Inner Circle

"С нами Бог."

The Inner Circle is a faction in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, serving as one of the primary antagonist factions of both singleplayer campaigns and also being a playable group in multiplayer in Modern Warfare 3. It is the official name for the Ultranationalist terrorist cell that sides with Makarov following the split of the Ultranationalist Party. They are playable in Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer on the map Seatown, opposing the S.A.S. The multiplayer announcer for the Inner Circle is Makarov.

Background
The ideals of the Inner Circle are never discussed, though they are shown to have an intensely fierce loyalty to Makarov as their visionary leader and figure. Judging from background information on Makarov being a student of Russian history who seeks to see a return to an autocratic rule like that of pre-communist Russia, as well as the presence of a royal crown in the Inner Circle's logo, it is likely the group have the overall intention to one day appoint Makarov as supreme ruler over the Russian nation and establish an empire under him that expands across all of Europe, the foundation of which they attempt to establish in Modern Warfare 3. In essence, their goal would be to recreate the Russian Empire and appoint Vladimir Makarov as its ruling Tsar.

The exact details behind the origins of the Inner Circle is left ambigious, but they are believed to have been formed immediately after the Ultranationalist Party fell into pieces following the death of the party founder, Imran Zakhaev. While the newly appointed President Boris Vorshevsky came into power over the mainstream party, extremists of the cause fell under a charismatic Ultranationalist named Vladimir Makarov who took charge over them and founded the Inner Circle. The faction was used to commit various terroristic acts against not only the new Russia under Vorshevsky, but also against the various countries of Europe to inspire fear throughout all of Eurasia. Following the massacare at Zakhaev International Airport executed by the Inner Circle themselves, the group took a backseat role to watch the chaos unfold as Russia went to war with the United States of America. However the western special operations unit known as Task Force 141 made it their mission to eliminate Makarov and his followers, attacking the prime safehouses of the faction at the end of Modern Warfare 2 and inflicting a large number of casualties on the organization. They somehow managed to stay standing however, and continued their zealous campaign two months later when President Vorshevsky planned to make peace with the countries of NATO.

The group long since gained more power and support from the mainstream party due to Makarov corrupting a good deal of Russia's nationalistic politicians and top military generals into sideing with him against Vorshevsky, whose move to seek peace with the west was met unpopularly by the Russian population who still saw the war as a justified cause for vengeance. Effectively taking complete control of Russia and launching a coup, the Inner Circle hijacked the personal plane of President Vorshevsky while he was en route to a peace summit with NATO in Hamburg, and forced it to crash land. The faction lost several men in the fight against FSO forces protecting the President and his daughter, but ultimately captured Vorshevsky with the intent to force him into giving Makarov the launch codes to Russia's nuclear warheads.

Makarov's plan for invasion proved to be a success, his chemical weapons devastating European capitals across the entire continent and crippling government organizations and military command structures severly, permitting Russia to take the majority of Europe under its control in the early moments of the invasion before meeting strong NATO resistance with United States backing. Makarov permitted his generals to handle the war while he focused on acquiring the nuclear launch codes from Vorshevsky in order to destroy the United States and end their involvement in the war, finalizing Russia's control over Europe. Ultimately however, the factions plans failed when the remnants of Task Force 141 operated in conjunction with American Delta Force operatives to rescue President Vorshevsky and his daughter from Makarov's men in Siberia. The operation was a success and thus the Inner Circle never gained the launch codes, the President openly pursuing peace with the west once again and ending the conflict and Makarov's coup over Russia. With his plan a failure, Makarov went into hiding with his men in the Middle East to regain their assets and plot anew. However the score wasn't settled and the remnants of Task Force 141 pursued him, Makarov's former friend and ally Yuri, and his long time enemy Captain Price assaulting the Hotel Oasis the group was hiding in to finish them off once and for all. The following conflict resulted in the deaths of the Inner Circle members present in the hotel, and while Yuri was killed by Makarov, Captain Price managed to overpower Makarov and kill him by hanging him in the atrium of the hotel from the shattered glass rooftop. It can be assumed that with the death of their charismatic leader, the Inner Circle fell into shambles and what members still survived quickly fell apart, and the Vorshevsky´s Ultranationalists remained in power. It is also assumed that the Loyalists could now come back to Moscow.

