A Finnish newspaper uses a trick to circumvent the Kremlin’s media censorship.Image: reuters
Politics
Russians have long had few opportunities in their country to obtain critical information about the Kremlin. Most pages from Western and independent domestic media have now been blocked. Social media platforms like Tinder also gradually announced their withdrawal from Russia.
The media authorized in Russia report close to the Kremlin. Anyone who tries to circumvent censorship using so-called VPNs is usually walking on thin ice and has to fear high penalties. VPN stands for virtual private network and ensures that the computer’s own IP address is encrypted.
However, what is not forbidden – at least so far: online games. Finland’s largest newspaper is now taking advantage of this and hides information about the war against Ukraine in unconventional ways.
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Newspaper hides information about war against Ukraine in virtual space
The newspaper chose the classic online game Counter-Strike as a hiding place for the information. In a virtual, secret room, users can find information about Russia’s war against Ukraine.
As the newspaper “Helsingin Sanomat” announced on Wednesday, it had found a way to circumvent media censorship in Russia. Around four million people play the popular computer game in Russia.
“While Helsingin Sanomat and other foreign independent media outlets are banned in Russia, online gaming is not banned for now”Antero Mukka, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, told AFP.
The first-person shooter game Counter-Strike allows players to create custom maps that anyone can download and use. Mukka explained, “So we built a Slavic town called Vojna, which means war in Russian.”
Many Russians in their country do not realize how brutal the Russian war of aggression really is. Bild: IMAGO / UPI Photo
In the basement of one of the city’s buildings, the technicians of “Helsingin Sanomat” hid a room where players can find reports in Russian. The reports were prepared by the newspaper’s war correspondents in Ukraine.
The walls of the digital space were covered with articles and photos documenting events such as the massacres in the Ukrainian cities of Bucha and Irpin. This is “information that is not available in the Russian state’s propaganda apparatus,” said Mukka.
Since its release on Monday, the map has been downloaded more than 2,000 times. The editor-in-chief stressed:
“This shows that any attempt to prevent the flow of information and mislead the public is doomed to fail in our modern world.”
(With material from AFP)
