"No Russian" is the fourth mission of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the catchphrase "Remember, no Russian" that opens it, which later lived on as an internet snowclone.

Where did No Russian come from?

The scene appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, developed by Infinity Ward and released on November 10, 2009 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

What does No Russian mean?

Inside the game, Vladimir Makarov is telling his gunmen not to speak Russian during the airport massacre so investigators blame the attack on Americans.

How do you use No Russian?

Posters typically overlay the line "Remember, no [X]" onto a screenshot from the mission and replace Makarov's crew with a different cast, as with the SpongeBob SquarePants edit posted to /r/MW2 in October 2018.

Is No Russian still popular?

Through 2019, the scene still worked as a reference point for gaming violence, as when YouTuber Drift0r told Comicbook the Modern Warfare reboot made it look like a Pixar film by comparison.

Why was No Russian controversial?

The mission lets players take part in a terrorist attack on civilians queued at Moscow's airport, and CNN was warning parents about the scene within a day of release.

Was Modern Warfare 2 actually banned in Russia?

No; VentureBeat reported a Russian ban on November 16, 2009, but Activision and The Escapist shot the story down within days, with the Russian retail release instead dropping the mission.

How was the mission censored in Japan?

Square Enix rewrote Makarov's line to "Kill 'em, the Russians" and set the Japanese build to trigger an instant game over if the player shot a civilian.

Can players skip No Russian?

Yes; Infinity Ward added a prompt to skip the level before it loads and allows a pacifist walk-through, though Makarov and his gunmen do the shooting regardless.

Who created the first No Russian meme?

The earliest widely cited image macro referenced on Know Your Meme is a SpongeBob SquarePants edit posted to /r/MW2 by Redditor KooloEdits on October 24, 2018.

Which character says "Remember, no Russian"?

Vladimir Makarov, the Russian ultranationalist leader whose cell the player infiltrates during the mission.

What did Drift0r say about the Modern Warfare reboot?

In June 2019, Drift0r told Comicbook that the reboot's violence would make "No Russian" look like a Pixar film by comparison.

No Russian

2009catchphraseclassic

Published October 23, 2026

In the fourth mission of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, released November 10, 2009, Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Makarov tells his crew "Remember, no Russian" before a playable Moscow airport massacre meant to be blamed on the United States. The scene drew immediate press backlash and triggered censored builds in Japan and Germany within days of launch. By 2018 and 2019, the catchphrase lived on as a Reddit snowclone, with image macros on /r/MW2 and /r/fakehistoryporn swapping Makarov's gunmen for SpongeBob SquarePants and Donald Trump.

call of duty memes catchphrase memes snowclone memes dark humor memes villain memes

Overview

"Remember, no Russian" works online as a snowclone where the structure "Remember, no [X]" slots a new taboo behavior into Vladimir Makarov's elevator-door warning to his crew5. Image macros place a screenshot of the gunmen in the elevator or on the airport corridor behind the altered subtitle, with a different cast of characters replacing Makarov's squad.

Exploitable versions on Reddit cast Donald Trump briefing staffers, SpongeBob SquarePants gathering his crew, or any group shot where a leader addresses followers6 7. The tone sits between dark humor and absurdity: readers who recognize the source know the next step onscreen is a massacre, so attaching the line to a mundane target produces the shock-comedy effect that gives the format staying power.

As a standalone catchphrase, the line also runs in gaming-forum shorthand for "don't give yourself away" or "stay in character," referencing Makarov's original instruction to his crew not to speak Russian during the attack so the massacre would be blamed on Americans1.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (video game) / Reddit (meme spread)

Date

2009

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 shipped on November 10, 2009 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 31. Its fourth mission, titled "No Russian," drops the player undercover alongside Vladimir Makarov's cell of Russian ultranationalists, with Makarov delivering the title line inside a locked elevator before the group steps out and opens fire on civilians queued at Moscow airport security1. The attack is a false flag designed to drag the United States into war with Russia; the "no Russian" instruction tells his crew not to speak Russian during the massacre so investigators pin the slaughter on Americans2.

The player goes in as Private Joseph Allen, a U.S. undercover operative embedded with Makarov's group8. Infinity Ward added a prompt to skip the level before it loads and a pacifist route through the massacre, though Makarov and the rest of the squad do the shooting regardless of whether the player fires a shot8.

How It Spread

Controversy hit before the game had been out 48 hours. On November 11, 2009, CNN syndicated a Wired piece warning parents about the airport scene and describing the player's ability to shoot civilians or walk past the executions1. Kotaku reported two days later that Square Enix's Japanese localization had rewritten Makarov's line to "Kill 'em, the Russians" and set the Japanese build to end the mission instantly if the player shot a civilian2. Germany received a similarly cut version of the level2.

VentureBeat ran a story on November 16, 2009 claiming Russia had banned Modern Warfare 2 outright over the airport massacre3. The Escapist knocked the story down the same week after Activision confirmed no such ban existed, with the retail Russian release simply dropping the mission4. Writing in 2012, Gamespot's Laura Parker revisited the scene in a feature on whether AAA games should take on themes like real-world violence, rape, and torture, using "No Russian" as the industry's reference point for the question9.

The mission's imagery resurfaced in meme spaces years later. On October 24, 2018, Redditor KooloEdits posted a SpongeBob SquarePants edit to /r/MW2 that recast the elevator scene and picked up roughly 2,000 upvotes6. On February 4, 2019, user Bestbanthafodder posted a /r/fakehistoryporn exploitable showing Donald Trump telling staffers "Remember, no Russian"7. In June 2019, YouTuber Drift0r told Comicbook that the then-upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot would make "No Russian" look like a Pixar film in its handling of violence, pulling the mission back into mainstream gaming coverage ahead of the reboot's October 25 release8.

Timeline

2009-11-10

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, with "No Russian" as its fourth mission.

2009-11-11

CNN syndicates a Wired piece warning parents about the playable airport massacre.

2009-11-13

Kotaku reports that Square Enix's Japanese localization rewrites Makarov's line and ends the mission if the player shoots a civilian.

2009-11-16

VentureBeat publishes a story claiming Russia banned Modern Warfare 2 over the scene; the claim is debunked within days by The Escapist and Activision.

2012

Gamespot's Laura Parker revisits "No Russian" as the industry's reference point for whether AAA games should handle real-world violence and torture.

2018-10-24

Redditor KooloEdits posts a SpongeBob SquarePants edit of the mission to /r/MW2, picking up around 2,000 upvotes.

2019-02-04

Redditor Bestbanthafodder posts a /r/fakehistoryporn exploitable with Donald Trump saying "Remember, no Russian" to his staff.

2019-06-03

Comicbook publishes YouTuber Drift0r's preview quote calling the Modern Warfare reboot's violence enough to make "No Russian" look like a Pixar film.