Russia has replaced the Russian-language Wikipedia (Ruwiki) with a state-sponsored counterpart, “Ruviki,” whose 1.9 million entries have been modified to adhere to Russian legal standards.
Wikimedia RU, the Russian-language branch of the NGO overseeing Wikipedia, was compelled to cease operations at the end of 2023 due to the conflict in Ukraine. Vladimir Medeyko, a former branch chief who currently heads Ruviki, had asserted that he perceived reliability and neutrality issues within Wikipedia. Medeyko announced the initiative to replicate the Russian-language Wikipedia in June, with the intention to edit it to ensure the information is a “reliable” source for all Russian users.
Specifically, the entry “Russian invasion of Ukraine” was modified to “Military operations in Ukraine (2022).”
According to 404 Media, there were 205,000 changes to articles about free speech, 158,000 to articles about human rights, 96,000 to articles about political prisoners, and 71,000 to articles about censorship in Russia. Additionally, 110 articles about the war in Ukraine were removed. Ruviki also removed posts about reports of torture in prisons and scandals involving Russian government officials.
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