Victor Zakhaev (Original)

"Zakhaev's son. Commander of the Ultranationalist forces in the field. Rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

- John Price

Viktor Zakhaev (Russian: Виктор Захаев) was the son of Imran Zakhaev and field commander of the Russian Ultranationalists. His relationship with his father is apparently very close and it can be assumed they share the same ideals, mainly of Russia returning to a Soviet-style government. He is easily recognizable by his blue-striped tracksuit. He is also one of the Four Horsemen, and he serves as the tertiary antagonist in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Al-Asad's coup
To distract the attention of the United States and the United Kingdom to win over the Russian Loyalists, Viktor and his father made a deal with Khaled Al-Asad to start a coup in his country to distract the United States. It began with the nationally broadcasted execution of President Yasir Al-Fulani. Viktor was in Saudi Arabia during the execution of Al-Fulani, riding along with him in the car that delivers him to the presidential palace and his eventual death, directing the driver and holding a Mini-Uzi.

Targeted in Russia
"And the little punk'll know how to find Zakhaev?"

- Griggs

After the death of Al-Asad at the hands of Captain John Price, Imran Zakhaev goes into hiding. Despite this, his son continues to directly lead the Ultranationalist forces in Russia. The S.A.S. and U.S.M.C. form a joint operation with the Loyalists to stop both Zakhaevs. When Viktor is driving to a checkpoint formerly held by Ultranationalist forces but taken by a joint task force of S.A.S., U.S.M.C., and Loyalists (who are then disguised as the Ultranationalists they killed), he is ambushed by them during the level "The Sins of the Father". He hits the tower with Staff Sergeant Griggs and Sergeant Soap, but survives, and the pair chase him through the outskirts of an abandoned city. He was cornered in a five-story building by the combined forces, and trapped on the rooftop.

Death
"You are all going to die anyways!"

- Viktor's last words.

When S.A.S. operative &quot;Soap&quot; MacTavish moved to take his weapon, Viktor committed suicide, shooting himself in the head with an M1911 pistol. His official cause of death, as reported by the Pentagon, was "a car accident outside Volgograd" as revealed in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Viktor's death deeply affected Imran, who takes over an ICBM Missile Silo in the Altay Mountains and launches two ICBMs at the United States' East Coast in retaliation. He also laments in an ultimatum to British and U.S. forces that "Our blood has been spilled on our soil. My blood... on their hands... they are the invaders...", in a trembling, angry voice.

Appearance
Viktor appears to be visually inspired by Sasha from the movie Behind Enemy Lines which was based during the Bosnia and Herzegovina war.

Trivia

 * Viktor commits suicide with an M1911, but the gun audio is actually that of a Desert Eagle if one speeds up the suicide. This is most likely done for the dramatic effect.
 * He is the only one of the Four Horsemen to commit suicide.
 * If the player is using the "A Bad Year" cheat, his body will explode into tires after he shoots himself. He and Imran Zakhaev are the only known members of the Four Horsemen to turn into tires when killed.
 * Griggs makes fun of Viktor's status by calling him "Daddy's boy" and "the little punk".
 * Like his father, Viktor only has one line in the entire game. Unlike Imran, Viktor says his line before he dies.
 * Viktor seems to favor the Mini-Uzi.
 * In the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 introduction, instead of saying "My blood... on their hands...", Imran says "My son's blood... on their hands...".
 * In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the official Pentagon statement says Viktor Zakhaev was killed "in a car accident outside of Volgograd".
 * Viktor Zakhaev always wears the same clothes: a blue striped tracksuit.
 * It seems that he is bilingual, as he speaks Arabic while in the car in "The Coup".
 * He is the only one of the Four Hoursemen that is not killed by a protagonist.
 * In the DS version, some enemies in the campaign will have a very similar look to Viktor Zakhaev.
 * In the photo shown in the intro to Sins Of The Father, he is seen holding a STG-44.
 * If the player shoots him, no matter where. His name will be green after the player shoots him.
 * Viktor's jacket may be a possible reference to the movie Behind Enemy Lines, as one of the villains, Sasha, also wears a blue track jacket with white stripes.
 * Some parts of his appearance are based on American actor Peter Goudanis whose father is from Greek decent.