publicity to Makarov.
  • 2009 - The trafficking of over $2.1M worth of weapons, drugs and people.
  • 2011 (Day 3) - Gave Al-Asad the order of detonating a nuclear device, killing or wounding approx. 30,000 U.S. Marines, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy SEALs and NEST team and an unknown number of OpFor among others.
  • 2016 (August 12 (Day 3) ) - The massacre of Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow which provoked the Russo-American War. (234 civilians with unknown amount of security personnel and FSB members killed or wounded; total of 243 people killed according to Return to Sender cutscene).
  • 2016 (October 3) - The abduction of Russian President Vorshevsky. An unknown number of FSO agents are dead or wounded.
  • 2016 (October 6) - The detonation of unknown chemical weapons as a prelude to Russian invasion of Europe. 35,000 deaths in Paris (Bag and Drag cutscene) and an unknown number of military and civilian deaths throughout the rest of Europe.
  • 2016 (October 13) - Abduction of Alena Vorshevsky from her safehouse in Berlin. Unknown number of her bodyguards dead.
  • 2016 (October 14) - Last-ditch attempt to nuke Europe by coercing nuclear launch codes out of President Vorshevsky. Foiled by Delta Force and Task Force 141.
All of these attacks brought Makarov's death toll to over 31,641, maybe more depending on the number in the boarding party, political figures that he killed in the North Caucasus, and deaths from chemical attacks in Europe.

Human Trafficking[]

Mainly involved in moving the women from the poorer parts of Eastern Europe to Western Europe with promises of well-paid jobs only to be forced into prostitution across Europe, the Persian Gulf and the United States.

Money Laundering[]

Used the connections in Russian and Ukrainian banking to clean the money that was earned in drugs and weapons dealing that was done mainly through the transfers to Cyprus, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Drug Smuggling[]

Provided muscle and safe passage of the Russian section of the Herdin Trail from the poppy fields of Afghanistan.

Newspaper Excerpts[]

Main article: Vladimir Makarov/Newspaper Excerpts

During the introduction of "No Russian", several newspaper pages concerning Makarov, from “The World Today” and others are flashed on the screen. Some paragraphs or whole articles are just repeated on the other newspapers.

Some newspaper clippings are also found in Makarov's safehouse, mentioning a bombing of Piccadilly Circus by Makarov, his views about Zakhaev and Russia taking notice of the airport massacre.

Quotes[]

Main article: Vladimir Makarov/Quotes

Call of Duty: Mobile[]

Makarov appears in Call of Duty: Mobile, introduced in the Season 7 Radioactive Agent as a playable character and also a character in the Comics, as an antagonist.

Makarov is revealed to have used an underground lab somewhere in a desert to attempt to recreate Nova Gas. The lab, which was also used as a missile silo that housed missiles containing the replicated Nova Gas. Makarov then releases the gas and sends his team of mercenaries in Hazmat suits to ambush Ghost and Tank, who had raided the place. Ghost barely makes it out alive as his entire team is killed. However, Makarov remotely launches the missiles, leaving Ghost with no chance to stop them.

Makarov is later seen again in a jungle base, apparently having gathered supplies & weapons for his upcoming plans. However, before he can proceed, he is interrupted by the arrival of Mara in her team consisting of Golem, Otter and an unnamed Frogman, who storm into the base in an attempt to thwart his plans. Makarov runs away, relentlessly being pursued by Mara. Just before she can reach him however, Mace, who is revealed to be working for Makarov, intercepts her. A brief fight ensues which ends in a standoff with Mara holding Makarov at gunpoint. Mace, in a twist of events, betrays Makarov by shooting him in the head. This in turn causes Mara to lose sight of him and Mace successfully launches an EMP missile located in an underground bunker he escaped into.

Though presumed dead, Makarov unexpectedly appears again later, at a Soviet base that was stated to possibly be of importance to the Five Knights. When Ghost arrives to investigate, Makarov makes himself known by saying "The enemy of my enemy, is my friend." Ghost is shocked to see him still alive, as Mara had confirmed that he had been shot in the head. Makarov says that Mace also saw him die but "appearances are deceiving" and that he needed to fake his death since their goals had diverged. Makarov also states that he knows that Ghost has arrived to seek information on how to defeat The Five Knights and that he has said information. When questioned about their identity and goals, Makarov says that the Knights consist of 5 individuals with different goals who were useful to each other as he was useful to them and proceeds to list them off. Rorke heads the mercenaries, Hidora, who is looking for corporate profits, Mace, only wanting the downfall of the government, Raul Menendez, who wants control of the system by hijacking it, and a fifth member whose identity Makarov says will keep secret, unless Ghost takes him in.

Ghost agrees, but as they exit the facility, they are ambushed by Templar. Ghost tells Makarov to run while he engages Templar, which he does.

