The Russian government is putting pressure on Wargaming executives amid accusations of extremist activities against them. These claims specifically target Viktor Kisly and Malik Khatazhaev, owners of Wargaming and Lesta Games, respectively, related to their opposition to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

In recent reports, it was revealed that the Russian authorities have already seized assets belonging to the Lesta Group, with further attempts to consolidate control over Khatazhaev’s interests in the company. Despite Wargaming’s prior exit from the Russian market in 2022, its past actions, including support for Ukrainian causes, have not gone unnoticed by the Kremlin.

These activities are seen by the Russian government as indicators of extremist conduct, pushing it to take severe actions against these prominent figures in the gaming industry. The situation continues to evolve as Wargaming has expressed no intentions of re-entering the Russian market and remains focused on its global operations.