Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Teases Controversial No Russian Mission

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be bringing back one of the franchise's most controversial missions, No Russian. Call of Duty is one of the biggest franchises in the history of entertainment, but that doesn't mean it hasn't had some very controversial moments. From things like inaccurate portrayals of real-life events to people feeling like the series overindulges in violence, war crimes, and other intense acts, Call of Duty frequently finds itself in the headlines. However, there's no moment that rivals the reaction of the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's No Russian mission. Near the start of the 2009 game, players can participate an optional mission where they play as an undercover CIA agent in a terrorist group led by a man named Makarov. After the mission begins, you step out of an elevator into a bustling Russian airport and unload on civilians with LMGs. It's incredibly shocking, gruesome, and disturbing, but it kickstarts the story of the game and leads to America being framed for the attack, sparking World War III.

The rebooted Modern Warfare series has tackled a new story with familiar characters like Captain Price, Soap, and Ghost, but the newly-revealed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be echoing one of the franchise's most iconic moments. In the new trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, we see a man assemble a gun on an airplane after receiving a text that says "No Russian", he then gets up out of his seat and begins waving the gun around, presumably before attacking people onboard. We've seen glimpses of a crashed plane in the marketing for MW3 thus far, so it's likely that's a result of this moment. 

Some questioned whether Modern Warfare 3 would show this moment, as the new rebooted series has scaled back some of these more disturbing moments. The No Russian mission was teased at the end of Modern Warfare 2 (2022) and it seems like we will get to see it all unfold in this game, though it's unclear what its implications to the larger story will be or how it will play out. It's notably different since it's on an actual airplane rather than a crowded airport this time around.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will release on November 10th.  Pre-orders are live here at GameStop now, and should be coming to Amazon soon. Are you interested in seeing No Russian again? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.