My fellow warriors... I wasn't here, but I was always with you. Since then, our enemies have grown stronger. The ULF have stolen back control of Urzikstan. The time has come for us to show them the meaning of true power. This is a battle of perception. A lie flies, while the truth... it only crawls. If you control what people believe, you control the world. This is our weapon. And we will use it as a tool of war to restore glory to Russia! The REAL Russia!!

Vladimir Makarov

Vladimir Makarov[3] (Russian: Владимир Макаров) is a character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, and the main antagonist of its sequel Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. He is the current leader of the Ultranationalists, and also the commander of the Russian PMC Konni Group.

Makarov was first mentioned in the Modern Warfare II campaign, and later has a minor voice role in the Shadow Siege limited-time event in Season Five. He is also a playable Operator of the KorTac faction in Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

Biography

Early life

Vladimir Makarov was born before the fall of the Soviet Union in the suburbs of Moscow. As the son of a high-ranking politician within the Russian government, Makarov watched the Soviet Union crumble, taking his father with it. The bright eyed, intelligent boy woke up one morning to his father's hanging body. Makarov came to despise his father's weakness, as well as the failures of the Soviet Union which had brought it about. He vowed not to make the same mistakes and so began his lifelong obsession. In 1998, Makarov joined the Russian military at the age of 18. A natural soldier with a talent for strategy, his reputation turned sour when he joined forces with an unsanctioned rogue army to maintain control of Urzikstan. When the Urzikstan Liberation Force rose and took back their home, Makarov experienced his first failure.

Recognizing traces of the Soviet Union's failures once again, Makarov pleaded with his superiors to reclaim Urzikstan, disgusted by the international mockery the ULF had made of Russian power. But the Kremlin. who had not sanctioned the attack on Urzikstan to begin with, refused, stripping the radical Makarov of all military honors.

Attack on Verdansk

Seeking justice for the actions made against him, Makarov joined Konni Group and plotted his first terrorist attack. On April 6, 2019, Makarov, alongside operators of the Inner Circle, who were disguised as police officers and paramedics, launched an attack in the Verdansk Stadium to attract Russia's attention, which prompted General Herschel Shepherd to send Captain John Price and Johnny "Soap" MacTavish to intervene and capture Makarov. He was later handed over to Russian authorities, who sentenced him to life in a maximum-security gulag.

Incarceration

Despite being imprisoned, Makarov was still able to coordinate Konni Group to attack and steal three missiles transported by Shadow Company. The missiles were later handed to Hassan Zyani for his plan of vengeance against the United States for the death of General Ghorbrani.

In August 2023, Makarov commanded Konni forces in Al Mazrah who were defending against Shadow Company forces attacking the Zaya Observatory to secure the chemical gas inside. During the assault, Makarov instructed his men via burner phones, which would be picked up by Shadow forces, leading to Shadow commander Phillip Graves and General Shepherd learning of his involvement.

Despite Shadow Company's success in destroying the observatory and securing most of the gas, Makarov managed to plant two Konni operatives, Ivan Alexxeve and Andrei Nolan, within the Shadow ranks. They later hijacked one of the exfil choppers carrying a gas shipment per Makarov's orders.

Escaping the Gulag

On November 10th, 2023, Makarov was freed by Konni Group during their assault on the Zordaya Prison Complex. Following the prison break, Makarov rallied Konni operators, announcing his plans, and stripped Ivan of his title as Team Leader, due to his incompetence during the prison assault, and promoted Nolan, who executed the former.

On November 11, 2023, Makarov orchestrated the hijacking of the Russian Flight 761, where he strapped a bomb vest to one of the passengers, a former ULF member named Samara Jalal, alongside launching several stolen missiles from the ULF, equipped with Konni's chemical gas, at the Arklov Military Base to pin the blame on the ULF, starting a conflict between Russia and Urzikstan.

After interrogating a Shadow Company soldier for intel in St. Petersburg, Makarov and Nolan watched as Konni loaded a bomb into one helicopter before Makarov departed in another.

On November 21, 2023, Makarov hired a hacker, who uploaded a Trojan virus to the British train system, allowing him to control it. This prompted Task Force 141 and SFO intervention, however, Makarov and his men had already gone down the tunnel earlier, they used the trains and set up sentry turrets to delay Task Force 141 and SFO, to give them time to plant the bomb and destroy the tunnel.

In spite of that, Task Force 141 still managed to reach the bomb's location; as Soap and Price were disarming the bomb, Makarov and his men ambushed them. Ordering his men to stand back and leave his enemies to him, Makarov shot Soap and then pinned Price down, taunting the latter that he should "never bury your enemies alive". Soap was able to get up and stab Makarov in the shoulder, but Makarov then killed Soap with a gunshot to the head, much to the anguish of Price. Makarov was then forced to retreat when 141 members Kyle "Gaz" Garrick and Simon "Ghost" Riley fired on them.