How fellows of Putin help promote Dota 2 in Russia

https://grants.oprf.ru/grants2014-3/winners/rec2668/

This is a link to the Russian version of an article on how a certain autonomous NCO ‘Molodoy Talant’

(Young Genius), close to pro-government youth organizations, got 120 000 USD for the following

project:

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Project name: E-sports in Russia

Short description of the project: «E-sports is now an integral part of many million people’s lives. These

20+ activities are based on intellectual competition and deserve to be called sports. E-sports in Russia has been in the egg for many years, although total audience of the most popular e-disciplines in Russia makes up to 8-10 million people. The ‘E-sports in Russia’ project is realized in order to create a healthy, recognizable brand and promote sports-related image of Russia. Project tasks also include arranging world-class rating events for the most popular e-discipline in the world at the moment – Dota2».

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I wondered who got the government money for such a noble work as the e-sports promotion.

Well, here they are:

Shvyrev Roman Vladimirovich (Швырев Роман Владимирович)

Smirnov Aleksandr Igorevich (Смирнов Александр Игоревич)

Toloknov Denis Aleksandrovich (Толокнов Денис Александрович)

Alenin Dmitry Aleksandrovich (Аленин Дмитрий Александрович)

No one from the e-sports community knows them. These people are not only founders of the ‘Idustchiye vmeste’ (Moving Together) regional office, who are famous for their campaigns in support of Putin; they have also found an autonomous NCO ‘Molodoy talant’ (Young Genius) registered in Moscow Region, Lyubertsy, Oktyabrskiy avenue, res.8, bld.3, aprtm.48. There a four more entities registered there:

Autonomous NCO ‘Mnogonatsionalnaya Strana’ (Multinational Country)

Autonomous NCO ‘Shag Navstrechu’ (Meet Me Halfway)

Youth Public Organization for Support of Talented Youth ‘Malye Goroda’ (Small Towns)

Autonomous NCO ‘Zdorovoe Pokolenie’ (Healthy Generation)

I called at 8 (495) 501-76-14, the phone number from registration documents. An angry man answered saying ‘it’s an apartment; I’m fucking tired of you calling here’.

Here is detailed information about this apartment and companies registered in it (in Russian), no need to repeat it.

Short description: close-to-government organizations got more than 1 million USD for different projects relating to patriotic guidance and different events like fashion-designer competitions.

Here is a picture with a scheme of government grant distribution among companies that are registered in the same apartment in Moscow Region:

I don’t know how to fight that. Well, no one cares, I guess. But I have a feeling as if these people have quite a vague idea of the e-sports, and that they will not be able to promote it for sure.

You know, it might be for the better. We can do it on our own, without these wonderful fellows of Putin.

Jaroslav Komkov, special for Well Played: Dota 2 edition