The concept for " No Russian " was first proposed during '' Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 '' plot brainstorming sessions . The game 's developer , Infinity Ward , wanted to discuss how terrorists operate in the modern era , and sought to create an unimaginable , albeit plausible scenario that would make the player uncomfortable . Lead writer Jesse Stern noted that despite the grim subject matter , people instinctively want to know what it is like to experience these attacks , and cited documentaries about the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the Columbine High School massacre as evidence . According to Stern : " These are human beings who perpetrate these acts , so you do n't really want to turn a blind eye to it . You want to take it apart and figure out how that happened and what , if anything , can be done to prevent it . Ultimately , our intention was to put you as close as possible to atrocity . " Game designer Mohammad Alavi was heavily involved in the level 's development , from programming the artificial intelligence to directing the motion capture used for the character animations . Alavi never intended for " No Russian " to attract controversy or be seen as a political statement , but instead developed it as a way to progress the game 's narrative . He wanted the level to explain why Russia would invade the United States , create an emotional connection between the player and the terrorist leader , and do so indelibly . Alavi drew inspiration from news articles and films . He did not interview real victims of terrorist attacks
Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
No Russian