Patriotic Russian Game Goes Digital with “CyberZarnitsa-2025”
Moscow will host a one-of-a-kind experiment merging the physical and virtual worlds: a festival that blends military-inspired fitness tests with e-sports and drone training.
The Russian Federation of Computer Sports is launching “CyberZarnitsa” at the Grand Sports Arena in Luzhniki Stadium. The large-scale event reimagines a traditional Soviet-era patriotic game through modern IT technologies. Participants will be able to complete the GTO physical fitness standards, try their hand at orienteering and tactical medicine, and then apply those skills in digital competitions.
Key attractions will include tournaments in World of Tanks and Counter-Strike 2, VR simulator zones, laser tag arenas, and master classes on drone piloting. Visitors will also get to watch a Counter-Strike 2 show match featuring popular streamers and professional esports players.
The festival is a modern spin on “Zarnitsa,” a military-sports game popular in the Soviet Union during the 1960s. That program emphasized patriotic education and teamwork. CyberZarnitsa translates those principles of tactics, strategy, and collective action into the digital age, offering a new way to prepare young people for both physical and virtual challenges.