Makarov is later shown to have taken Ghost's body, seen dragging it towards a cliff. While there, he rendezvouses with a team of Ghosts led by Captain Merrick, and hands them over Ghost's body in exchange for a briefcase.

Makarov, having escaped from Siberia, discusses how to obtain various assets belonging to his enemies with a crew of his. He then notes said assets are being auctioned at the Hacienda, one of the most secure underground locations. Since he does not have the resources to properly bid for it, he plans to steal it.

He later arrives at the Hacienda to begin his heist. Midway into the mission, he suddenly turns on one of his colleagues, declaring he is an "impostor". Despite the man's attempt to kill Makarov for his betrayal, he is gunned down. With the help from his remaining colleagues, Makarov manages to infiltrate further into the Hacienda, but finds that the package is gone. He is then greeted by Dame, apparently alive and well. They both express surprise as they expected each other to be dead, Dame says that she didn't expect Makarov to steal the asset and asks if he has an escape plan, which Makarov replies in the affirmative. An excavator truck busts through the wall, before another operative orders Dame to stand down.

Dame admits to being impressed by Makarov's escape plan, but reveals she isn't out of tricks either; she has placed a half-ton of plastic explosives around the Hacienda, rigged to a dead man's switch, in the event Makarov chose to use his weapons. Makarov doesn't understand the situation, though he's not complaining, Dame declares that she's going to help Makarov as there are "many debts to be repaid".

Makarov isn't seen again until some time later, in the Caucasus accompanied by Wraith and Sophia Couteau, he meets up with Nyx, Kryptis and Roger Vachon, a representative of Ortelius. He later discusses business matters with Vachon, stating that he has been keeping a low profile, but recent events have led him to take action. He believes that Ortelius will help fund the next stage of his operations. Vachon offers him a price, to which Makarov seems displeased by, Vachon says that if he's unsatisfied with the amount, he is authorized to offer a significant bonus, provided he agrees to certain provisions. Makarov begins to question Vachon, asking if that's what Nikto did. He states that Nikto is a born follower and that he's great as an "attack dog", but he doesn't accept provisions as he isn't Nikto, any more then he is "Vachon".

Vachon asks what he means, to which Makarov replies that it took a hacker collective 6 months to collect data contained in his briefcase, which include confidential identities, medical histories, known addresses and thousands of names. Makarov proceeds to divulge "Vachon"'s full details: Roger Vachon's real name is Cedric Montpierre, a resident of Zurich, he has a wife named Helene and 2 children, Roman and Celeste. Just then, Montpierre's phone in his shirt pocket rings, Makarov then tells him to answer the call, as that is his wife calling him.

Just as Montpierre picks up the call, Kryptis, who was attacked by Sophia and Wraith earlier, bursts into the room. Montpierre orders him to stand down as Makarov has his family. Makarov promises to return Montpierre's family to him unharmed, once he answers a few questions for him, starting with who does he really work for.

Some time later, Makarov is still in the Caucasus with Sophia and Wraith. He is delighted to learn that Atlas Corporation has agreed to meet with him, at a location of his choosing. Both Sophia and Wraith believe it's a trap set to kill him and try to dissuade him. Makarov is offended they think he is that naïve, but nonetheless admits they're right as he fully expects they will try to kill him. He then offers advice to Sophia: that he has made Atlas Corporation afraid. When he forces his enemy to act out of fear, he forces them to act before they're prepared, and those who aren't prepared make mistakes, that by agreeing to meet with him, Atlas has made their first mistake.

Elsewhere, in the coast of the Caspian Sea, a decoy of Makarov is present. When Hidora Kai ambushes his target, he realizes it is not Makarov. This is revealed to be a setup by Dame, whom Makarov gives the order to kill Hidora and his group of undercover operatives.

Makarov later infiltrates New Vision City, with his group hiding out in a shipping container that is moved into a warehouse along with several other containers. Once inside, Sophia breaks through the container and reports clear. Wraith admits she is impressed by his plan even though she put their chances at a hundred to one. Makarov thanks Montpierre for use of his "executive priority shipping", which allowed to bypass security scanners and screening. When Montpierre asks about his family, Makarov says that he has already let them go, as he sent word as soon as they touched down. He tells Montpierre that he has lived up to his end of the bargain before shooting him dead.

While he does this, Wraith packs a large quantity of C4 into a duffel bag, noting they don't have much time and they still have a lot of ground to cover, so Makarov tells them to grab their toys and get moving. Sophia asks if Makarov really did let Montpierre's family go, unharmed, as he had promised. Makarov confirms that he did, adding that he is not a monster. Just then, a squad of armed troops enter the warehouse, together with Samael.

Makarov narrowly escapes from Samael and his troops by guiding Sophia and Wraith to an open section of the warehouse's roof. All three manage to climb out undetected. He then leads the trio to another section of New Vision City, with Wraith rigging explosive charges at various points along the way. He notes how the directions given to him by Montpierre were very accurate, and hopes that the place they're heading to is as lightly guarded as he described.

