"Revenge is like a ghost. It takes over every man it touches.
Its thirst cannot be quenched, until the last man standing has fallen.
The world's men of action will look and wonder... how it came to this.
You may be able to destroy me, but the beast will eventually come for
you."
Vladimir Makarov (Russian: Влади́мир Мака́ров) was the leader of an Ultranationalist terrorist cell and Imran Zakhaev's protégé.[3] He has a cameo appearance as "The First Horseman" in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. He was the secondary antagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the main antagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. He also appears as a customization option in Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Makarov, a ruthless yet cunning strategizer, 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 upperhand, without any
regard to the loss of human life in the process. Makarov truly believed
that the end justified the means, and until his death at the hands of John Price, Makarov's tactics would dictate the course of history.
"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.[4]
According to intelligence gathered by General Shepherd, Vladimir Makarov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy as a captain in the Russian Army, first serving as a paratrooper. Later on in his career he made it into the 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.
At some point, the U.N. held an inquiry investigating these
charges of human rights violations. Makarov's name appeared at the top
of the list 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 towards
the West and the Russian
government for giving him no other option but leave the armed forces.
Afterwards, Makarov brought his past military training to bear in many
criminal and terrorist enterprises such as human trafficking, money
laundering, the bombing of military/civilian targets, assassination,
etc. 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 is said that Makarov was "kept in check" by Zakhaev during
this partnership.
"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 fuel rods for 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 him Zakhaev's trust.
"Thousand of souls... extinguished... by the push of a button..."
— Yuri recounts Makarov detonating the nuclear device.
Makarov watching the Nuke go off.
Makarov was present during the U.S. Marine Corpsinvasion of the Middle East in an attempt to remove Khaled Al-Asad
from power in 2011. He was ordered to detonate the nuclear device after
receiving a phone call from Al-Asad (who was really hiding out in his
safehouse in Azerbaijan) watching the detonation from Al-Asad's
safehouse, with Yuri being the only one to witness to 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 is also 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]
Zakhaev was killed by 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, known officially as the "Inner Circle".[7]
After the Ultranationalists become victors in the Second Russian Civil War through the Russian presidential election on August 10th, 2016,
Makarov plays some part in the new Ultranationalist-run Russia under
the mainstream party's newly elected leader and President Boris Vorshevsky.
However, Vorshevsky and other moderate Ultranationalist leaders knew
Makarov's extreme tactics would deter any hope of trying to distance the
party away 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, the time of the
Tsars. His vision may incurred the wrath of a large number of members
inside the party including Vorshevsky because this vision endangered
their position as the new ruler of Russia. To ensure 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 Russian Loyalists. Furious with Vorshevsky's
decision, Makarov vowed to destroy Vorshevsky and his inner circles,
calling all of them traitors to their cause. A news clipping in his
safehouse confirmed this new-found hatred, explaining continuous attacks
conducted by Inner Circle towards Russia and Western interests for the
next five years.[8]
In 2015, he became the CIA's most wanted (This can be seen in the cutscene for "Return to Sender").
Many newspaper articles state that 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 is the reason that he holds grudge against Price.
Other news articles showed him responsible for several attacks in
London and Moscow, threatening Ultranationalists removal from the
government, fulfilling his vow to eliminate traitors to their cause.[9]
In 2016, General Shepherd and his Task Force 141 are seemingly responsible for capturing Makarov and bringing him to justice. Shepherd selects American soldier Joseph Allen from the 75th Ranger Regiment and grooms him to become a CIA agent.[10]
Shepherd then inserts Allen within Makarov's terrorist cell,
seemingly for the purpose of some deep cover operation. However, unknown
to the young soldier, Makarov knows who he is and sees him as a pawn to
further escalate tensions between Russian government led by Vorshevsky
and the U.S. government by implicating him in a terrorist attack, resulting a new conflict between Russia and America.[4]
Makarov and his team begin the assault.
Makarov and his men launch their terrorist attack on Zakhaev International Airport
with their latest member, Alexei Borodin (Joseph Allen's alias) in tow.
By the end of the assault, it is made apparent that Makarov knows
Borodin is an undercover CIA operative. He kills Allen and leaves his
body at the scene of the massacre, implicating the American soldier in
the attack. Makarov explains to his comrades that his actions were meant
to bring about a full scale war between the United States and Russia.
