Russian studio plans Steam release of game about 2022 battles for Hostomel in Kyiv Oblast

Cats Who Play, a Russian video game developer, is preparing to release a game on Steam about the battles for the Antonov airfield in the town of Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast, during the early stage of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Source: the game's page on Steam, a digital distribution service and storefront developed by video game giant Valve

Details: The game's description says the storyline covers events from the landing of Russian airborne troops in Hostomel to the withdrawal of Russian forces at the end of March 2022, referring to them as a "brilliant Russian airborne assault on the outskirts of Kyiv".

The project has already been released in Russia on the VK Play platform under the title "Hostomel Warriors". The page of the international version on Steam lists a planned release date of 24 March 2026.

After the page for the game appeared on Steam, users began actively discussing it within the platform's community. In discussions on the project's page, some players are urging others to submit complaints through the "Report" tool and draw moderators' attention to the description of the game and its interpretation of the invasion events. Discussions have also appeared on Reddit.

To report the game on Steam, users must open its page, click the flag icon labelled "Report" and choose a reason such as "Defamatory" or "Legal Violation". In the text of the complaint, users may point to discrimination against Ukrainians, propaganda of Russian fascism, justification of the war against Ukraine, manipulation of historical facts or the use of the game as a propaganda tool.

Background: This is not the first game by the studio that attempts to glorify Russian violence in Ukraine. Previously, it also released a project titled "Squad 22: ZOV", which references the Russian military and propaganda symbols used during the invasion.

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