Lesta Games, its founder, Malik Khatazhaev, and Wargaming founder Viktor Kisly, have been declared “members of an extremist organization” by a Russian court. The case stems from Wargaming’s support of Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in 2022. Lesta was spun off into an unaffiliated company when Wargaming pulled out of Russia after the war began.
Lesta, which was responsible for much of the original World of Warships, continued to be authorized to operate Wargaming IPs in Russia, without any connection to Wargaming. Those games eventually diverged from international versions.
According to a report on the case, Lesta even released a World of Tanks alternative called “Mir Tankov” in Russia and Belarus, since Wargaming had left those nations. Things seemed to work out for a while and Khatazhaev declared he supported the Russian army and there was no connection at all with Wargaming.
Yet, in April, the Russian Prosecutor General declared the company was “extremist” and moved to seize its assets. A court decision this week reaffirmed this decision.