Incidentally, this war would personally benefit General Shepherd.[4] Yuri, seemingly aware with 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 massive
loss of blood from his wound. Eventually, he was rescued and since then,
held a deep grudge towards Makarov for his betrayal and his violent
acts against his own countrymen.[5]
The war ensues and General Shepherd is given supreme command over the
military and a mandate to continue his search for Makarov, who the
General now truly needs killed so that he can bury any evidence of foul
play. Makarov and his men are tracked down to two possible locations.
One element of the Task Force is sent after Makarov in his Safehouse in the Caucus Mountains and another is sent to assassinate him at an airplane graveyard in Afghanistan.
Shepherd then begins to purge his own Task Force of anyone who knows of
his involvement with the airport massacre and the surrounding events.
Makarov is contacted by Captain Price,
who asks for intel on Shepherd's whereabouts. Realizing that his only
hope for survival is getting rid of Shepherd, Makarov agrees to tell
Price the location of Shepherd's base, Site Hotel Bravo. Price and MacTavish later act on this information and assassinate Shepherd.
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 goes
underground. Two months later, after the initial Russian invasion of the
United States, Makarov plans a massive terrorist/military blitzkrieg
attack on the cities and capitals of Europe with the goal of Russia
being the supreme ruler of the continent. To achieve this goal, he
secretly procures a large arsenal of deadly chemical weapons, to be used
as a first strike weapon on many key military and government
instillations throughout Makarov's dossier in Modern Warfare 3 (Note that now he's called Vladimir A. Makarov).Western Europe. To cover his trail, Makarov convinces Viktor "Volk" Khristenko to become his bomb-maker, who in turn creates 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 Somalian
warlord 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 amasses most
of the Russian military to his plans of military conquest of Europe and
coup d'état against Boris Vorshevsky,
using the Russian peoples’ belief that their war against the U.S. is
still justified, and convincing top Russian generals that Vorshevsky's
peace agreement is a mistake.
With his chemical weapons ready and military invasion force set, Makarov hijacksPresident Boris Vorshevsky's
plane enroute to negotiate peace with the United States and NATO.
Makarov's men force the plane to crash land where they swarm the site.
Makarov kills Andrei Harkov, Leonid Pudovkin, and the rest of the President's security detail.
Assassination Attempt and Vorshevsky's DaughterEdit
"Yuri, my friend. You never should have come here."
With full scale war on the European continent, Makarov meets with his
advisers, whose identities or nationalities are never disclosed to the
player, in Prague. Aware that he is the target of assassination, like
Zakhaev before him, Makarov sets a trap for the TF 141 operatives. Price
and Yuri escape but Soap is mortally wounded and eventually dies of his
injuries. Makarov then talks to his second in command who is stationed
in the Ultranationalist stronghold not far from Prague, and discusses
plans to capture Alena Vorshevsky.
Makarov's men get there before Delta Force can, and take her to an
Ultranationalist base in a Diamond Mine in Eastern Siberia. However a
joint operation by both Delta Force and TF 141 rescues both Vorshevskys.
Still seething over his abduction and betrayal by his men, Vorshevsky
later launches 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 flees along with his followers from Russia.
Vladimir Makarov
"Goodbye, Captain Price."
— Makarov's last words.
Makarov aiming his gun at Price.With the war over, Makarov went into hiding in the Arabian Peninsula at the Hotel Oasis. In January, Price and Yuri assault
the hotel, intent on killing him. Price catches up with Makarov,
preventing his escape by a helicopter by killing the pilots. As the
chopper crashes in the ensuing chaos, Makarov beats Price to his Desert Eagle
and is about to kill him when he is shot by Yuri, who in turn is killed
by him. This buys Price enough time to beat Makarov down, wrap a cord
around his neck and force him through the glass roof, shredding and
hanging him at the same time. Price takes a smoke as he gazes on
Makarov's lifeless corpse, dangling from the cable.
"This is for the record. History is written by the victor. History is filled with liars. If he
lives, and we die, his truth becomes written - and ours is lost.
Shepherd will be a hero. 'Cause all you need to change the world is one
good lie and a river of blood. He's about to complete the greatest trick
a liar ever played on history. His truth will be THE truth. But only if
he lives, and we die."
"I was just a Leftenant[sic]back then...doing some wetwork. Chernobyl.
Christmas for the bad guys. Even a decade later, a lot of 'em still
used it to get their hands on nuclear material...a lot of 'em, including
one Imran Zakhaev.
Of course we couldn't just let that happen. Cash for spent fuel rods?
That's one hell of a recipe for destruction. It was the first time our
government had authorized an assassination order since the Second World War. I was under the command of Captain MacMillan."
