Twitch has reinstated the accounts of Russian streamers who previously broadcast an esports tournament and promoted the Alabuga sanctioned economic zone, where Shahed attack drones are being assembled. This happened almost immediately after the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine officially thanked the service for blocking these channels.
Twitch has reinstated the accounts of Russian streamers who previously broadcast an esports tournament and promoted the Alabuga sanctioned economic zone, where Shahed attack drones are being assembled. This happened almost immediately after the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine officially thanked the service for blocking these channels.
On April 29, 2026, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine published a statement in which it noted Twitch’s response to the mass appeals of the Ukrainian community and the platform’s compliance with the sanctions regime.
As noted in the Ministry, the Counter-Strike 2 esports tournament from the Alabuga Polytechnic College was part of a large-scale campaign to promote an «educational center» that involves students, including minors, in weapons production. During Twitch broadcasts, well-known streamers integrated direct links to training and work at these military facilities.
«The reaction of the Ukrainian esports community was instant. Thanks to mass appeals and public pressure, we managed to achieve a result: Twitch blocked a number of accounts that broadcast or advertised this tournament. We are grateful to the Twitch platform for its responsible position and compliance with the sanctions regime,» the Ministry said.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports emphasized that Russia is increasingly using e-sports as a tool for propaganda and attracting young people to its military-industrial complex. But in reality, under the guise of e-sports content and «educational initiatives,» youth and teenagers are actually being recruited to produce Shahed-type strike drones.
«At the same time, the YouTube and Google platforms allow the placement of large-scale advertising integrations of „Alabuga“ without proper moderation and response,» the Ukrainian agency noted in a statement.
However, a few hours later it became known that Twitch had removed most of the blocked content makers from the official account of the Alabuga Polytechnic College.
According to Igor Pospisny, PR manager of the Ukrainian agency Palaye, the unblocked streamers were likely given a condition not to advertise similar initiatives in the future, avoiding permanent blocking.
«Friends from Twitch, please explain how it is that organizations that have been sanctioned are still operating without hindrance? Even if it is a separate educational institution, you can easily find videos where students assemble drones for money. I don’t understand how the official „Alabuga“ channel could be unblocked,» Pospishnyi addressed the platform.
He previously reported that lists of Russian bloggers who promoted «Alabuga» were handed over to Google and YouTube employees. Igor Pospisny added that the «bizdev Twitch», who supported the blocking of these accounts, addressed this issue to his colleagues at YouTube.
