Valve blocks access to de_voyna from Russian IP addresses

The map dedicated to sharing the truth about Ukraine has been blacklisted to IP addresses from Russia

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de_voyna has been the center of many talks in the past month it has been released, for both good and bad reasons. The map is dedicated to spreading the truth about the war in Ukraine to Russian citizens. As coverage in Russia is heavily censored and vetted.

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What is de_voyna CS:GO map?

First of all, what is de_voyna? And why is it so controversial? Well, de_voyna was created by a newspaper in Finland of all places. Helsingin Sanomat made it their mission to bring truth to the Russian citizens, and where does the majority of the Russian population reside? That’s right, CS:GO!

So HS commissioned a map maker to create de_voyna, Voyna meaning “War” in Russian. The map was created with a hidden room behind a normally inaccessible door, this room contained details about the Ukraine war, and Russia’s true involvement.

There is a fantastic Video from 3kliksphilip on the subject if you want some more context.

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Valve blocks access to de_voyna from Russian IP addresses.

This outcome seemed inevitable, but it seems that Valve has finally blocked access to de_voyna from Russian sources, this includes access to the map itself and to the Workshop pages. One user on Reddit, u/godxarte reported on this.

In the comments, another Reddit user by the name of u/DimasDSF stated that they are in Russia, and when trying to access the de_voyna map from the Steam Workshop they get the following error:

“Sorry! An error was encountered while processing your request: That item does not exist. It may have been removed by the author.”.

This is reasonable confirmation that Valve has removed access to the de_voyna map from all Russian sources. But why?

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Why did Valve Block access de_voyna from Russian sources?

This is all just speculation, but it’s most likely political and business related. Valve probably wants to avoid being political at all costs, it also probably doesn’t want to antagonize Russia as Valve has a large player base there. Valve is a business, and a business need to consider its needs.

Some may criticize Valve for the decision to remove access to de_voyna from Russia, but at the end of the day, it isn’t Valve’s place to facilitate the education of Russians on the Ukraine war. Whilst we believe strongly that everyone should be shown the truth behind the Ukraine war, we don’t think Valve did anything wrong by blocking access.

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Final Word

In conclusion, de_voyna, a controversial map in the CS:GO game, has sparked discussions due to its mission of spreading the truth about the war in Ukraine to Russian citizens.

Created by Helsingin Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper, the map aimed to provide uncensored information about Russia’s involvement in the conflict. However, Valve, the company behind CS:GO, has recently blocked access to de_voyna from Russian IP addresses, including the map itself and its Workshop pages.

While the reasons behind this decision are speculative, it is likely influenced by political and business considerations. Valve, as a business, may wish to avoid taking political stances or antagonizing its large player base in Russia.

Although some may criticize the move, ultimately, it is not Valve’s responsibility to educate Russians about the Ukraine war. While the desire for truth is important, Valve’s decision to block access can be seen as within its rights as a business.