The footage seemingly shows your character aiding Russian terrorists in assaulting an airport full of innocent civilians. spoke with Activision regarding the clip's authenticity and motivation. A representative from Activision stated "Yes it is [real]. The scene establishes the depth of evil and the cold bloodedness of a rogue Russian villain and his unit. By establishing that evil, it adds to the urgency of the player's mission to stop them. Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two 'checkpoints' where the player is advised that some people may find an upcoming segment disturbing."

Activision's comments seem to indicate that this is one of the game's first scenes. The first opened with a similarly non-traditional playable sequence, in which you took control of a foreign leader as he was executed in front of a crowd ().