Steam, Before anything else, we need to talk about the civilians of Hostomel. When russian forces occupied Hostomel in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the town’s civilians paid the price. Families were trapped under occupation. People trying to evacuate were shot at. Residents disappeared. Bodies were found in the streets and in yards after russian forces withdrew from Kyiv region in April 2022. Among the victims was Hostomel’s mayor, Yuriy Prylypko, who was killed by russian troops while delivering food and medicine to residents who had no other way to survive the occupation. Hundreds of residents were reported missing during the russian occupation of Hostomel. Local reports and investigators indicated that roughly 400 people from the town were unaccounted for during that period, many of them feared murdered. Across the wider Kyiv region. including Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel, more than 1,300 civilian bodies were later recovered after russian forces retreated. These are not disputed battlefield casualties. These are civilians. These are people who were executed, abducted, or killed during the occupation of their homes. That is the reality of Hostomel. Which is why many of us are struggling to understand why @Steam would allow a russian company to publish a video game based on the invasion of Ukraine? Specifically events like Hostomel, while presenting it from the perspective of the invading army. The developers themselves justify the game by saying: “Modern games are not just entertainment they are another form of media, another way to convey information, often even more effectively than the most detailed analytical articles or news segments.” They are right about one thing: games are media. They shape narratives. They influence how people understand events. And that is exactly why this matters. russia has spent decades building one of the most aggressive propaganda systems in the world. The same state that denies war crimes in Bucha, denies the deportation of Ukrainian children, and denies the bombing of civilians is now producing a game that presents this war through the eyes of its soldiers. A war where civilians in places like Hostomel were killed in their own streets. This is not ancient history. It is not a fictional conflict. It is a war that is still ongoing. It is a war where families are still searching for missing relatives. And it is a war where documented atrocities are still being investigated as war crimes. Interactive media is powerful. That is exactly why platforms like Steam carry responsibility for what they distribute. Allowing a game that reframes a real invasion and occupation, one that left civilians murdered and missing, is not neutral distribution. Hostomel is not a setting. It is a town where people were killed. And the story of what happened there should belong to the victims, not to propaganda. #russiaisaterroriststate