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Wikipedia blocked in Russia, Kremlin silences another information source
🇵🇱 Poland /Culture & Society

Wikipedia blocked in Russia, Kremlin silences another information source

From Rzeczpospolita · () Polish

Translated from Polish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Wikipedia has become inaccessible to Russian users without a VPN, with reports of outages starting August 28.
  • Russian officials have previously threatened to block Wikipedia and accused it of distorting historical events and opposing traditional values.
  • A Russian alternative, Ruviki, has copied millions of Wikipedia articles and added state-approved content, but remains financially unsuccessful.

Wikipedia is reportedly blocked in Russia, marking the silencing of another information source by the Kremlin. Russian users began reporting Wikipedia's inaccessibility without a VPN on the night of August 28. The extent of the blockage is difficult to confirm, but some data indicates a significant drop in availability.

Wikipedia seems to be blocked in Russia.

— Mikhail KlimarevMikhail Klimarev, president of the Internet Defense Society, commenting on the accessibility issues.

This move follows previous threats and actions by Russian authorities against the online encyclopedia. The Russian regulator Roskomnadzor had previously warned of blocking Wikipedia and ordered it to be marked in search results as "a site violating Russian law." Public criticism has also come from within the Russian parliament, with some deputies accusing Wikipedia of "hostile interpretation of historical events" and "distorting the truth."

One deputy called the resource a "weapon in the information war," while another suggested it could be blocked due to an article about VPN services, which are used to bypass internet restrictions. The head of a Kremlin-backed human rights council also urged a ban, calling for the swift creation of a domestic alternative.

hostile interpretation of historical events

— Nina OstaninaNina Ostanina, chairwoman of the Russian parliament's committee for family protection, accusing Wikipedia of distorting history.

In response to such calls, a Russian alternative called Ruviki has emerged. This portal has copied approximately 2 million Wikipedia articles, supplementing them with "only correct content." Despite receiving significant government investment, the company behind Ruviki continues to incur losses, suggesting a lack of public trust in state-controlled information sources.

weapon in the information war

— Oleg MatveychikovOleg Matveychikov, deputy chairman of the committee for information policy, describing Wikipedia.
About this summary

Originally published by Rzeczpospolita in Polish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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