— Price telling the story of Zakhaev's attempted assassination.
In 1996, 15 years prior to the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Price held the rank of Lieutenant in the 22nd SAS Regiment, and was under the command of Captain MacMillan. The two were deployed to Pripyat, Ukraine on a covert operation to assassinate arms dealer Imran Zakhaev. While Price initially believed he had killed Zakhaev with an M82
sniper rifle, Zakhaev actually survived, despite losing his left arm.
The duo were then swarmed by Zakhaev's forces, and in the ensuing
firefight, MacMillan was crippled by a falling Mi-28
helicopter. Price carried MacMillan to the extraction point, where they
were rescued after holding their ground against Ultranationalists.
("Now take the shot" Macmillan stated)
Captain Price in a Black Hawk helicopter during the mission Crew Expendable.
In the events of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Price held the rank of Captain and led an SAS squad, designated "Bravo Team", from the Bering Strait, to Russia, to Azerbaijan and finally back to Russia. Under his command throughout the events were Gaz and then Sgt. John "Soap" MacTavish, as well as others such as Mac, Sergeant Arem, Sergeant Barton, Sergeant Wallcroft and then Private Griffen.
"The package is aboard a medium freighter. Estonian registration number 52775. There is a small crew and security detail onboard."
— Price briefing the troops before the mission.
After meeting MacTavish, Bravo Team is deployed to the Bering Strait and assaults an Estonian cargo ship containing a nuclear device.
Price is puzzled to see that there is Arabic writing on the container,
along with a Middle-Eastern flag draped on the floor. As he signals the
chopper for extraction of the container, the boat is fired upon by MiG-29
fighters. They are then forced to escape to the helicopter as the boat
starts to sink. As they reach the helicopter and jump for safety, Soap
almost slips off, but Price grabs him just in time, saving him from
falling to his death.
Price, during the search for Nikolai.
"Nikolai's in hell right now, we're gonna walk him out. We take care of our friends. Let's move."
— Price to Gaz before rescuing Nikolai.
Their next mission takes them to Russia, where they work with Sgt. Kamarov's Loyalists to rescue their compromised informant, Nikolai. Kamarov kept delaying the SAS team with the hope that their assistance would help him retake the village from the Ultranationalists,
but acquiesces and reveals the informant's location when threatened by
Gaz. Price, Gaz, and Soap then storm the house where Nikolai is held
hostage in. Inside, when the power is cut by Gaz, they kill
Ultranationalists Viktor and Sasha, and three others before they get Nikolai.
"All right. Let's top these bastards before they kill the old man."
— Price before saving the farmer.
Price, along with Soap and Gaz, then
extract Nikolai
on a chopper, but the chopper was then shot down by a enemy
surface-to-air missile and they were forced fight their way to the
extraction point with the aid of an AC-130H Spectre, codename "Wildfire". Along the way they save the life of an old farmer.
Price anwering Al-Asad's phone.
After receiving some valuable intel from Nikolai, Price leads the team to Azerbaijan to capture Khaled Al-Asad after he set off a nuclear device concealed in his capital city, killing 30,000 U.S. Marines.
The team fights their way through his defenses and captures Al-Asad
inside his safehouse, where Price tortures him for intel. Price then
learns that Imran Zakhaev is still alive and executes Al-Asad. Price
tells the rest of the team about his past mission to assassinate
Zakhaev. During the escape attempt eight hours later, the team is then
extracted by a unit of Force Recon Marines led by SSgt. Griggs.
"Zakhaev's son, commander of the Ultranationalist forces in
the field. Rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The Loyalist,
Kamarov, has got a location on the kid."
— Price telling Griggs of his plan.
After escaping the Ultranationalists, Price leads a joint-task force (SAS, U.S. Marines, and Loyalists) in capturingViktor Zakhaev.
This mission takes them through an abandoned Russian village, ending at
a five-story building. Price orders Soap to "take his (Zakhaev's)
weapon and restrain him." The mission fails when Viktor Zakhaev commits
suicide before Soap can comply.
"They've started a bloody countdown! Zakhaev's gonna launch the remaining missiles!"
— Price to his team.
Victor's death deeply affects Imran Zakhaev, who threatens to launch missiles at the United States,
but Imran still launches them. The SAS and Marines then fight through
the facility, deactivating the nukes. During the events of No Fighting In The War Room,
the joint task force breaches the facility, eventually reaching the
control center. Soap then uploads the missile abort codes and
self-destructs the nukes over the Atlantic, saving the U.S. Eastern
Seaboard from nuclear annihilation. Zakhaev is last seen departing the
facility in an Ultranationalist helicopter.
