World of Tanks, Minecraft and Roblox: Russian Federation is massively "washing brains" in online games-NYT

Experts from the publication say that game platforms such as Discord and Steam become online platforms for Russian agitation propaganda, spreading among the new, mostly younger audience, the flow of propaganda, which the Kremlin uses to justify the war in Ukraine. Russian players and bloggers use the letter "Z", which in 2022 became a symbol of the Russian occupation army.

"Russian propaganda is trying to promote its regime in a new way," NYT told NYT journalists Artem Starosek, the head of the Ukrainian consulting company "Molfar", which analyzes online threats. His colleagues were found more than a dozen cases of pro -Kremlin propaganda at Minecraft, Roblox, Russian versions of World of Tanks and World of Warships, Fly Corp, Armored Warfare and War Thunder.

Almost everyone exalted the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany - a topic that Mr Putin and his advisers used to get the support of today's war. Some of them had clear relations with political parties or government agencies. According to journalists, Russian players played "Battle of Soledar" in Microsoft's network game (from Microsoft) by posting a video on a VKontakte social network.

And on the channel of the Multiple Military Game of World of Tanks, a parade of the Soviet Union tanks in Moscow in 1945 was reproduced. On the popular Roblox game platform, the user created a parade of the forces of the Russian Interior Ministry (with armored vehicles and auto foundations) to celebrate Russia's Day.

The Russian version of the Multi-Multiple Military Game of World of Tanks, dedicated to the 78th anniversary of Victory over Nazi Germany, reproduced the Parade of the Soviet Union tanks in Moscow in 1945. This is not only the general propaganda of the "Russian world", but also narrower information attacks are performed.

For example, according to the head of the threat analysis group of Microsoft Clint Watts, Wagner PVC has promoted "their own malicious narratives" in Discord and Steam, for recruiting before their group. "Propaganda is mostly aimed at ensuring that Wagner and Russian military look cool and threatening," the expert explained.

In June, the Russians arranged a concert dedicated to Russia on the online game of Minecraft, which was attended by celebrity, musicians and at least one Russian official-Kateryna Mizulin, a member of the Public Chamber and the head of the Russian League of the Internet Security. Her mother, Elena Mizulin, works in the Federation Council and was a prominent ally of Putin.

Jacob Davey, Head of the Department of Right Movements and Hate Movements at the Strategic Dialogue Institute in London, said Minecraft and other games can be useful tools for those who want to influence vulnerable youth, especially if these young people are collected in single groups where they seek to discuss political ideologies.