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Nikolai Katselapov, the chief enterprise growth officer at World of Tanks studio Wargaming, seems to have been added to a listing “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 doubtless sparked by Wargaming pulling out of Belarus (opens in new tab) following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he’s accused beneath article 290-1—”Financing of terrorist actions”—of the Legal Code of the Republic of Belarus.
Katselapov was truly added to the record all the way in which again on December 30, nevertheless it was solely when unbiased Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva (opens in new tab) (by way of Recreation 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 almost a yr now, however hasn’t been in a position to receive remark from the corporate to this point.
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 record as a political bludgeon. Prior to now, 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 doubtless that Wargaming’s resolution to vacate the nation again in April final yr offended the upper echelons of Belarus’ authorities, significantly provided that Wargaming was the nation’s largest sport growth studio: It was valued at over a billion {dollars} in 2016. (opens in new tab)
It is unclear why Belarus has picked on Katselapov significantly, although Nasha Niva theorises he could sooner or later have donated cash to opposition political figures. Regardless, he has develop into entry #993 on the newest model of Belarus’ terrorist record, and it is trying much more unlikely that Wargaming will return to its dwelling nation anytime quickly.
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