Captain Price slides his M1911 .45 to Soap in the mission "Game Over" The screenshot itself, however, is from the reveal trailer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2..
After deactivating the missiles, Price, Soap, Gaz and Griggs are
chased on a highway in trucks, but an enemy Hind takes out the bridge. A
tanker truck blows up, badly wounding Price and the others. Griggs and
Gaz are killed but Price managed to slide his M1911
to Soap, who kills Zakhaev and his bodyguards when they are distracted
by the arrival of a Loyalist helicopter gunship. Afterwards, a Russian
medic can be seen trying, seemingly in vain, to revive Price, but Soap
and Price are taken to a Russian hospital. Despite the best efforts of
the combined U.S. and British strike team, the Ultranationalists managed
to withstand the loss of Zakhaev and eventually succeed in gaining
power in Russia in 2016.
Reassigned to Task Force 141 and Operation KingfishEdit
Sometime after recovering from their wounds sustained from the Zakhaev incident, both Price and Soap were reassigned to General Shepherd's newly formed elite unit, Task Force 141.
Acting as the field commander for the regiment, Price led his new unit
on countless covert operations with the key goal of capturing/killing
Vladimir Makarov, who by that time had established himself as the new
leader of a terrorist cell of the Ultranationalist party in the wake of Zakhaev's death.
Captain Price during Operation Kingfish.
On October 8, 2013, Price led a joint Task Force 141/Delta Force operation codenamed Operation Kingfish to raid an Ultranationalist base in Ukraine suspected to house Makarov. Price conducted the raid along with Soap, Lieutenant Simon 'Ghost' Riley, Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson, and Delta Force operatives Sergeant Derek "Frost" Westbrook and Master Sergeant Sandman. However, the raid went awry and the strike force was swarmed by dozens of Ultranationalist soldiers. The team escaped via a V-22 Osprey,
with the exception of Price, who was captured while covering the team's
escape. This then led to The Gulag, where Price was known as Prisoner
#627.
After capture, Price was imprisoned in a Gulag to the east of
Petrovpavlosk, Russia, and was designated "Prisoner 627". Price would
remain imprisoned in the Gulag until 2016, when he was rescued by Task Force 141 when they attacked the site to recover him. Initially, after being discovered, Price attacked Sgt. Gary "Roach" Sanderson, a fellow member of the 141, and aimed an AK-47 at him, but after recognizing Captain MacTavish, he relents and joins the unit and MacTavish returns the M1911Price pointing his AK-47 at Roach. In "The Gulag". pistol used to kill Zakhaev in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (when Soap returns the pistol, he says "This belongs to you, sir", a reference to the first Modern Warfare).
After his rescue from the gulag, Price is reinstated into the Task
Force and reprises his role as a Captain, being present in the Task
Force 141's mission briefings.
"Do NOT trust Shepherd! I say again: DO NOT TRUST SHEPHERD!"
— Price's (late) warning to Ghost of Shepherd's betrayal.
After the Contingency mission, the Task Force 141 is directed to two
places where Makarov could be hiding; a safehouse on the
Georgian-Russian border and an arms deal at an aircraft boneyard in
southwestern Afghanistan. The unit splits up; With Ghost, Roach, and the bulk of the task force take the safehouse, while Price investigates the arms deal with Soap. However, both forces are attacked by Shepherd's men.
Price attempts to warn Ghost and Roach about Shepherd, but he is too
late. Although Soap is shocked and angered, Price tells him that he
never trusted Shepherd in the first place.
Intent on revenge, Price asks Makarov
for intel on Shepherd's location, on the premise that "the enemy of my
enemy is my friend" and that he will "do the rest". Makarov grudgingly
tells Price that Shepherd is using a secret mountain base in
Afghanistan, designated "Site Hotel Bravo". Makarov then says, "I'll see
you in hell." Price replies "Looking forward to it. Give my regards to
Zakhaev for me if you get there first." Price and Soap, alongside their
driver Rook then evacuate the boneyard with Nikolai's help, though Rook is killed by Shadow Company forces.
"The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning
thinking this is its last day on earth. But I think that's a luxury, not
a curse. To know you're close to the end is a kind of freedom. Good
time to take... inventory. Outgunned. Outnumbered. Out of our minds. On a
suicide mission. But the sand and rocks here stained with thousands of
years of warfare... they will remember us. For this. Because out of all
our vast array of nightmares this is the one we choose for ourselves. We
go forward like a breath exhaled from the earth. With vigor in our
hearts and one goal in sight: We. Will. Kill him."
