Wikipedia Censorship Threats in Russia (2022)
In early 2022, the tension between global information sharing and national censorship reached a critical point as the Russian government targeted Wikipedia. Following the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian regulatory bodies began a concerted effort to control the narrative on the United States-hosted encyclopedia, leading to threats of blocks, fines, and the persecution of individual editors.
The conflict centered primarily on the Russian-language version of the site, though the demands eventually extended to the English Wikipedia. The Russian government sought to eliminate reports regarding military casualties and civilian deaths, framing these factual accounts as illegal information.
Key Facts
- Roskomnadzor, the Russian media monitoring agency, repeatedly threatened to block Wikipedia over articles regarding the invasion of Ukraine.
- The Russian government demanded the removal of the term Rashism and reports on military casualties.
- Wikimedia faced potential fines of up to 4 million rubles (approximately US$49,000).
- Individual editors were targeted, including the detention of Mark Bernstein in Belarus.
- Search engines were ordered to mark Wikipedia as a law violator in July 2022.
The Escalation of Regulatory Pressure
The campaign began on March 1, 2022, when Roskomnadzor contacted the Wikimedia Foundation. The agency demanded the removal of the article titled "Вторжение России на Украину (2022)" (Russian invasion of Ukraine), claiming it contained "illegally distributed information." Specifically, the agency objected to reports concerning casualties among Russian service personnel and the civilian population of Ukraine, including children.
By March 31, the pressure intensified. Roskomnadzor threatened the Wikimedia Foundation with a fine of up to 4 million rubles (roughly US$49,000) if the site failed to delete information deemed to be "misinforming" the Russian public.
Targeting the English Wikipedia
The censorship efforts were not limited to the Russian-language site. On May 18, 2022, Roskomnadzor extended its demands to the English Wikipedia, requesting the removal of articles about the invasion and the specific term Rashism (a portmanteau combining "Russian" and "fascism").
Persecution of Editors and Information Warfare
Beyond institutional threats, the Russian state and affiliated entities targeted the individuals responsible for maintaining the site's content. On March 11, 2022, Mark Bernstein, a Russian Wikipedia editor residing in Minsk, Belarus, was detained by GUBOPiK (the Belarusian security service). He was accused of violating the 2022 Russian fake news law due to his edits on articles covering the invasion.
The Russian government further framed the platform as a tool of conflict. Alexander Malkevich, deputy chairman of the commission on the development of information society, media and mass communications of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, stated in a March 16 interview that Wikipedia had become a "bridgehead for informational war against Russia." Malkevich claimed that authorities had identified 13 individuals engaged in "politically engaged editing" and approximately 30,000 bloggers participating in this perceived war.
Doxing and Propaganda Efforts
Reports from Novaya Gazeta indicated that pro-Kremlin structures linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin were involved in doxing (the act of searching for and publishing private identifying information) Wikipedia editors. Additionally, the publication reported that employees of the Special Communications Service of Russia, a division of the Federal Protective Service, attempted to disseminate pro-Kremlin propaganda by editing Wikipedia articles directly.
Legal Restrictions and Search Engine Penalties
Between April and May 2022, Russian authorities officially added several Wikipedia pages to their list of forbidden sites. This blacklist included:
- Articles on the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and Rashism.
- Russian Wikipedia articles detailing military actions and war crimes during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
- Two specific sections of the Russian article concerning Vladimir Putin.
The culmination of these efforts occurred on July 20, 2022. Following Wikipedia's refusal to remove the contested articles, Roskomnadzor ordered search engines to label Wikipedia as a violator of Russian laws.
| Date | Action/Event | Target/Detail |
|---|---|---|
| March 1 | Removal Demand | Article on the invasion of Ukraine |
| March 11 | Detention | Editor Mark Bernstein (in Belarus) |
| March 31 | Financial Threat | Fine of up to 4 million rubles |
| April–May | Blacklisting | Articles on war crimes and Vladimir Putin |
| May 18 | Removal Demand | English Wikipedia and term "Rashism" |
| July 20 | Search Engine Order | Marked as a violator of Russian laws |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Roskomnadzor want to block Wikipedia?
The agency claimed that Wikipedia contained "illegally distributed information," specifically citing reports of casualties among Russian military personnel and Ukrainian civilians, including children.
What is the "fake news law" mentioned in the text?
The 2022 Russian fake news law was used as the legal basis to accuse editors, such as Mark Bernstein, of crimes for making edits to articles regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
How did the Russian government attempt to influence Wikipedia content?
Beyond demanding deletions, reports indicate that employees of the Special Communications Service of Russia attempted to edit articles to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda, while other structures engaged in doxing editors.
What happened to the English version of Wikipedia?
Roskomnadzor demanded that the English Wikipedia remove articles about the 2022 invasion and the term "Rashism."
What was the final result of the July 2022 order?
Because Wikipedia refused to remove the articles about the Russo-Ukrainian war, Roskomnadzor ordered search engines to mark the site as a violator of Russian laws.