A huge country has turned into an anomalous Zone: in Russia they propose to introduce criminal liability for buying STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Modern Russia has long lived according to the scenario prescribed in George Orwell's cult novel "1984". War is called peace, freedom is called slavery, and the minds of the population are carefully controlled by the state and filled with "correct" information.

Recall, even the Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky - author of the Metro franchise - sentenced in absentia to 8 years in prison for calling to stop the war in Ukraine and criticising the actions of the authorities.

The release of the shooter STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl from the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, which is eagerly awaited by thousands of Russian gamers, will take place next week. But the state does not agree with them.

Here's What We Know

According to representatives of the State Duma (parliament of Russia) S.T.A.L.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl should be banned, because, in their opinion, the game may contain what in Russia is called extremism, terrorism, hate speech and (favourite word of propagandists) Russophobia.

Here is what Anton Gorelkin, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications, said:

I believe that S.T.A.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has every chance of being officially banned in Russia. I don't think that this will happen based on the fact that the developers of the video game support the Ukrainian Armed Forces. But I do not rule out that if after its release illegal information is found in the game content (extremism, justification of terrorism, incitement of interethnic discord, etc.), the most severe measures will be taken.

Russian lawyers warn that if Heart of Chornobyl is recognised as an extremist game (!!!), those who buy it risk going to prison.

And now the most paradoxical thing - after the beginning of a full-scale war studio GSC Game World withdrew from sale in Russia and Belarus all its games, including S.T.A.L.K.E.R., so you can buy it through foreign accounts (most often Turkish or Kazakh). Hence, they want to ban something that is already not sold officially!

Few sane people will be surprised by this, but it turns out that the terrorist state invaded a foreign country, destroyed hundreds of cities, broke the fate of millions of people, killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians, and now they are accused of Russophobia and incitement to hatred.

Absurd.

And for civilised people, we inform you that the Xbox Series has started pre-loading the long-awaited shooter STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl.