The Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat is taking an unconventional approach to spread news about the war in Ukraine to young Russians despite harsh censorship in the country. The newspaper has created a secret room in one of the game environments of Counter-Strike to get their message across.
The secret room is wallpapered with articles and pictures reporting on events in the war such as massacres in Butja and Irpin. In the background are tabloid versions of the articles from Helsingin Sanomat in Russian language. Since the room was created on Monday, that particular game environment has been downloaded over 2,000 times.
Antero Mukka, the editor-in-chief of Helsingin Sanomat said that although foreign media are blocked in Russia, online gambling has not been stopped yet. He added that four million Russians play Counter-Strike and it is important to reach young men in particular as they are often at an age when they are called up.
