World of legal trouble Moscow court freezes assets of Russian studio that inherited local rights to ‘World of Tanks’ video game
In late April, a Moscow court froze the assets of the Russian company Lesta Games, best known as the developer of “Mir Tankov,” the Russian version of “World of Tanks,” which the studio inherited after Wargaming — the company that originally developed the game — withdrew from the Russian market in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has charged Lesta Games with extremism, claiming it helped finance the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and is seeking to confiscate all its assets. Lesta head Malik Khatazhaev insists the allegations are groundless but admits the studio could be nationalized. Meduza explains what triggered the accusations and how the gaming industry has reacted.
When Malik Khatazhaev cofounded Lesta Games in 1991, it focused on computer graphics. A decade later, the company started developing video games. In 2011, when the Belarusian company Wargaming acquired Lesta, the studio’s developers began contributing to the creation of the online game World of Warships.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Wargaming — by then headquartered in Cyprus — said it would cease operations in Russia and Belarus. It gave control of its local business to Lesta, which officially split from the company. Wargaming emphasized in its announcement that it would not profit — “either today or going forward” — from the transfer of its Russian business to new ownership.
Wargaming’s major multiplayer projects — World of Tanks, World of Warships, and World of Tanks Blitz — were also separated. Everywhere else in the world, the games retained their original names and remain under Wargaming’s development and support. In Russia and Belarus, however, these multiplayer games are now released under new titles: Mir Tankov (World of Tanks), Mir Korablei (World of Warships), and Tanks Blitz. These games now function as distinct projects, evolving separately from the originals. The games’ designers finished migrating all account data by spring 2023.
On April 24, 2025, journalists learned that a Moscow court had frozen the assets of three legal entities owned by Lesta at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office. Trying to downplay the news, company representatives said the lawsuit didn’t worry them and stressed that the business fully complies with local laws in Russia and Belarus. “Operations continue as usual; all planned activities are underway, and all agreements remain in force,” a spokesperson said.
Two days later, the authorities disclosed that the Prosecutor General’s Office is accusing Malik Khatazhaev and Wargaming CEO Viktor Kisly of forming an “extremist group.” According to the agency RIA Novosti, the lawsuit cites the headlines of several news articles as evidence, 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.” Meduza traced these headlines back to the title of a YouTube video and an article that appeared on the website Marketer (variations of the second headline also appear in other Ukrainian outlets).
Wargaming did launch charitable initiatives to support Ukraine, among them “WargamingUnited,” in collaboration with the United24 crowdfunding campaign. One of these initiatives raised more than $1 million. In response, the pro-war Telegram channel Mir segodnya s Yuriy Podolyaka (“The World Today with Yuriy Podolyaka”) called on Russian users to boycott the game, suggesting that their money was funding Ukraine’s military. State Duma deputy Vasily Vlasov also made this claim in a formal inquiry submitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
However, Wargaming launched this initiative in October 2023 — six months after breaking with Lesta. The Russian studio issued a statement emphasizing that it has no involvement “with other games or projects of a similar nature.” The developers also urged users “to be careful when making payments” so as not to violate Russian and Belarusian laws. The company’s statement did not mention Wargaming, its games, or a specific fundraiser directly.
The Prosecutor General’s lawsuit suggests that officials suspect financial links still exist between Wargaming and Lesta. The agency seeks the full confiscation of the Russian company’s assets, amounting to its nationalization. It’s unclear if the case is connected to Vasily Vlasov’s inquiry. Lesta has already appealed the court’s decision to freeze its legal entities.
Gamers believe Lesta Games is simply being taken from its current owner, possibly to be handed over to the tech conglomerate VK Holding
In late April 2025, Lesta published several statements on social media responding to the Prosecutor General’s accusations. In one, company representatives emphasized that all its profits go toward employee salaries, office needs, and infrastructure development. The studio also pointed out that it hosted multiple patriotic events in the past two years, including some related to the history of the Great Patriotic War (the Soviet front in World War II). “We trust that state agencies will resolve the situation, and it’s our shared responsibility to resist provocations and prevent division in society,” the company said in another post.
Later, Lesta released a video featuring Malik Khatazhaev commenting on the company’s frozen assets. “I’ve lived to old age and suddenly being a patriot turns me into an extremist,” Khatazhaev said, adding that his personal bank accounts were included in the asset seizure. At the same time, the company said it continues to meet its financial obligations to employees and partners (though it’s unclear how).
Khatazhaev says he hasn’t had any contact or business dealings with Wargaming CEO Viktor Kisly since August 2023, which Wargaming’s press service confirmed on April 28 to Eurogamer in the following comment:
The company 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. Wargaming doesn’t have any assets or business interests in Russia and Belarus.
Meanwhile, journalist Dmitry Filonov, who covers startups on his Telegram channel The Edinorog (The Unicorn), pointed out that the management of Lesta Games passed to a company called Lesta Hong Kong Limited from September 2022 to September 2024 — meaning Khatazhaev’s initial stint in charge lasted only a few months.
Filonov also discovered that Lesta Hong Kong Limited was registered with 1,000 shares, but an additional share was later created and acquired by Vladimir Kisly, the father of Wargaming’s CEO. That single share was transferred to Khatazhaev only in November 2023. “So during the [WargamingUnited] fundraiser, Wargaming and Lesta shared a co-owner — Vladimir Kisly,” Filonov explained.
According to Lesta Games representatives, “this single share was issued to allow Wargaming to oversee the separation process. The issuance of the share was purely technical and did not affect corporate control over the company. Its sole purpose was to halt or reverse the separation if it deviated from the plan or the process was breached.”
Asked to comment on rumors that the asset seizure is just a pretext to take the company away from him, Khatazhaev said in a video shared on Telegram that the situation “doesn’t help Russia’s reputation.” “We don’t look good,” he added, noting that the scandal had already reached the English-language press.
Russian social media platforms and comment sections under news articles are replete with speculation that the authorities are pressuring Lesta Games with plans to transfer it to new ownership. Some Internet users theorize that the studio’s assets could end up with VK Holding, VKontakte’s parent company. However, there is no industry consensus on how likely that outcome really is.
“Lesta is simply too tempting an asset, vulnerable and unprotected by international law,” a gaming industry insider told the news outlet Zerkalo, speaking on condition of anonymity. “That said, I don’t think they’ll just seize the studio outright — it’s too risky. Most likely, some kind of deal will be made.” Another source said the Prosecutor General’s accusations are likely just a formality: “Wargaming is just the headline excuse — a flimsy pretext, as is typical in such cases in Russia.”