They include media channels like the BBC and Deutsche Welle, social media platforms like Instagram and Soundcloud, and even human rights organisations’ websites.
Some media outlets have devised clever ways to get information on Russia’s war in Ukraine past this new digital firewall and into Russia. In the opening weeks of the battle, Google reviews or rating platforms like Tripadvisor were utilised to send messages until the US firms put a stop to it.
Now, the popular computer game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which has around four million users in Russia, has a map created by the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
A map in multiplayer games is a level, or the location where the game takes place. Players compete as terrorist or anti-terrorist forces in the online tactical shooting game. For the game, the Finnish newspaper recreated a Slavic city and dubbed the map “de_voyna.” The word “Voyna” translates to “war” in Russian and is not permitted to be used in Russian media.
