Ukrainian gamers have drawn attention to the Russian propaganda game Squad 22: ZOV, which is based on the experience of Russian military personnel who participated in the invasion of Ukraine. The developers claim that it is officially recommended for training cadets.
Ukrainian gamers have drawn attention to the Russian propaganda game Squad 22: ZOV, which is based on the experience of Russian military personnel who participated in the invasion of Ukraine. The developers claim that it is officially recommended for training cadets.
The project is being created in the genre of a top-down tactical-strategy game about a detachment of Russian military personnel.
«Developed based on the experience of Russian veterans and active soldiers, Squad 22 provides an authentic and intense experience of infantry warfare. The game is officially recommended by the Russian military for use as a basic manual on infantry tactics for training cadets and young army personnel,» says the development team at SPN Studio.
The project is scheduled to be released on mobile devices and has a page on Steam. Squad 22 attracted the attention of Ukrainian players, who began to complain about the game, asking for it to be removed from the American service.
«Please strike this shit», — urged blogger OLDboi. His post has garnered over 60,000 views and over 1,000 likes on X (Twitter).
«Dear Minister of Digital Affairs and Mikhail Fedorov, we are here again with a request and a constructive proposal. It seems like a bit of a stretch when the game Squad 22: ZOV is being planned for release on Steam without any hindrance. It is „officially recommended by the Russian army for use as a basic tactical instruction for training cadets and the Youth Army“. This must be clearly opposed at the state level. It is possible to write an official letter of appeal to Valve,» noted the author of the gaming website Gameway.
The developers of Squad 22 have responded to the attention their project has attracted.
«Okay, it was a tough night. So many 'liberal resources' are writing that our game should be banned, punished, burned, and left without Coca-Cola. It’s funny, but they also hate the 'Youth Army'. Poor boys who weren’t accepted into the Boy Scouts,» the project’s authors noted on the game’s official account, which often spreads Russian propaganda.
According to them, American players were «generally more sensible» and had a better reception to the project on Reddit.
You can complain about the project on the Squad 22 page on Steam. Players are advised to write an appeal in English and note that the UN has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and therefore glorifying the actions of the Russian army is a violation of international law.
UPD. The Ministry of Digital Affairs responded to the calls of Ukrainian players and turned to Valve, which created and supports Steam.
«We are already taking action — we have sent an official letter to the game’s distributor Valve. It clearly describes why this is not just a „game“, but a tool of military propaganda that should not appear on Steam. We are waiting for a response and will keep the topic under review,» the ministry reported.
Squad 22 was released in late May and received mixed reviews from players, despite positive reviews from Russian gamers who support the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The game is unavailable in a number of Steam regions, including Ukrainian and German. According to SteamDB, the project’s peak online player count reached only 50 players.
