The year was 2011 and major video-game publisher Activision had released the latest instalment of their popular Call of Duty franchise titled Modern Warfare 3.
While some found the plot very interesting, others called it just another piece of Western propaganda against Russia. The plot went like this – An ultranationalist leader in Russia named Vladimir Makarov has taken over the country and has driven the country on an offensive against the West, including France, Germany, and even the United States.
While the story was thrashed back then, we are watching something similar playing out in the real world as the Russian military pounds Ukraine to bring the country to its knees.
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The warning that the ultranationalist villain Makarov gave in Modern Warfare 3 was also not much different from the warnings given by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.
In the game, Makarov said at one point, “Russia will take all of Europe, even if it must stand upon a pile of ashes.”
This expansionist zeal with no care for the consequences on the world was almost mirrored in Putin’s declaration of invasion of Ukraine. He mentioned Russia's nuclear arsenal and threatened unseen consequences for any attempt of intervention.
Putin had said, “You will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history.
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“Russia…is today one of the most powerful nuclear powers. In this regard, no one should have any doubt that a direct attack on Russia will lead to defeat and dire consequences for a potential aggressor.”
One of the triggers for the ultranationalist takeover in Modern Warfare 3 was a massacre of civilians at a Russian airport that was blamed on the United States. This incident took place in the prequel Modern Warfare 2 and served as the motivator for the Russian war against the West. Can you guess who was actually behind the massacre? You’d be correct if you guessed Makarov. It was a false-flag operation.
A “false-flag” operation is an act that a party carries out in a way that it appears like someone else’s activity to a targeted audience. It is often with the intention to create a pretext for a desired outcome – such as a war.
The Western governments warned prior to Putin's invasion of Ukraine that the Russian government might attempt a false flag operation to create a pretext for an invasion.
As if these similarities were not enough, the coercive tactics used by the Russians in Ukraine also take you back to Modern Warfare 3. In the game, Makarov targeted the Russian president and his family in a bid to acquire Russia’s nuclear launch codes.
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In the real-world’s ongoing war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is the number one target of the Russians.
The Western press has reported that the Russians have infiltrated Ukraine’s capital Kyiv with hundreds of mercenaries to assassinate Zelensky. These reports added that there have been up to three unsuccessful attempts on Zelensky’s life so far.
