According to Russia, Wikipedia should have given the correct role to the Russian army. But by recounting the invasion of Ukraine objectively, the collaborative encyclopedia has drawn the ire of Moscow. For this reason, the country has imposed a fine of two million rubles (about 25,000 euros) on the Wikimedia Foundation, indicates the Reuters agency.
In its ruling, the Russian court noted Wikipedia’s shortcomings. According to him, the site should have removed information considered misleading by Russia.
Already four fines against Wikipedia
Shortly after the Russian army invaded Ukraine, the country passed new laws to control information about these events. Thus, in Russia it is forbidden to go against the official discourse of the Kremlin under penalty of fines or blocking of websites.
This is already the fourth time that the Wikimedia Foundation has been condemned by Russia since the beginning of the conflict. The last sanction dates from November 2022. Once again, the decision will be appealed, but the procedure leaves little hope.
The country’s Internet users have taken the fear of Russia’s establishment of censorship very seriously. Less than a month after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, many Russians downloaded the entire collaborative encyclopedia for a massive archive.
Source: BFM TV
