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A Russian court has granted a government seizure of the country's Mir Tankov videogame developer. (Image: Getty)
Russia has seized control of a video gaming studio after accusing it of funding Ukraine's military, branding the company an 'extremist organization'.
A Moscow court granted the government seizure this week, allowing authorities to take control of all capital shares in Russian game developer Lesta Games, which produces the popular Mir Tankov, the Russian version of World of Tanks.
The confiscation includes Lesta, Lesta Games Agency, and Lesta Games Moscow, all three of the gaming studio’s corporate commodities.
In court, Russian prosecutors cited 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', as evidence of the studio's 'extremist activity'.
Lesta Games inherited the popular title after its original developer, Wargaming, withdrew from the Russian market following Vladimir Putin's attempted invasion of Ukraine, and the two games are made completely separately.
Wargaming left the Russian market following the country's invasion of Ukraine. (Image: Getty)
Wargaming's offices in Minsk, Moscow and St Petersburg continued operations under the Lesta Games banner.
Russia's State Duma, the nation's lower house of parliament, reassured the game's players that they wouldn't stand accused of supporting Ukraine's war effort after the ruling.
"(Players using Lesta Games) have nothing to worry about," the First deputy chairman of the Duma's Information Technology Committee, Anton Gorelkin, shared via Telegram.
"They can’t be accused of supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces or extremism for making in-game purchases. 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.”
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Russia's claims follow a $1million-plus fundraiser launched by the Wargaming studio in 2023 to support Ukraine by raising funds for emergency services, such as ambulances.
But Russia has alleged that this fund, and Lesta Games, has been complicit in funding Ukraine's military.
Lesta Games owner, Malik Khatazhayev confirmed in April 2024 that the company had terminated all contact and business dealings with Wargaming and its CEO, Victor Kislyi after August 2023.
However, Moscow, and the recent ruling, does not appear to be making a distinction between the two companies.
The Russian game developer has denied involvement in any illegal activities, adding that gamers should “be careful when making payments.”
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