Russia is gearing up for the official launch of Ruwiki, its version of Wikipedia, this Monday. Beta testing, initiated in mid-2023, reportedly surpassed the Russian-language segment of Wikipedia in article count. Despite fines imposed on Wikipedia by Russian courts for Ukraine-related content, Russia has not announced plans to block the platform.

During beta testing, popular Ruwiki articles included topics like deaths in 2023, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Russia's military operation in Ukraine, and top-grossing films in Russia.

The new alternative, approved by President Putin in 2022, will provide users diverse content, including popular topics from the beta testing phase. The founders remain tight-lipped about project costs and investor details.

Why does it matter?

The Ruwiki launch fulfills a longstanding goal for Russian authorities, critical of Wikipedia's alleged dissemination of 'false' and 'unreliable' information during Moscow's Ukraine invasion. Last December, the Russian Wikimedia chapter announced closure due to warnings that its director might be labeled a 'foreign agent' by authorities, according to Russian media. While initiatives aimed at strengthening multilingualism on the internet should be praised, the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Ruwiki raise concerns about potential censorship and the spread of government propaganda.