2024-08-05 23:11:40
A modification of “Hearts of Iron IV” was intended to get strategy gamers excited about Putin’s military policy. The strings were pulled by an organization with contacts to the Russian secret service.
PC gamers around the world were recently able to embark on a digital campaign through Africa – with the help of a modification of the strategy game “Hearts of Iron IV”, which has sold millions of copies and was supposedly created by users. Apparently, this was not just intended as a leisure activity: the expansion, called “African Dawn”, is Kremlin propaganda, co-developed and promoted by a suspected front organization of Russian secret services.
The story of the game expansion involves bringing the African states of the Sahel zone into Russia’s sphere of influence through military coups, alleged anti-terrorist operations and strategic calculations. Professionally produced video clips advertise the user-created content.
It only took a few days for the Swedish game developer Paradox Interactive to react. The modification of its game is now no longer available under its original name on the Steam gaming platform. It was apparently blocked by Paradox. According to the Russian propagandists, the reason given was “excessive glorification of genocide”.
Neither Paradox Interactive nor the software company Valve, which is behind the gaming platform Steam, responded to t-online’s inquiries.
What is certain is that two now notorious actors are behind the modification: firstly, the Putin-loyal video game streamer Grigory Korolev, who calls himself “Grisha Putin” and has been spreading Russian propaganda for years. He has already broadcast games from the headquarters of the Wagner mercenary group and, together with his team, is probably responsible for the technical implementation of the new game expansion.
Secondly, the “African Initiative” based in Moscow was involved in the development. The US State Department believes that the alleged news agency is controlled by Russian secret services in order to advance the Kremlin’s foreign policy in Africa. Its managing director and editor-in-chief, Artem Kureev, is at least a former officer in the FSB’s foreign department. His deputy was until recently the press spokesperson for the Wagner Group. t-online recently reported on connections to former AfD Bundestag member Waldemar Herdt.
What the “Hearts of Iron IV” modification “African Dawn” is intended for was no secret even before its release: “Russian cyber athletes are threatening the West in Africa,” it said in a portrait that Kureev personally dedicated to the streamer Grisha Putin in February – combined with the announcement that they would now be working together on the expansion.
When the release was imminent in July, the “African Initiative” rejoiced that the modification would herald “the end of Western dominance in the field of gaming information wars”. The “African Initiative” and “Grisha Putin” invited the cultural attaché of the Burkina Faso embassy in Moscow to the debut. Propagandists have now also reacted to the blocking on Steam: the modification is still available via alternative links to the Steam gaming platform and its own homepage.