Moscow court orders government seizure of Russian video game studio amid allegations of funding Ukraine's military
On June 3, a Moscow court granted a request by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office to designate Wargaming owner Victor Kislyi and Lesta Games owner Malik Khatazhayev as participants in an “extremist organization.” The judge also granted the authorities' demands for a government seizure of all capital shares in Lesta Games, best known as the developer of “Mir Tankov” (the Russian version of “World of Tanks”). Lesta Games inherited the title after Wargaming, the game's original developer, withdrew from the Russian market following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The sweeping confiscation targets all three of the gaming studio’s corporate entities: Lesta, Lesta Games Agency, and Lesta Games Moscow.
As evidence of “extremist activity,” federal prosecutors cited the headlines of several news articles, including “The Most Military Themed Game: World of Tanks vs. Russia’s Special Operation” and “Wargaming Launches Charity Project With Ukrainian Content in Its Games to Raise Money for Ambulances.” Meduza traced these headlines back to the title of a YouTube video and an article that appeared on the website Marketer (variations of the second headline also appear in other Ukrainian outlets).
Anton Gorelkin, first deputy chairman of the State Duma's Information Technology Committee, wrote on his Telegram channel that players of Lesta Games products “have nothing to worry about” following the June 3 ruling. “They can’t be accused of supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces or extremism for making in-game purchases,” Gorelkin explained. “Just as users of Instagram, which is banned in Russia and belongs to the extremist company Meta, have nothing to fear. Moreover, Lesta Games’ assets will soon come under state control and then, most likely, will be transferred to an appropriate Russian company.”
In April 2024, Khatazhaev stated that he terminated all contact and business dealings with Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi after August 2023, a claim confirmed by Wargaming’s press service. In October 2023, six months after parting ways with Lesta Games, Wargaming launched multiple charitable initiatives to support Ukraine, including “WargamingUnited,” in collaboration with the United24 crowdfunding campaign. One of these initiatives raised more than $1 million, leading to allegations in Russia that Lesta was complicit in funding Ukraine's military. The Russian studio responded by emphasizing that it has no involvement in any activities that might be illegal in Russia or Belarus. It also cautioned gamers to “be careful when making payments.”
