Belarus to open in-absentia criminal case against Wargaming co-founder
Mikalai Katsalapau / gameworldobserver.com
Belarus is set to initiate an in-absentia criminal case — known as “special proceedings” — against Mikalai Katsalapau, co-founder of the company Wargaming (famous for "World of tanks"), according to the state TV channel.
In a propaganda film aired by the channel, it was claimed that Katsalapau had donated “hundreds of thousands of dollars” over several years to “extremist and terrorist organizations” via cryptocurrency transfers.
In January 2023, Belarus’s KGB added Katsalapau to its official list of terrorists. He is accused of financing terrorism under Article 290-1 of the Criminal Code. The IT executive faces up to 12 years in prison.
Media outlets have pointed out that Katsalapau is the most prominent Belarusian businessman to be included in the KGB’s “terrorist list.” The IT specialist left Belarus long ago and relocated to Cyprus in the mid-2010s.
Wargaming, the company he co-founded, has publicly spoken out against Russia’s war in Ukraine and has repeatedly donated to support Ukrainian civilians. In the summer of 2022, the company was added to Belarus’s list of entities with shareholders from “unfriendly” countries.
