Russian propaganda claims on social networks and other media that GSC Game World, developers of the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, has allegedly been cooperating with Ukrainian authorities to mobilize citizens. According to the propagandists, the game allegedly collects personal data of players, such as IP addresses, names, locations, including without their consent, and then transfers this information to Ukrainian military recruitment centers. This fake was accompanied by the use of the Wired magazine logo, which was supposed to give the information an appearance of authenticity. The propagandists also claim that the game development studio received funding from the Ukrainian government in exchange for such activities. However, this is fake news, as reported by the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security.

In fact, the studio GSC Game World raised a significant amount of money ($800,000) in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine through crowdfunding, and transferred it to the Ukrainian charity foundation “Come Back Alive”. In response, Russia launched a campaign against the game, including releasing statements about the possibility of it being banned in Russia.

This case is another example of the spread of disinformation aimed at discrediting Ukrainian achievements, particularly in the field of video games. It is also a continuation of a campaign similar to the previously recorded disinformation about fake trailers from Netflix, called Matrioshka. The main goal of such fakes is to undermine trust in Ukraine and its initiatives on the world stage.