Ultranationalists (Original)



"It's the Ultranationalists. They're killing the villagers."

- Russian Loyalist in Safehouse.

The Ultranationalists are a reactionary political and militant organization in Russia who wish to return the country back to what it once was during the days of the U.S.S.R. They believe that the Russian Federation does not have the best interests of the Russian people at heart, siding with Western interests both philosophically and economically, which they perceive to be destroying or weakening Russia. The Ultranationalists idealize the old Soviet state out of a sense of wounded national pride, though their actual committment to Communist political and economic ideals are left rather vague. In this mad crusade for what they consider to be national restoration, the Ultranationalists consider the powers of the Western world, specifically the United States of America and Britain, to be major obstacles in their path, as well as any Russians who do not support their aims.

Leadership
The political head of the Russian Ultranationalist party is Imran Zakhaev, a former arms dealer who operated out of the Ukraine, selling spent uranium rods from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor (whether this was to provide funds for his party, simply to enrich himself or for some other purpose is never made clear). He was reported killed after losing his arm to a .50 BMG round fired by a British sniper team, but resurfaced to head the Ultranationalist party during the Russian Civil War. His son, Victor Zakhaev, is commander of the Ultranationalist military forces on the ground and takes orders directly from Imran.

Significance in the war and Tactics
The Ultranationalists have been engaged in open warfare with forces loyal to the Russian Federation for some time prior to the start of Call of Duty 4. While their greatest influence appears to be in the former Soviet states in the Causcaus Mountains and Central Asia, they present a clear threat to the Russian state and have designs on taking over the rest of the former Soviet Union. Aside from fighting in Russia, the Ultranationalists have a presence in Al-Asad's unnamed Middle-Eastern nation, providing them with arms and equipment including at least one nuclear warhead. They also have a presence in Azerbaijan. They are the ones behind Al-Asad's rise to power, and later become the primary antagonists during the last two acts of the game.

The Ultranationalists appear to have complete disdain for the Geneva Conventions or any of the rules of war, using very brutal methods to achieve their military and political goals. These include the massacre of entire villages, making no distinction between civilian and military targets, the use of infantry and rocket attacks to deliberately kill civilians, torture and a variety of other acts classified as war crimes. Why these are done is unknown, but it might be to spread fear among the Russian population and force them to submit to the Ultranationalists.

Arms
They utilize many weapons of a conventional armed force, including air and armor assets. Quite similar to the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, the Ultranationalist militants are fairly well organized and equipped for an unofficial military entity. Primarily, the Ultranationalists use Soviet-era weaponry such as the AK-47, RPD, Mi-24 and T-72. They also have access to nuclear weaponry and late in the game take over an ICBM Launch Facility in the Altay Mountains.

The full list of Ultranationalist arms and vehicles in the single player campaign is as follows:

Small Arms

 * AK-47
 * AKS-74U
 * G3
 * G36C
 * SVD
 * Mini Uzi
 * MP5
 * RPD
 * M249
 * M60
 * Winchester Model 1200
 * M1014
 * RPG-7
 * M72 L.A.W (Not used, but can be seen on character models)
 * FIM-92 Stinger
 * Desert Eagle (Used only by Imran Zakhaev and 1-3 enemies in Crew Expendable)

Vehicles

 * Mi-8
 * Mi-24
 * UAZ-469
 * BMP-2
 * T-72
 * BM-21
 * Ural-4320

Known Individuals

 * Imran Zakhaev, Leader Of The Party
 * Victor Zakhaev, Commander Of Armed Forces (Sins of the Father)
 * Vladimir Makarov, Associate of Zakhaev (Modern Warfare 2)
 * Sasha, POW Guard (Blackout)
 * Viktor, POW Guard (Blackout)
 * Major Petrov, Military Base Leader (Cliffhanger, Modern Warfare 2)

Trivia

 * The Ultranationalists in GP-5 gas masks still have the plug n the filter, which would not allow them to breathe.
 * It is unknown why the SAS is fighting the Spetsnaz instead of the Ultranationalists in the multiplayer.