Imran Zakhaev (Original)

"Our so-called leaders prostituted us to the West... destroyed our culture... our economies... our honor. Our blood has been spilled on our soil. My blood... on their hands. They are the invaders. All U.S. and British forces will leave Russia immediately... or suffer the consequences."

- Zakhaev's speech during the cutscene before Ultimatum.

Imran Zakhaev (Russian: Имран Захаев) was a Russian arms dealer, revolutionary leader and Ultranationalist terrorist  who is the main antagonist in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered. He is the leader of the "Four Horsemen", father of Viktor Zakhaev, and the cunning mastermind behind the uprisings in Russia and the Arabian Peninsula. He survived an assassination attempt by then-Lieutenant John Price, in which he lost his left arm. He was later killed by John "Soap" MacTavish in the level "Game Over". It was through Zakhaev's lasting machinations and ideals that the catastrophes of World War III occurred in 2016, five years after his own death. He was also featured in the DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts called the Legend Pack.

Failed Assassination Attempt
"Ok... I think I see him. Wait for my mark. Target acquired. I have a positive I.D. on Imran Zakhaev."

- Captain MacMillan while giving the order to kill. Fifteen years before the civil war in Russia, in 1996, Zakhaev was nothing more than a black-market arms dealer. He saw the collapse of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union as an opportunity to salvage radioactive fuel rods from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, and sell the precious uranium as nuclear material on the black market. Through the profits he gained from these dealings, Zakhaev planned to fund his own extremist military faction that would regain control of Russia, and restore its Soviet-era regime.

His criminal activities were noted by British intelligence, and the Special Air Service gained its first assassination order since the ending of World War II. The SAS dispatched two operatives, Captain MacMillan and Lieutenant John Price, to Pripyat as snipers to eliminate Zakhaev. Pripyat, an abandoned ghost town since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and the peaceful countryside surrounding the town, were swarming with Russian mercenaries employed by Zakhaev. However, MacMillan and Price, wearing ghillie suits, were able to sneak into the city unnoticed. Shooting from 896.7 meters away with his Barrett M82 sniper rifle, Price shot Zakhaev in the left shoulder, when his target was meeting business partners near the Chernobyl power plant. The Russian mercenaries attempted to eliminate the intruders, but MacMillan and Price were able to escape Pripyat successfully. MacMillan believed Zakhaev would die from "shock and blood loss," but this was not the case. Zakhaev survived after being driven away to safety by Vladimir Makarov and Yuri (as revealed in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3), but the failed assassination attempt cost Zakhaev his left arm.

Zakhaev's Plan
Fifteen years later, in 2011, Zakhaev became the chairman of the Russian Ultranationalist Party. In his opinion, the current Russian government had "prostituted" his beloved homeland to the West, ruining their economy, their culture, and their honor of the country in the process. Harboring a strong and keen hatred of Western countries, Zakhaev sought to return Russia to its "prime", possibly seeking to return it to its condition before the Soviet Union collapsed, though with himself in power. To topple the current Russian government, Zakhaev took the next step in his plan and the Ultranationalist party waged a political crisis that escalated into civil war in Russia. The Ultranationalist troops were supported by old Soviet-era vehicles, including BM-21 rocket artillery, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and Mi-24 helicopter gunships, and the field commander of the Ultranationalist forces was Zakhaev's son, Viktor. The Second Russian Civil War became critical to world peace as it became clear that if the Ultranationalists would win, Zakhaev would have unlimited access to the entire Russian nuclear weapons arsenal, including over 15,000 active nuclear warheads. However, his plan to overthrow the government met heavy resistance from Russian military units loyal to the current Russian government.

The Coup
Imran Zakhaev understood his plan would never work because the civil war would draw the attention of the United States and United Kingdom, both of whom supported the current Russian government. However, Zakhaev had an influential political ally in the Middle East, a military commander named Khaled Al-Asad. Zakhaev contacted Al-Asad, and funded and masterminded a military coup in which President Yasir Al-Fulani was overthrown by soldiers loyal to Al-Asad. Zakhaev and his son took part in the coup in the Arabian Peninsula. Viktor Zakhaev was in the car that transported President Al-Fulani to the arena where he was executed, and Zakhaev himself witnessed Al-Fulani's execution. In fact, it was Zakhaev who gave Al-Asad the Desert Eagle that was used to execute Al-Fulani on national television. Al-Asad assumed control of his homeland, causing political instability in the Middle East and leading the United States Marine Corps to invade the country, and the Capital City of Al-Asad's homeland was soon under attack by U.S. forces. However, Al-Asad detonated a Russian-made nuclear bomb on Vladimir Makarov's orders (revealed in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3), leveling the city and destroying the invading enemy force. Before the American invasion, Al-Asad had already taken refuge in Azerbaijan, where he was protected by Zakhaev's Ultranationalist forces. However, SAS operatives, led by John Price, now a Captain, captured and interrogated Al-Asad, executing him shortly afterward. The evidence gathered by the SAS revealed that Zakhaev had provided Al-Asad with the nuclear weapon that was detonated in the Arabian Peninsula. It also revealed that he was the mastermind responsible for everything in the Middle East.

