Video games are now being used as a tool for propaganda by Russia, including to spread its version of the war in Ukraine. The latest example is “Ukrainian Warfare: Gostomel Heroes”, a game released on March 31, 2026 on Steam, the popular video game selling platform.
The scenario takes place at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, during the very strategic battle of Hostomel Airport, near Kiev, in February 2022. The creators of the video game, the Russian studio Cats Who Play, promise a very realistic reconstruction of the events, but in reality, they are providing a truncated version of the story.
Modified Narratives
In this game, fully translated into English, the player commands a Russian helicopter crew at Hostomel and is tasked with taking control of the airport by eliminating Ukrainian soldiers. While the runways, planes, and hangars are accurately recreated, the narrative does not correspond to reality, especially regarding the massacred civilians. The game claims that the Russian army spares civilians. When contacted by Radio France’s fact-checking agency, the game creators admitted to wanting to impose their version of this operation, believing that the battle of Hostomel has been the most distorted by Ukrainian authorities.
More and more video game creators are using ongoing conflicts, primarily Russians, to reinforce their narratives in their country and to try to reach an audience beyond Russian borders, explained journalist Romain Mielcarek, defense specialist and video game enthusiast.
The effectiveness of such an operation is difficult to assess, but it is part of a larger Russian information war. “There have been funds allocated by the state to encourage all creative industries to develop propaganda tools,” the journalist explained. “This is seen in cinema, series, and therefore in video games.” Unlike films and series, video games are distributed without restrictions on major platforms.
