Russian businessman Malofeev calls for ban on games where players kill Russians
In short
Konstantin Malofeev, an entrepreneur and founder of the Tsargrad television channel, called for computer games in which players must kill Russian characters to advance the plot to be kept off the Russian market, in an interview with RIA Novosti. He said the state should regulate the localization of foreign games and that a game’s content should be checked before it is Russified, with titles presenting Russians as opponents to be “shot and blown up” censored and not admitted. Vedomosti reported he proposed applying the same approach to games he considers contrary to traditional Russian values.
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Konstantin Malofeev, an entrepreneur and founder of the Tsargrad television channel, said computer games in which killing Russian characters is necessary for the plot to advance should not be allowed on the Russian market, according to RIA Novosti’s interview with him as reported by Vedomosti. He said the state should regulate the localization of foreign games. [ 1 , 2 ]
Malofeev said a game’s content should be taken into account before it is Russified. If Russians are presented as opponents whom the player is required to “shoot and blow up” in order to succeed, he said, the product should be censored and not admitted to the market. He proposed applying the same approach to games that he considers contrary to traditional Russian values. [ 2 ]
Vedomosti placed the remarks against earlier moves on game content in Russia. In December 2025, State Duma deputy Mikhail Delyagin proposed checking the Call of Duty series for Russophobia, the outlet reported. It noted that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 contained a level titled No Russian, set in a fictional Moscow airport, and that the episode was blocked in the Russian version of the game. [ 2 ]
A bill on regulating the video game industry was submitted to the State Duma in December 2024, Vedomosti reported. It provided, among other things, for mandatory labelling of games according to their content, with warnings about scenes of cruelty and violence, profanity, the use of alcohol and drugs and other material. As of early 2026, the draft had not passed its first reading, according to the outlet. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Malofeev is a businessman and television channel founder rather than a state official, and the documents do not indicate that his call carries any government backing. The documents show legislative interest in game content regulation: a bill on the video game industry was submitted to the State Duma in December 2024 and had not passed its first reading as of early 2026. His proposal concerns the localization of foreign games, which would affect how foreign titles reach Russian players.
Key facts
- Konstantin Malofeev, entrepreneur and founder of the Tsargrad television channel, called for computer games in which killing Russian characters is necessary to advance the plot to be kept off the Russian market. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said the state should regulate the localization of foreign games. [ 2 ]
- He said a game’s content should be considered before Russification, and that a product presenting Russians as opponents whom the player must “shoot and blow up” should be censored and not admitted to the market. [ 2 ]
- He proposed applying a similar approach to games he considers contrary to traditional Russian values. [ 2 ]
- In December 2025, State Duma deputy Mikhail Delyagin proposed checking the Call of Duty series for Russophobia, according to Vedomosti. [ 2 ]
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 included a level titled No Russian set in a fictional Moscow airport; the episode was blocked in the Russian version of the game, Vedomosti reported. [ 2 ]
- A bill on regulating the video game industry, providing among other things for mandatory labelling of games by content, was submitted to the State Duma in December 2024 and had not passed its first reading as of early 2026, according to Vedomosti. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether Malofeev’s proposal has the backing of any state body. The documents attribute the call to Malofeev alone and cite no government body or official supporting it.
- Whether the draft law on regulating the video game industry has advanced since early 2026. Only Vedomosti mentions the bill, saying it had not passed its first reading as of early 2026.