Wikipedia Fights Russian Order To Take Down Articles On Ukraine War

The Wikimedia Foundation, which owns free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, has filed an appeal against a Russian court decision demanding that it take down information on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Wikimedia Foundation says the public has the right to know the facts of the Russia-Ukraine war. 

A Moscow court fined the Wikimedia Foundation $88,000 for refusing to take down what it deemed to be disinformation from Russian-language Wikipedia articles on the conflict. The articles include “The Russian Invasion of Ukraine”, “War Crimes during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine”, and “Massacre in Bucha.”

Wikipedia is one of the last remaining major fact-checked Russian-language sources of information for Russians following a significant media crackdown by the government there. 

In a statement, Stephen LaPorte, Associate General Counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation, said: “This decision implies that well-sourced, verified knowledge on Wikipedia that is inconsistent with Russian government accounts constitutes disinformation.”