The Inner Circle first appears in the Modern Warfare 2 singleplayer, then unnamed and only appearing in later missions of the game. They are first met as enemies in the mission Loose Ends as the main opposition as they try to defend their safehouse on the Georgian-Russian border. Their last appearence in Modern Warfare 2 is in The Enemy of My Enemy where they openly combat the forces of Shadow Company in an aircraft boneyard in Afghanistan. They also appear in the singleplayer campaign for Modern Warfare 3, first within the mission Persona Non Grata, attacking the Loyalist safehouse in India, and soon after in Turbulence, wherein they hijack President Boris Vorshevsky's plane and kidnap him. They also feature in Mind the Gap where they work to deploy Makarov's chemical weapon in London, Stronghold where they attempt to defend their fortress from Price and Yuri, and lastly in Dust to Dust where they defend their leader Vladimir Makarov from his assassins.

Known members

 * Vladimir Makarov, K.I.A.: Founder and leader of the Inner Circle.
 * Volk, Captured: CEO of Fregata and the 'bomb maker' of the group.
 * Alexi, Presumed K.I.A.: One of Makarov's sub-leaders and commander of the faction's base in Prague.
 * Waraabe, K.I.A.: An associate of the Inner Circle through Volk and not technically a full member.
 * Viktor, K.I.A.: Terrorist who assisted in the No Russian massacre. Was killed in Arcadia.
 * Lev, K.I.A.: Terrorist who assisted in the No Russian massacare. Was killed by the FSB.
 * Kiril, K.I.A.: Terrorist who assisted in the No Russian massacare. Was killed by the FSB.
 * Anatoly, Alive: Part of the getaway crew for the ambulance in No Russian.
 * Makarov's Driver, Alive: Getaway driver in No Russian.

Equipment
Compared to their Vorshevsky-allied counterparts, Makarov's Inner Circle terrorists during Modern Warfare 2 looked more like the roguish mercenary types depicted in the previous Modern Warfare installment, with their men donning a mixture of personal and tactical gear, but were just as capable as their counterparts in terms of vehicle support and firepower.

In Modern Warfare 3 their appearance differs, but throughout the majority of the game, Inner Circle terrorists look more like highly paid professional PMCs, wearing basic clothing, upgraded armor, earpieces, and in some cases, sunglasses. Beyond that, it is very difficult to distinguish them from one another, though in Multiplayer some will wear protective masks of an almost hockey mask-like design. In Mind the Gap, they wear the uniforms of dock and ship workers, mostly consisting of navy and orange-colored jumpsuits underneath their tactical vests, while the ones seen in Persona Non Grata favoured black outfits, helmets, and gas masks.

Assault Rifles

 * AK-47
 * G36C
 * SCAR-L
 * TAR-21
 * FAMAS
 * F2000
 * M4A1

Submachine Guns

 * P90
 * PP90M1
 * AK-74U
 * PM-9
 * UMP45
 * MP7
 * Mini-Uzi
 * MP5K
 * Vector

Light Machine Guns

 * MK46
 * L86 LSW
 * MG36
 * PKP Pecheneg
 * MG4
 * M240
 * RPD

Shotguns

 * AA-12
 * SPAS-12
 * Striker
 * USAS 12
 * Model 1887

Sniper Rifles

 * RSASS
 * Dragunov
 * MSR
 * Barrett .50cal
 * WA2000

Machine Pistols

 * FMG9
 * MP9
 * Skorpion
 * G18
 * PP2000
 * TMP
 * M93 Raffica

Pistols

 * USP .45
 * Desert Eagle
 * Five Seven
 * MP412
 * .44 Magnum

Launchers

 * M320 (seen attached under G36Cs during Down the Rabbit Hole)
 * GP-25
 * RPG-7
 * Stinger
 * M203
 * Thumper

Vehicles

 * BTR-80
 * Mi-8
 * Mi-24 Hind
 * Mi-28
 * GAZ-2975
 * Humvee

Trivia

 * Their logo resembles "Abstergo Industries" emblem from "Assassin's Creed."


 * In early stages of MW3, Inner Circle was going to be originally in Underground and Bootleg multiplayer maps but were cut out for unknown reasons. The icons for the Inner Circle in the aforementioned maps are present on ELITE.