Viktor Zakhaev's Suicide
"Our so-called leaders prostituted us to the West... destroyed our culture... our economies... our honor. Our blood has been spilled on our soil. My blood... on their hands. They are the invaders. All U.S. and British forces will leave Russia immediately... or suffer the consequences."

- Imran Zakhaev's speech. When the United Kingdom and United States understood Zakhaev had planned to divert the attention of both countries from the Second Russian Civil War, the Special Air Service and United States Marine Corps were ordered to locate and capture Viktor Zakhaev in order to persuade him to reveal the location of his father. However, the operation failed when Viktor committed suicide to prevent his capture. Angered by the death of his son, Imran demanded "All US and British forces will leave Russia immediately, or suffer the consequences" by launching ICBMs from a missile silo captured by Ultranationalist forces. But the SAS and Marine Force Reconnaissance operatives were dispatched to Central Russia to deactivate the nuclear warheads in the silo. Zakhaev launched two RT-2UTTH Topol-M ballistic missiles to the eight largest cities on the East Coast of the United States: Boston, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Richmond, and Norfolk. Since the missiles carried multiple independent nuclear warheads, it was estimated that the nuclear holocaust on US soil would kill over 41 million US citizens. However, the SAS and Force Reconnaissance operatives were able to secure the silo and deactivate all nuclear warheads before they got to the US.

Death


The SAS and Force Reconnaissance operatives then attempted to flee from the silo, but the bridge that was crucial to their escape was destroyed by an Ultranationalist Mi-24 helicopter. During the firefight on the bridge, Staff Sergeant Griggs of the Force Reconnaissance was killed by Ultranationalists while attempting to save Soap. Zakhaev and his bodyguards arrived to the scene. Zakhaev personally executed SAS operative Gaz and his bodyguards shot two other SAS commandos, and he moved to kill John Price and John "Soap" MacTavish.

Suddenly, Zakhaev and his bodyguards were distracted by the explosion of their Mi-24 helicopter, caused by a Loyalist Mi-28 attack helicopter and the arrival of Sergeant Kamarov's troops. Price used this opportunity to slide his M1911 to Soap, and while Zakhaev had his back turned, he and his bodyguards were shot dead by MacTavish.

Legacy


"The more things change, the more they stay the same. Boundaries shift, new players step in; but power always finds a place to rest its head. We fought and bled alongside the Russians; we should've known they’d hate us for it. History is written by the victor, and here I am, thinking we'd won. But you bring down one enemy and they find someone even worse to replace him."

- General Shepherd discussing Zakhaev's successor, Vladimir Makarov.

Following Zakhaev's death, it was announced that the Ultranationalist Party had begun developing leadership struggles. It was later revealed that a schism split the group in two, with Vladimir Makarov, a 'wild dog', forming a violent terrorist group, and Boris Vorshevsky becoming the legitimate President of Russia at the head of a politically stable Ultranationalist party.

Five years following his death in 2016, Imran Zakhaev was revealed to have had a statue of himself erected in Moscow, Russia, with a plaque entitled "Imran Zakhaev, Hero of the New Russia" by Vladimir Makarov. He also had an airport named after him in his honor, later to be the target of a terrorist attack. By this point, it appeared that the Ultranationalists were successful in gaining strong sympathy from the Russian populace in the five years after his death, gaining a political stronghold in Russia rather than a military one.

Appearances

 * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
 * Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Mentioned and Cutscene)
 * Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Mentioned and Flashback)
 * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Nintendo DS) (Mentioned Only)
 * Call of Duty: Ghosts (DLC Only)
 * Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
 * Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (pictured only)

Trivia

 * In the actual game, Zakhaev can only be heard speaking once. This occurs in the opening cutscene of "Ultimatum" where he broadcasts his speech in retaliation of his son's death.
 * Interestingly, his name is in green, as if he were a friendly, but this was changed upon the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered to red.
 * The beta Zakhaev appearance can be seen in the Call of Duty 4 trailer. He somewhat looks more Asian than Russian in the trailer.
 * While Zakhaev is the Chairperson of the Ultranationalist party, he also appears to be of General ranking as evidenced by two golden stars that can be seen on the lapel of his coat. In Russia a two-star general is a Lieutenant General. This can also be seen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's world reveal trailer.
 * A portrait of Zakhaev is in one of the buildings in Salvage. Also, his name, "Zakhaev" is written across one of the walls in the map Quarry.
 * If the player shoots Zakhaev in the head in "Game Over", no blood will be seen.
 * If the player noclip's out of the map, one can go to the spot where Zakhaev was shot and see his arm on the floor, albeit with no blood or any other graphic content.
 * In the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 starting video clip shows that Soap shot Zakhaev in his torso, but in Soap's flashback during the prologue of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it is seen that Soap shoots Zakhaev in the head.