Finnish news outlet uses CS:GO to share Ukraine War news with Russians

Helsingin Sanomat, the most important newspaper in Finland, has decided to use Valve’s shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to inform all players through a “secret room” about all the actions Russia is doing in its invasion of Ukraine.

This new map is nothing special, as it is not designed for players to add it to the game and play it for free. However, this is more than just a way to offer information regarding everything happening outside of Russia and, most importantly, evading censorship in their country. Recall that CS:GO is not banned (for now) in the country, so it is possible to access the game and this new map.

Helsingin Sanomat launches CS:GO map to inform Russian players of the war in Ukraine

The most important Finnish newspaper in the country, Helsingin Sanomat, with the collaboration of two community members, has created a map called de_voyna. This map was officially launched on Steam workshop last May 3 to celebrate “World Press Freedom Day.”

In the description of the map, it states:

“On the surface, it looks like a normal Slavic city. However, something might be hidden underground”.

This secret underground is a room with information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While it is true that the map is prepared to provide information to all players in the world, the main target is players located in Russia. Helsingin Sanomat said:

“Since the beginning of the war, the country has banned its inhabitants from accessing online services such as Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Also, to various Western media outlets. Because of this, many Russians are unaware of what is happening in Ukraine.”

Map details

Looking at the images of the map, we can see that it is not far from all those created by the community in the CS:GO Workshop. In addition, this “secret room” is where players can see news about the war.

According to some data published by the Helsingin Sanomat, more than 4 million Russians play CS:GO, and the vast majority are young men. This is referenced because many within the community are of age to be drafted into their country’s military.

This map has only one goal: for players to get this secret room. There are only two ways to access the room:

• Using the camera in spectator mode.
• Activating the “sv_cheats 1” command and then using the popular “.noclip” to go through the walls.

Once in the room, players will see different papers where there is information regarding the war in Ukraine, which, according to Helsingin Sanomat, the Russian media manipulates or ignores.

In addition, inside the room, you will hear an announcer speaking in Russian, telling three news stories:

• Massacre in Bucha: Russian soldiers shot Ukrainian civilians indiscriminately.
• The impact of a missile on a family home.
• Finally, it highlights that 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in the war.

De_voyna has become extremely popular in the community and has a 5-star rating with 2,793 votes at the time of writing. This is certainly a record number considering it is only two days old and available on the CS:GO Workshop.

Header: Valve