Children of War

Seventeen-year-old Nikita “Nesich” from Ryazan dreams of going to the front as soon as he turns eighteen. For now, he plays airsoft, takes part in city raids with the “Russian Community,” and “plays the special military operation” in Minecraft. Together with his friend — 16-year-old Platon “Izumrud” — he recreates the landscapes of Ukrainian cities and stages pixelated battles.

Another Nikita — “Niko” Fedorov — is 22, and his path has been different. Three years ago, he uploaded a film to his channel titled “The Invasion of Ukraine — A Story in Minecraft,” entirely created within the game and based exclusively on documentary footage. It has been viewed over 1.7 million times, becoming the most watched Minecraft-based film about the war in Ukraine in the Russian-speaking online space.

Minecraft is no longer just a children’s game — it has become a platform for political discussion and propaganda. This film explores this blocky world as a key to understanding a community of “Z” teenagers, who are waiting to come of age in order to go to a real war.