‘Ruwiki,’ a Putin-Pleasant Model of Wikipedia, Launched in Russia

‘Ruwiki,’ a Putin-Pleasant Model of Wikipedia, Launched in Russia

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  • A Kremlin-compliant model of Wikipedia, Ruwiki, has launched in Russia.
  • Its founder, a former longtime editor at Russian Wikipedia, says it is going to comply with strict Russian media legal guidelines.
  • It is at present remarkably quiet on the Ukraine warfare, Prigozhin’s mutiny, and criticism of Putin.

Russia has launched its personal model of Wikipedia that’s markedly extra pleasant in the direction of President Vladimir Putin and his authorities.

The location, Ruwiki, is helmed by Wikipedia’s former high Russian-language editor Vladimir Medeyko, The Telegraph reported.

Medeyko, who had labored with Wikipedia for 20 years, give up it to discovered the Kremlin-compliant rival in June, based on Bloomberg.

Medeyko informed the outlet that the positioning will stay impartial and decide to high-quality sourcing, whereas additionally complying with Russia’s legal guidelines, that are notoriously draconian within the realms of media and freedom of speech.

Medeyko claims he’s working independently of the Russian authorities, per Bloomberg.

Ruwiki’s launch in July follows a long-running standoff between the open-sourced encyclopedia and the Russian state.

In June final 12 months, Wikipedia refused a Russian courtroom’s calls for to take away articles in regards to the invasion of Ukraine, and it has been fined by the Russian state a number of occasions since. 

Per the Telegraph, Ruwiki’s content material is copied wholesale from Russian Wikipedia’s 1.9 million articles — however with some notable adjustments.

Insider in contrast Ruwiki with Russian Wikipedia utilizing Google Translate as of July 13 to get a way of their key variations. 

The “criticism” part of Ruwiki’s web page on Putin — one which runs roughly 2,500 phrases on Russian Wikipedia — has been truncated to some paragraphs, whereas retaining some sympathetic feedback from a US tutorial.

And whereas there isn’t any web page on Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there’s one utilizing the Kremlin-approved time period “particular navy operation.”

Ruwiki’s web page on Ukraine makes no point out of the warfare.

Equally, on Ruwiki all point out of the Wagner Group’s rise up final month seems to be excised. Russian Wikipedia has a devoted article on the episode, throughout which Wagner forces marched on Moscow and got here inside 125 miles of the Russian capital earlier than turning again. 

A nascent part on Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s disagreements with Russia’s Ministry of Protection is marked as but to be written. 

Ruwiki is at present in beta model so outsiders cannot but edit the positioning.

The launch of Ruwiki is seen as a possible precursor to a Russian ban on Wikipedia, which is likely one of the nation’s hottest web sites, based on Bloomberg.

Russia has additionally been growing a raft of legal guidelines and applied sciences that might allow rising isolation of its web from the broader internet, as Wired reported. 

It comes amid a long-term crackdown on free speech and unbiased media in Russia, the place criticism of its navy has been successfully outlawed, dissidents’ sentences prolonged, and unbiased retailers compelled to check with themselves as “overseas brokers.”

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