For other uses of Makarov, see Makarov.





"All warfare is based on deception. For years, the West hypocrisy has made the world the battlefield. The corrupt talk... while our brothers and sons spill their own blood. Deceit cuts both ways. The bigger the lie, the more likely people are willing to believe it. And when the nation cries for vengeance, the lies spread like a wildfire. The fire builds, devouring everything in its path. Our enemies believe that they alone dictate the course of history. And all it takes is the will of a single man." — Makarov, in the introduction to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Vladimir Makarov (Russian: Владимир Макаров) (Also referenced as Vladimir R. Makarov in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Vladimir A. Makarov in Modern Warfare 3) was the main antagonist of the Modern Warfare franchise and was 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, was the secondary antagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and was 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 and made them play by his rules. 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.

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Biography Edit

Early Military/Terrorist Career Edit

"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 pathological hatred and jealousy toward 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 Edit

"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 Edit

"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 Edit

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 Edit

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 Edit

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]

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 Edit

"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 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 Edit

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 Edit

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."

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.





Assassination Attempt and Vorshevsky's Daughter Edit

"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 a 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 seperate 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 Edit

"Goodbye, Captain Price." — Makarov's last words.

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, wrapped a steel cable around his throat and slammed him through the glass roof, shredding and hanging him at the same time. As he gazed upon Makarov's lifeless body hanging from the cable, Price lit and smoked a cigar, having finally ended Makarov's reign of terror.

"Yeah, I'm cuttin' through history class now!" 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 Zakhaev and the Spetsnaz soldier, Makarov was shot and killed by Price after Zakhaev got his arm blasted off by the sniper.

Associates Edit

Crimes Edit

Acts of Terrorism Edit

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. $100,000). 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 $2,100,000 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 Vorskevsky. An unknown number of FSO agents are dead or wounded.

All of these attacks brought Makarov's death toll to over 31,641, maybe more depending on the number in the boarding party and how many political figures that he killed in the North Caucasus.

Human Trafficking Edit

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 Edit

Used the connections in Russian and Ukranian 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 Edit

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

Newspaper Excerpts Edit

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 Edit

Gallery Edit

Trivia Edit

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".

, 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 .

, but are "Makarov, V. A." in . 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.