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Nikolai Katselapov, the chief enterprise improvement officer at World of Tanks studio Wargaming, seems to have been added to an inventory “of organisations and people concerned in terrorist actions” (opens in new tab) by Belarus’ Committee for State Safety (or KGB, sure, as in that KGB). In a transfer which was possible sparked by Wargaming pulling out of Belarus (opens in new tab) following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he’s accused below article 290-1—”Financing of terrorist actions”—of the Felony Code of the Republic of Belarus.
Katselapov was really added to the checklist all the way in which again on December 30, but it surely was solely when unbiased Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva (opens in new tab) (by way of Sport World Observer (opens in new tab)) reported on the story that it got here to wider public data. Nasha Niva believes that Katselapov remains to be free, which might make sense provided that Wargaming hasn’t been current in Belarus for practically a yr now, however hasn’t been in a position to get hold of remark from the corporate to date.
I’ve additionally reached out to Wargaming to ask for touch upon this story, and can replace this piece if I obtain a reply.
Belarus has lengthy used its terrorist checklist as a political bludgeon. Previously, dissidents like opposition chief and former presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya have been added to it as a pretext to justify repression of teams and people hostile to president Alyaksandr Lukashenka. It is possible that Wargaming’s choice to vacate the nation again in April final yr offended the upper echelons of Belarus’ authorities, notably provided that Wargaming was the nation’s largest recreation improvement studio: It was valued at over a billion {dollars} in 2016. (opens in new tab)
It is unclear why Belarus has picked on Katselapov notably, although Nasha Niva theorises he might sooner or later have donated cash to opposition political figures. Regardless, he has turn into entry #993 on the newest model of Belarus’ terrorist checklist, and it is wanting much more unlikely that Wargaming will return to its house nation anytime quickly.
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