The head of the Human Rights Council (HRC), Valery Fadeev, wanted to close Wikipedia and create a Russian alternative to it. He stated this at a press conference in honor of the International Internet Day, the statement was published on the HRC Telegram page:
“In my opinion, Wikipedia should be shut down. In many ways, it is convenient, but there are many distortions when it comes to politics and history. It is necessary to create an alternative to it as soon as possible and close Wikipedia. This is an ideological, politicized product.”
HRC member Igor Ashmanov supported Fadeev, adding that the Russian Federation cannot influence Wikipedia, everything is “skewed” there and this is a “strategic weapon”. According to him, you really need to create an analogue and block the project.
In February, a court fined the Wikimedia Foundation 2 million rubles for Wikipedia's refusal to remove materials about the war in Ukraine. Wikipedia refused to remove articles about three military units: the 74th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade (it also has a section on the participation of the brigade in the Chechen war and the war in Ukraine), the 138th separate motorized rifle brigade (also mentions participation in the war in 2022), 92nd Rocket Brigade – and, in addition, articles about the war in Ukraine.
The Russian authorities are not abandoning their attempts to replace Instagram, YouTube and Wikipedia with domestic services in the country. But the Russians continue to use the American Instagram instead of Rosgram even after the blocking by installing a VPN. An attempt by the authorities to create an analogue of YouTube – RuTube has also not been successful so far. The CEO of Gazprom-Media, Alexander Zharov, admitted that RuTube will not be able to replace American video hosting. Wikipedia was planned to be replaced twice already: by the Knowledge portal, where you need to fill out a questionnaire, indicating your full name, title, position and area of scientific interests, and by the Runiversalis project. On the front page of the latter there is a block with articles about the “special operation” (as the authorities call the war) in Ukraine, the successes of the Russian military and their conquests in the territory occupied by Russia.
In addition to blocking social networks, the Kremlin, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, began a mass blocking of independent media. How to bypass blocking and even create your own VPN – in the material The Insider.