Belarus considers one of the founders of Wargaming to be a wanted terrorist. The software company Wargaming is primarily known for World of Tanks, a free-to-play tank shooter.
Nick Katselapov is the Executive Director and Chief Business Development Officer at Wargaming: He is one of the founders and partners of the company. In Belarus, he is considered a wanted terrorist.
The classification of the entrepreneur as a terrorist came from the state security committee of the Republic of Belarus, the information about the classification was published by the Ministry of Taxes and Duties (via pnkbel.by).
What does Wargaming have to do with it? Wargaming was originally founded in Belarus but moved its headquarters to the island of Cyprus in 2011. It was often cited as one of the most profitable companies in Belarus (via gry-online.pl).
Nick Katselapov is also said to be one of the 20 richest Belarusians and is regarded as a businessman with a lot of influence in the country (via gameworldobserver.com).
After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Wargaming closed its offices in Russia and Belarus. The aim of the measure was to “no longer own or operate any businesses in Russia or Belarus”.
– Ukraine live blog (via Zeit)
– War in Ukraine (via nzz)
– Solidarity with Ukraine (via foreign-affairs-office)
Important note: If you are troubled by dark thoughts due to the current situation: You are not alone. Please seek help. For example at the telephone counseling service at 0800/111 0 111 or the online counseling, where you can also use a chat. It is free and applies nationwide.
Why is Katselapov considered a terrorist? The letter from the Ministry of Taxes and Duties indicates that the entrepreneur is said to have supported organizations with financial means that are classified as terrorist organizations in Belarus.
However, which organizations these are is not mentioned. It only states that the basis for the classification is Article 290-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (via gry-online.pl).
The name of the entrepreneur was discovered on the list of the Belarusian daily newspaper Nasza Niwa (via nashaniva.com), which is considered critical of the government. It is one of the oldest newspapers in the country and has been classified as an “extremist formation” since 2022 (via currenttime.tv).
Belarus is a close ally of Russia and is considered the last dictatorship in Europe (via ARD Mediathek). The state security committee is regarded as a secret police and calls itself KGB, just like the former and feared secret service of the Soviet Union.
Why exactly the entrepreneur from Wargaming is now wanted as a terrorist cannot be definitively stated at this time.
