Bea Beltran Tech 03.01.2023 00:Mar AM EST

Russia Fines Wikipedia for Alleged Misinformation about Conflict with Ukraine

Although Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, Russia is fining the information platform for refusing to take down the allegedly false information about the country's roles in the recent Ukranian War.

Russia Fines Wikipedia Again

The European country issued a fine of two million rubles, which amounts to around $27,000 USD. Should Wikipedia continue to keep the page up, it would violate several laws issued by the Kremlins that prohibit reports that contradict "Russia's official message."

Failure to comply with the said censorship laws may result in the indefinite blocking of the website or receiving fines. Despite that, Wikipedia's parent company Wikimedia refused to abide by it and refused to remove the content, according to Gizmodo.

Although Wikimedia still hasn't decided whether or not they would appeal the fine of two million rubles, the head of the foundation's Russian chapter, Stanislav Kozlovskiy says there has only been one successful experience of appealing court verdicts.

Wikimedia has not taken down content despite Russia's attempt at censorship. The recent fine is an addition to two other active appeals as Russian authorities have been issuing take-down orders and fines even before.

The Wikimedia Foundation stated that the fines were for "not complying with takedown requests for well-sourced content"," which is related to the five articles published about the Russian military in the Russian language Wikipedia.

Russia vs Wikimedia

Previous fines include a five million rubles penalty for the alleged disinformation regarding the invasion of Ukraine. The Wikipedia parent company appealed the fine back in June 2022, saying that the information was fact-based and verified by volunteers.

The titles that were deemed false by Russia were "Russian Invasions of Ukraine (2022)," "Battle for Kyiv," "War Crimes during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine," "Shelling of Hospital in Mariupol," "Bombing of the Mariupol Theater," and "Massacre in Bucha."

The foundation also added that the authors continuously edit and improve the articles and that removing it would "constitute a violation of people's rights to free expression and access to knowledge," as mentioned in Ars Technica.

With another two million rubles fine, Russia urges Wikipedia to take down the published posts called "Non-violent resistance of Ukraine's civilian population in the course of Russia's invasion" and "Evaluations of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine."

Wikimedia expressed that it will not comply with Russia's efforts to remove the content, as it protects the Russian's right to knowledge and free speech. They added that the Russian government's orders limit the spread of reliable and well-sourced information.

The Wikipedia article that caught the ire of the Russian government mentions how severe logistical failures impacted the operational performance of Russian troops, reports say, and that different service branches have struggled to coordinate and work together.

It also says that several shortcomings have affected Russia's war effort, resulting in extensive setbacks since its first invasion. On top of that, it was mentioned that the Russian Armed Forces have experienced losses of territory and have a high casualty rate.