— Captain Price's Speech
Price preparing to engage Shadow Company.
The two in the face of General Shepherd's betrayal decide to avenge Roach, Ghost, the Task Force and themselves. They are dropped off at Site Hotel Bravo by Nikolai and stealthily infiltrate the base. They then battle Shadow Company
through Site Hotel Bravo's cave system. Shepherd self-destructs the
entire base and then orders a Danger-Close artillery strike, intending
to kill the duo at the cost of his own men. Soap and Price survive and
pursue Shepherd on a Zodiac through a river.
Shepherd eventually boards a Pave Low, but Price is able to shoot it down. However, the Zodiac he and Soap
are on falls down a waterfall. MacTavish is separated from Price and
attempts to kill Shepherd with his knife, only for Shepherd to counter
the attack and stab MacTavish with his own knife. Just as Shepherd is
about to execute MacTavish with his .44 Magnum, Price tackles Shepherd,
engaging him in a lengthy hand-to-hand fight. Price is overpowered by
Shepherd and close to being beaten to death, but is saved when MacTavish
pulls the knife out of his chest and throws it at Shepherd's left eye,
killing the treacherous general. Price wakes up and starts to patch up
Soap's injuries as much as he can. The two are then evacuated by Nikolai,
who informs them of a potential hiding place. During the course of the
betrayal, Task Force 141 is disavowed and Price and MacTavish are
labeled as wanted war criminals.
Shortly after killing Shepherd, Soap's wounds had him bleeding to
death on the trip to Nikolai's safehouse in India. To make matters
worse, a large group of Makarov's men assaulted the safehouse in an
attempt to kill the remnants of Task Force 141. Soap would not have
survived had it not been for the actions of Price, Nikolai, and newfound
ally Yuri. After escaping from the ruined safehouse and fighting through the streets of Himachal Pradesh, they are evacuated by Nikolai, after Yuri slid down a hill away from an enemy UAV into the river at the bottom.
Price, Soap & Yuri during their hunt for Makarov.
"Makarov wouldn't let this travel lightly if it didn't serve a
greater purpose, and chances are the bastard will be there personally
to see things off. If he's back on the grid...then so are we"
— Price, linking a weapons cache in Sierra Leone to Makarov.
2 months after Soap's recovery, Price leads Soap and Yuri on missions
in Sierra Leone and Somalia in pursuit of Makarov. When they land in
Sierra Leone, the group follows up on Yuri's suspicions
about Makarov's weapon shipments, and learn that the recent cargo
Makarov's men retrieved were chemical weapons being shipped to all
national European capitals to be used as a preemptive strike against the
continent in order to pave the way for the Russian Army's invasion.
Price covertly sends a transmission to London to warn his former
commanding officer, MacMillan,
about the chemical weapons, only for it to arrive too late. Shortly
after the wave of chemical attacks, Price convinced MacMillan to aid him
as a personal favor "for Pripyat". The intelligence MacMillan gives the team leads them to a local warlord in Somalia named Waraabe,
which leads to Soap and Yuri assisting Price in interrogating Warrabe
on intel about Makarov. The intelligence facilitates the U.S. Army's Delta ForceTeam Metal's apprehension of Makarov's bomb-maker, Volk, during the Ultranationalist attackon Europe.
Price, laying his signature M1911 on dead Soap.
"Soap TRUSTED you. I thought I could too. So WHY IN BLOODY HELL, DOES MAKAROV KNOW YOU?!!"
— Price to Yuri after Soap's dying revelation about Yuri's connection to Makarov.
The acquired intelligence from Team Metal leads Price, Soap, and Yuri
to Makarov's location in Prague, Czech Republic. With aid from Kamarov,
Price, Soap, and Yuri use the distraction of the local Czech Resistance
to their advantage to reach their assigned spots at the Hotel Lustig.
Price would infiltrate the Hotel Lustig while Soap and Yuri provide
cover with their sniper rifles. However, Makarov caught wind of the
assassination attempt and detonates the bombs planted on Kamarov and the
church Soap and Yuri were occupying in. Price rushes over to Yuri and
Soap, with Price personally carrying Soap to safety while Yuri provided
cover fire. Price vainly attempts to prevent Soap's bleeding while
screaming for a medic, only to learn from his squad mate that Makarov
knew Yuri before dying. Enraged and feeling betrayed, Price threatens to
execute Yuri. He relents when he learns of Yuri's former role with the
Ultranationalists, and how he'd attempted to stop the massacre at Zakhaev International Airport two months before. Price barely keeps his alliance with Yuri, even begrudging Yuri during their infiltration of Karlstejn Castle.
