Ultranationalists (Original)



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

- Russian Loyalist in Safehouse

The Ultranationalists are a reactionary political terrorist 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 commitment 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 The United Kingdom, to be major obstacles in their path, as well as any Russians who do not support their aims. Their influence extends far beyond Russia's borders, with several contacts in the Middle East, and one known contact in Brazil.

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. After the deaths of both Victor and Imran, the Ultranationalists were left leaderless until Vladimir Makarov took control of the party.

Named personnel

 * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
 * Imran Zakhaev - Leader of the Ultranationalist Party, killed in Game Over
 * Khaled Al-Asad - Middle Eastern Commander of the OpFor, killed in Safehouse
 * The First Horseman - Associate of Al-Asad, assumed to be killed in Shock and Awe.
 * Victor Zakhaev - Commander of the Armed Forces, killed in Sins of the Father
 * Sasha - POW guard, killed in Blackout
 * Viktor - POW guard, killed in Blackout


 * Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
 * Vladimir Makarov - "The Shadow of Zakhaev", new leader of the Party
 * Petrov - Russian military base commander, killed in Cliffhanger
 * Rojas - Brazilian arms dealer, aprehended by Task Force 141
 * Faust - Associate of Rojas, shot in the leg by Sgt. Gary "Roach" Sanderson

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare conflict
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. This is done to spread fear among the Russian population and force them to submit to the Ultranationalists. With the death of Imran Zakhaev, news stations had reported that a leadership struggle had taken place, suggesting the party was close to collapse prior to Modern Warfare 2.

Al-Asad was executed in Azerbaijan by Captain Price after the nuclear bomb in The Middle East detonated, killing thousands of US Marines, Al-Asad's execution began the downfall of the Ultranationalist Party. After the execution, Russian soldiers wanted to steal his body, but Bravo Six escaped with most of the soldiers killed. After that, Bravo Six and the Marines planned to capture Victor Zakhaev, son of Imran. But once cornering Victor, he committed suicide with his pistol. Imran, deeply affected by the loss of his son, decided to pay the western side by launching many nuclear mssiles towards US cities. The effect would kill nearly 41,000,000 civilians. The joint force of SAS/Marines assaulted the launch facility and stopped the countdown. They then escaped with jeeps from the Ultranationalists but they were cut off from their escape and stranded on the bridge. Soon a tanker exploded knocking out most of the team. Soon Soap saw Imran Zakhaev and two bodyguards about to shoot Price and him after executing Gaz and another member. But a Loyalist helicopter destroyed the Russian helicopter and Zakhaev was distracted. Suddenly Soap shot Zakhaev and his bodyguards and was evacuated. Soon it was rumored that the Ultranationalist Party had apparently collapsed after the death of Zakhaev, with the News media citing a "leadership struggle".

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 conflict
Several years after the loss of Imran Zakhaev, a former associate of his named Vladimir Makarov assumes control of the Ultranationalists and possibly Russia itself. Makarov has been described as a violent, almost psychotic person with his own ambitions. Zakhaev had held Makarov in check while alive, but with him gone, Makarov was left free to take over the Party. Makarov portrayed Zakhaev as a martyr to gain support for his organization among the Russian populace, and has rebuilt the Ultranationalist Party with the help of contacts in Rio de Janiero, Russia and Afghanistan. What at first appears to be a rash of terrorist incidents propels into a horrific war culminating in an attack on US soil, with Washington D.C. burning and the White House under seige.

Equipment
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 (at least in Call of Duty 4) 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. Under Makarov, the Ultranationalist arsenal is extremely diverse, as several NATO weapons (and others) are given out to soldiers, such as the FAMAS, UMP .45, and M240. As Makarov has more international contacts, he can gather resources from across the world.

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
 * Beretta M9
 * 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)
 * USP .45 (Never directly used but seen in a weapons stash in Charlie Don't Surf )
 * Skorpion
 * P90
 * AUG HBAR
 * FAMAS
 * SPAS 12
 * UMP .45
 * Vector
 * W1887
 * Striker
 * M240

Vehicles

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

Multiplayer
In the multiplayer mode of Call of Duty 4, the Ultranationalist faction is represented by the Russian Spetznaz. This is because according to the game's story, several Russian military divisions sided with Imran Zakhaev's organization, while the rest of the Russian military opposed him and remained loyal to the true government. The troops that joined the Ultranationalists likely included several members of the Spetznaz, while the opposing soldiers became the Russian Loyalists. In the multiplayer mode, the Ultranationalists deploy small squads of Spetznaz, their best forces.

Trivia

 * The Ultranationalist soldiers in GP-5 gas masks still have the plug in the filter, which would not allow them to breathe.
 * They're probably inspired by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.