Another factor may have been economic and strategic in nature: Moscow is angling to participate in and dominate the potentially enormously lucrative oil exploitation deal Western companies have recently struck with Azerbaijan.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

"Mobile and online have become significant markets in their own right and we expect all forms of networked games exploitation to account for 20% of the total Western world market by 2008, " said Ben Keen, Screen Digest analyst.

BBC: Screenshot of GTA: San Andreas video game