Price infiltrating Karlstejn Castle
"We're gonna have one shot to grab the President before he
gives up the launch codes and Makarov turns Europe into glass. Once we
get boots on the ground, it's going to get lively down there."
— Price to Sandman regarding their rescue mission in Siberia.
Yuri gives Price the location of a potential headquarters located in a
fortress in Prague. However, during their infiltration, they instead
find intelligence that Makarov's men found Russian President Boris Vorshevsky's daughter, Alena Vorshevsky,
in Berlin, Germany. The pair relay the intelligence to Team Metal
shortly after the base's destruction. Despite Team Metal's efforts,
Alena was kidnapped and tracked to a diamond mine in Siberia, which was
serving as one of Makarov's main tactical bases. At this point, Price
and Yuri conduct a joint operation with Team Metal in saving the Vorshevskys.
They successfully rescued the Vorshevskys from their ordeal but the
mine collapsed, killing Team Metal and Makarov's men with Yuri badly
wounded during their escape. While escorting Vorshevsky back to Moscow,
Price informed him about their plight and the real mastermind behind the massacre
(aside from Makarov), with Yuri as the witness of that incident.
Convinced with his explanation, Vorshevsky promised to assist in TF141's
search for Makarov and vows to clear their good name, tainted due to Shepherd's actions
several months before. Vorshevsky ordered all offensive action against
Europe to be halted and revived the peace talks between the United
States, Russia and NATO. Price and Yuri's actions saved the peace
process, which marked the end of World War III.
As a reward for saving the Vorshevskys, Task Force 141 was no longer
disavowed, allowing them to openly pursue Makarov once again. Price and
Yuri managed to mend their friendship, after it had been strained due to
Yuri's revelations in Prague.
Price: "Prisoner 627. I'm coming for you, Makarov."
Makarov: "Haven't you heard, Price? They say the war is over."
Price: "My war ends with you."
— Price, conversing with Makarov at the beginning of "Dust to Dust".
Price in the MW3 campaign menu.
At the end of the war, Task Force 141 has finally cleared its name
and Price's rank has been recognized again (He is marked as "Captain
Price" during the start of Dust to Dust). Despite this, Price never
forgot his wish for revenge against Makarov. After all, Makarov was
responsible for Soap's death in Prague and Team Metal's demise in
Siberia. After months of gathering information on his whereabouts,
Makarov was finally discovered, seeking refuge at the Hotel Oasis in the Arabian Peninsulafollowing the conclusion of the conflict.
With assistance from Nikolai, Price and Yuri launch a massive assault
towards the hotel, killing multiple mercenaries hired to protect their
intended target.
They assault the hotel with Juggernaut
armor, which they later remove after a crashing helicopter sets them on
fire as they ascend in an elevator. Taking off the armor, Price and
Yuri both reach the top floor in an alternate elevator, and fight
through to the restaurant on the same floor. However, a Little Bird
decimates the upper site of the hotel in an attempt to eliminate both
men. As a result, both men are badly wounded, with Yuri impaled on a
metal rod. At first, Price hesitated to pursue Makarov after witnessing
Yuri's condition, but the latter insists he'll be alright and told Price
to not let him get away.
Price continues his pursuit and managed to grab onto Makarov's
ride; in which Price managed to kill the pilots and also destroyed the
chopper's controls, and is forced to crash on the hotel roof. Price and
Makarov, both shell-shocked from the impact, tried to reach a Desert Eagle
on the roof, with Price successfully grabbing it, only for Makarov to
stomp on his hand, seizing it from his grasp. His attempt to execute
Price was immediately derailed when Yuri, freed from his impalement,
shot his former friend in the left shoulder. Angered with his
intervention, Makarov killed Yuri with two shots to the shoulders and
one to the head. Infuriated by the loss of another friend, Yuri's
intervention gave Price the time he needed to furiously and mercilessly
beat Makarov, tying a steel cable around Makarov's neck into a noose. He
then slammed Makarov into the glass roof, resulting in the glass
shattering, and, consequently, the two falling. Price falls onto the
atrium floor just below and survives; Makarov is left hanging from the
ceiling. Satisfied to see this, Price lights a cigar while watching
Makarov's lifeless corpse hang. Sirens are then heard as the police seem
to arrive at the scene.
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