After Wraith finishes setting up the last charge, Makarov tells Sophia to enter a building, with him following behind and holding the guard at the entrance at gunpoint, then tells Wraith to lock down the place, though she's already done it before he told her to do so. He forces his way into a secret room with other men, and tells them to put their hands up. He then shoots the guard he was holding at gunpoint dead, and the men in the room surrender.

Sophia notes that if the place is as important as Makarov said it is, Atlas Corporation isn't putting up much of a fight to defend it. He replies that to Atlas, New Vision City is all the protection it needs, and reminds her that they threaded a very tiny needle to get to where they are now: the place is revealed to be Atlas' secure digital archive, where every technological innovation, every strategy it has devised and every dirty secret is stored, basically Atlas Corporation's brain.

Sophia informs Makarov that they have company, which surprises him as he thinks he has misjudged them as they are more competent than they appear. Wraith asks if it's time to blow the place, but Makarov says no and decides to put up a fight instead, to make Atlas believe they're desperate, although Sophia thinks they are desperate. He isn't concerned however, as he picks up his grenade launcher and starts firing while laughing maniacally.

The trio are then pinned down by Atlas reinforcements, and Makarov decides it is time to go, and tells Wraith to set off the charges. As she does, multiple explosions go off in New Vision City, rattling the office that Ether, the Director and Samael are in, as well as shocking the UAC troops who have just arrived there. As New Vision City's landscape is reduced to flames and ashes, Makarov relishes in it, telling Wraith that it is a thing of beauty. Sophia praises him for his good work, but wonders what this has to do with finding Ghost. He replies that it isn't time for that yet, as he is greeted by Spectre, who is overjoyed to see them.

His group opens fire on Spectre, who activates his Poltergeist to evade them. Makarov is knocked down by a now-invisible Spectre, and so is Wraith, to Sophia's horror. He quickly gestures for Sophia to shoot at a nearby hydrant, which sprays water into the surrounding area and disables Spectre's Poltergeist. He tells Sophia and Wraith to get into formation, before Spectre resumes their battle.

Spectre lunges at Wraith, tackling her and throwing her into a nearby building. Makarov attempts to shoot him, but Spectre kicks his weapon away and cuts off his right arm with his sword. Makarov is then thrown aside, knocking down Sophia as well. Just before Spectre can finish off Makarov, Wraith recovers and shoots Spectre multiple times on the head, presumably killing him.

Makarov is tended to by Wraith, who wraps a tourniquet around his severed arm, and is escorted away by her and Sophia, who has an idea. He is loaded onto an ambulance, but before they can drive away, a bright light illuminates the background--revealed to have emanated from an orbital strike on Atlas Corporation's Sky Carrier. Afterwards, Sophia and Wraith drive the ambulance out of New Vision City with an unconscious Makarov in tow.

Some time later, Makarov is given a new prosthetic arm for his severed one, though he complains about it making him itch, which he cannot scratch and he can't sleep with it either, deeming the arm a curse. Wraith says that they work with what they have, and maybe Makarov should've actually blown up the archive so that he wouldn't whine, but he says that the bomb planted there was just for show, and considering Atlas hasn't discovered the root access she gave them to the archive, the decoy worked as intended.

Meanwhile, Sophia also has complaints of her own. She complains that Makarov had told her for 6 months, that the archive would've had information on how to find Ghost, but so far, there's nothing. Frustrated, Makarov slams his arm on the table and scolds Sophia for leeching off other people's efforts and to start working for herself, with Wraith being unable to do much to help.

Gallery[]

Main article: Vladimir Makarov/Gallery

Trivia[]

  • Makarov's left eye is blue, and his right is green due to Heterochromia iridum.
    • Oddly, however, both of his eyes were green in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, even if his dossier mentioned the differences of his eye colors.
    • Even more strange, his Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC model also has same-colored eyes.
  • According to Soap's Journal, his blood type is A positive.
  • The 'Infamy' trailer which Makarov narrates was released on his birthday.
  • Inside Makarov's bedroom, within the safehouse, there are two books. One is titled Philosophy Politics and Poetry.
    • As well as this, there is a picture by Gerard Van Honthorst within the room.
  • In the February 2010 issue of Game Informer, Makarov was ranked #4 on "Top 10 Villains of '09".
  • In the Redemption trailer, Makarov is seen wearing the same clothes from "No Russian".
  • Makarov's initials are "Makarov, V. R." in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but are "Makarov, V. A." in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
  • Makarov is the announcer for the Inner Circle in the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
  • The newspaper articles that are shown at the beginning of "No Russian" described Makarov as "on par with Al-Qaeda" in terms of the threat that he posed to the world.

References[]

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