How Ukraine recreated the Soledar Salt Mine in Minecraft to let players compete for prizes and donate to restore a school hit by a Russian missile
WiredJustin Ling
Context & Ripple Effects
Ukraine is using a Minecraft recreation of the Soledar Salt Mine to turn exploration and prize competition into donations for a missile-damaged school. It places a culturally significant location inside a mass-market game rather than relying solely on conventional fundraising channels.
The project enters a gaming environment already used to shape perceptions of the war: prior coverage found Minecraft and Roblox carrying pro-Russia messaging to young and Russian-speaking audiences. That makes the recreation both a fundraising mechanism and a competing narrative presence on the same platforms.
First-order effects
Minecraft players can engage with a virtual version of the mine, compete for prizes, and direct donations toward restoring the damaged school.
Ukraine gains a game-native channel for connecting a physical loss to a defined reconstruction effort, while the Soledar mine becomes a digital civic and cultural asset.
Second-order effects
The initiative raises the value of interactive, place-based experiences for humanitarian campaigns, potentially pushing other organizers to favor participatory formats over static awareness content.
Because Minecraft has also hosted pro-Russia war narratives, visibility for a Ukraine-built experience increases competition over how the conflict is represented to players on major gaming platforms.
Third-order effects
If replicated, games could become a more regular layer of wartime public engagement: part fundraising infrastructure, part preservation tool, and part arena for narrative contestation.
That shift would make platform governance and the credibility of in-game political or humanitarian content more consequential, especially where younger audiences encounter conflict narratives.
The trend: The broader trend is the conversion of large gaming platforms from entertainment spaces into participatory infrastructure for fundraising, cultural preservation, and influence campaigns.
But it's not just a game for the game. Scan QR and donate to rebuild the school that was destroyed by Russia. Give back to children the opportunity to be together: learn, play and dream, even during a big war! https://u24.gov.ua/...
Today, #UNITED24 @U24_gov_ua launched Minesalt, a new game in the Minecraft world, featuring the Ukrainian salt mines of occupied #Soledar (#Donetsk region) - the largest salt mining site in Europe. [video]
The @U24_gov_ua fundraising platform, in collaboration with Endorah, has launched Minesalt, a unique Minecraft-based game, recreating the vast salt mines of Ukrainian Soledar. It offers players a chance to explore, collect crystals, and contribute to the reconstruction of... [vid…
Dig Minecraft and rebuild in real life. @U24_gov_ua together with @EndorahCreation created a game Minesalt — about the city Soledar. It's famous for its salt mines — the largest salt production in Europe. Play the game and discover the Soledar. [video]
Since February 2023, Soledar has been occupied by russia. The goal of the #Minesalt project is to remind the world about the war in Ukraine and raise funds to rebuild the Velyka Kostromka School destroyed by russians.
U24 ambassadors — @richardbranson, Sir Paul Nurse, @mishacollins, @usykaa, @StationCDRKelly, Oleksandr Zinchenko, @KatherynWinnick and @IvannaSakhno — will accompany you in the virtual mines of Soledar. Dig in Minecraft. Rebuild in Real Life ⛏🏗 https://u24.gov.ua/...
How to play #Minesalt⛏️ We have made a step-by-step guide✍️ Play the game as many times as you like: collect 140 crystals, win cool prizes, learn about these amazing salt mines and help Ukraine. Dig in Minecraft. Rebuild in Real Life. https://u24.gov.ua/... [video]
Well, there's a first for everything. Ukraine's Soledar salt mines are now in Minecraft, thanks to @U24_gov_ua... And so am I! You can meet me in the world of #Minesalt and play the virtual game while helping to rebuild a school in Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/... #Minecraft
The developers have accurately recreated the underground world of Soledar in #Minesalt⛏ A total of 16 locations are waiting for you. What are salt tears, who is the mine's owner, what exhibit is 250 million years old? Find out in Minesalt: https://u24.gov.ua/... 👇 [image]
🤔Did you know that salt isn't the only thing Soledar mines are known for? Their acoustics can compete with the best music venues in the world. Concerts of symphony and opera orchestras, jazz festivals, football matches, and even a hot air balloon launch were performed there! [ima…
Soledar salt mines are now in #Minecraft! Together with @EndorahCreation, we present #Minesalt, a Minecraft-based game that recreates Soledar's salt mines. 16 locations and 500 km of tunnels, alongside a unique lore and 140 collectible crystals👇 https://u24.gov.ua/... [video]
Launched today by @U24_gov_ua, Minesalt is a Minecraft mod that recreates the Soledar Salt Mine in Eastern Ukraine. Players can race to find hidden crystals or explore at their own pace. Donations will help rebuild a school destroyed in the Russian assault. 📹: Endorah [video]
📰#Minesalt — in @WIRED “The idea for Minesalt comes from UNITED24. Minesalt, which launches today, might be their most inspired effort yet. Funds raised through the game will go to rebuilding the Velyka Kostromka School in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.” Read: https://www.wired.com/... […
Soledar Salt Mine shut down when Russia invaded Ukraine. For a while, it was a bunker. About a year into the fighting, Russia seized & occupied it. Now, the Ukrainian government has recreated Soledar in Minecraft so everyone can visit it. A look inside: https://www.wired.com/...