Russia’s censorship agency orders Wikipedia to remove two articles on war in Ukraine

Russia’s censorship agency Roskomnadzor has ordered Wikipedia to remove two English-language articles: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and Rashism, which provide information on the war in Ukraine, the Russian Wikipedia stated on Twitter.

The agency claims that Wikipedia has published false information on casualties, attacks on the civilian population, as well as the goals and the format of the “special operation.”

Russia’s digital rights watchdog Roskomsvoboda estimates that up to 3,000 websites have been blocked in Russia since the start of the war, including news websites, social media platforms, forums, websites of human rights organisations, companies and piracy services.

In late April, a court in Moscow slapped a 3-mln-ruble ($46,000) fine on Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit that curates Wikipedia, for its refusal to delete five articles on the war in Ukraine. This is the first fine issued to Wikipedia by a Russian court.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office ordered the Wikimedia Foundation to restrict access to five articles on the war in Ukraine, including articles about Mariupol, Bucha and Kyiv.