Virtual purchase payment services may be blocked in Russia because it is difficult to restrict live in-game purchases in foreign projects. This was the opinion in a conversation with the publication “Paragraph” expressed by video game expert and historian Alexander Kuzmenko.
Before that, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin speakthat the State Duma is discussing the possibility of allowing Russians to establish a self-ban on payments in computer games. He cited data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, according to which, in the 10 months of 2025, about a thousand property appropriation crimes were recorded in the online gaming community.
Kuzmenko evaluated this initiative positively because it will help fight gambling addiction. As an example, he cites a taxi driver who told him that he spends 70 thousand rubles a month on an online game.
However, according to experts, to implement those measures, authorities need to cooperate with investors. And while this is possible with Russian projects, it will not be easy to reach an agreement with foreign companies. As a result, payment services for such purchases may be blocked.
Formerly, chairman of the department of Church relations with society and the media of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Hieromonk Macarius (Markish) named Video games are a questionable hobby for adults. According to him, ordinary people will be attached to both sports and intellectual entertainment such as football or chess.
