Last week MOP’s Ben broke the eye-popping news that Lesta Games, the games studio that currently licenses and operates the Russian version of World of Tanks and World of Warships, had been raided and seen its assets snatched by the Russian government. Lesta split from Wargaming in the early months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Wargaming of course continues to operate the western version of those MMOs. At the time of the first round of news on the situation, the Russian government hadn’t painted a clear picture for the asset seizure, and Lesta itself announced it had “no reason to have any concerns or conceal information.”
Well, now the government has started laying down its hand, paltry as it is. According to Russian outlet RIA.ru, Russia’s Office of the Prosecutor General (roughly akin to the US Justice Department) has confiscated Lesta’s assets and stock for the state on the grounds that it believes Lesta owner Malik Khatazhaev and Wargaming owner Viktor Kislyi (RIA uses Kisly) are conspiring within an association that partakes in “extremist” activities. By way of proof, the government has apparently included a list of article titles about Wargaming’s support of Ukraine. RIA further notes that it wasn’t just assets seized but also “persons associated” with Lesta. Lesta has already apparently filed its own complaint challenging the seizure.
Of course, as we just noted, Wargaming divested itself of everything having to do with Lesta in 2022, abandoning its resources in Russia to avoid this precise problem. And for those who don’t remember, Wargaming’s “extremist” support of Ukraine is limited to benign activities like donating to the Ukrainian Red Cross ambulance service, helping its staff evacuate, firing a pro-invasion creative director, and exiting Russia and Belarus. Moreover, none of that has anything to do with Lesta now; in fact, Lesta has repeatedly distanced itself from Wargaming’s charitable activities in Europe.
Wargaming has reiterated those facts in statements to press, saying the company “made a strategic exit from the Russian and Belarusian markets three years ago,” having “disposed of its business in Russia and Belarus to the local management at zero cost and on a debt-free, cash-free basis, with no consideration to take it back,” meaning “Wargaming doesn’t have any assets or business interests in Russia and Belarus.”
PC Gamer also reminds us that Belarus absurdly put Wargaming CBO Nikolai Katselapov on its terrorist watchlist; the outlet argues – correctly – that Russia and Belarus are largely impotent where Wargaming is concerned and are likely just taking the opportunity to screw with Lesta for optics and free assets. Unfortunately, this time it’s innocent Lesta developers and Russian gamers who are the victims of the regime.
