Available since November 20, the Ukrainian game is the subject of a Russian disinformation operation suggesting that it is used to enlist more Ukrainian soldiers, but also that it secretly collects personal data on players.
A few days after its release, the video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 is already targeted by a Russian disinformation campaign. As the site 404 Media reveals, a fake video about this Ukrainian game, which almost never saw the light of day because of the war between the two countries, is currently circulating on Telegram.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 indeed became a symbol of Ukrainian perseverance in the face of Russia’s invasion, with many developers being relocated to Prague, some continuing to work on the game under Russian bombardment, and others going make war.
Impersonating Wired magazine, the fake video claims that the shooter, which takes place in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl power plant, is being used to enlist more Ukrainian soldiers, but also that it is secretly collecting personal data (name, IP address, location, etc.) about players.
Giving a bad image to Ukraine
Specifically, the fake video falsely claims that GSC Game World, the developer of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2made a deal with the Ukrainian government to obtain funds for the game. In exchange, he would help them “find men who could be mobilized” for the war. The fake video also appears in emails to journalists.
The goal with this new disinformation campaign is, once again, to flood Telegram, social media and journalists’ inboxes with false stories. These generally reflect poorly on NATO member states and Ukraine, and make people distrust the media.
If several of the false information pushed by this Russian network have already made the headlines, the vast majority have had no echo outside of a few publications on X (formerly Twitter), which are often deleted by the social network, specifies 404 Media.
