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Russia’s FSB, the federal safety service, shot and killed three males within the Voronezh area of Russia on November 23. Russian state media subsequently reported on the incident and claimed the FSB had eradicated a terrorist cell, and the FSB launched an official assertion describing the group as (machine translation) “a clandestine cell of supporters of the Ukrainian nationalist ideology.”
However it now appears like issues weren’t so easy, and that the people shot could have been killed in a case of mistaken identification as a result of they roleplayed as characters from the videogame S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl.
The FSB’s assertion provides an account of the alleged incident during which it claimed the people opened hearth earlier than being killed. “Once they tried to detain the ringleader and his two accomplices […] the latter supplied armed resistance to the Russian FSB officers and have been destroyed by retaliatory actions.”
The state claims that its brokers discovered varied gadgets on the scene, together with two “improvised explosive units” and firearms.
The Russian state TV report on the incident, nonetheless, unwittingly opened one other line of enquiry. Within the video under the supposed terrorist compound might be seen: on the wall a British flag is hung, in entrance of which is a flag that includes the pinnacle of a wolf. A pocket book is proven that’s an accounting of the “Svoboda Group”.
Remember that this video accommodates footage some would possibly discover distressing.
The Svoboda political get together is an ultranationalist political get together in Ukraine. Nevertheless, it is usually a faction in S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, and the imagery proven within the state video is from the sport’s faction, not the real-world political get together. This was first seen by navy historian and researcher Chris0_Wiki on twitter.
1/ In what could also be a weird case of mistaken identification, the Russian FSB has killed a bunch of Russian folks it claims are pro-Ukrainian saboteurs – however who reportedly look like Airsoft fanatics who have been engaged in live-action roleplay of the S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. video video games. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LOfYpWOs8xNovember 25, 2022
“It is not clear what the three males have been supposedly planning,” writes the navy knowledgeable. “However in keeping with the Moscow Instances, two of the three have been well-known members within the Voronezh airsoft neighborhood. One used the nickname Stalker Phosgene for live-action roleplay primarily based on the S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. video games.”
The true-world political get together doesn’t use any imagery that may very well be confused with the fictional faction.
S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl has given rise to a live-action roleplaying neighborhood in Russia and Ukraine, and additional reporting by the Moscow Instances tracked down the social media accounts and pals of the people killed (thanks, Vice). One was Vladimir Kotovsky, who had the character Stalker Phosgene for roleplay, and whose account exhibits footage of him and pals cosplaying stalkers and exploring Voronezh. His social media pages additionally embrace the identical wolf emblem proven within the compound footage.
The Moscow Instances spoke with pals of the people killed, who confirmed that the lads have been a part of an area LARPing neighborhood who roleplay Stalkers and performed with air weapons. The under video is from the LARP group the people have been apparently concerned with.
The FSB was additionally within the information earlier this yr after a weird piece of propaganda that linked the Sims 3 to an alleged assassination plot. In that case, the confusion gave the impression to be over the sport and cell phone sim playing cards.
It does appear to be the FSB has made a horrible mistake right here, three males are lifeless due to it, and the truth that the Moscow Instances, an organisation that will be topic to the intensive strain that the state asserts over the media in Russia, is querying the state model of occasions says the whole lot.
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