Roskomnadzor, Russia's official internet regulatory agency, has demanded Wikipedia remove what it terms false information about Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine.
Russia's internet regulatory agency is particularly disturbed that the Wikipedia entry, which is short, diverges from the Kremlin's official account.
For instance, the Wikipedia entry describes an "invasion" by Russia, while the Kremlin's official line refers to a "military operation" for "peaceful purposes," Euractiv reported.
The number of casualties cited in the entry is also much higher than Moscow's official figures.
Roskomnadzor's notice to Wikipedia emphasized the need to for it to immediately remove false content, which it says is aimed at misinforming Russian users.
This is the second warning that Roskomnadzor has sent Wikipedia on the subject, having given it a previous demand earlier in the month.
This comes after a top Russian Wikipedia editor was arrested for distributing "fake, anti-Russian content," according to Slate.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted a law that gives 15 years in prison to journalists whose narratives differ from the Kremlin. Moscow has also banned Facebook and Instagram.
In protest, CNN, the BBC, and other outlets suspended their broadcasting, while Microsoft, Apple, and Google pulled their services.
Coinciding with the threats against Wikipedia, Slate reported that data suggests Russians have downloaded Wikipedia in droves; in fact, so much so that over the last week Russia is the nation with the most such downloads by a large margin.
Before the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russian downloads of Wikipedia rarely broke the Top 10.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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