Ruwiki
Type of site
Online encyclopedia
Available inRussian
Predecessor(s)Russian Wikipedia
Country of originRussia
Founder(s)Vladimir Medeyko
URLruwiki.ru
Launched15 January 2024
Content license
Creative Commons Public License Attribution-Shared Terms 4.0 International

Ruwiki (Russian: Рувики, romanized: Ruviki) is a Russian online encyclopedia.[1] It was launched in July 2023 as a fork of the Russian Wikipedia,[1] and has been described by some media groups as "Putin-friendly" and "Kremlin-compliant".[2][3] A full-scale launch took place on January 15, 2024.[4]

The project is led by Vladimir Medeyko, who was formerly involved with the Russian Wikipedia project and a director of Wikimedia Russia.[1][5] Medeyko has been reported to have created the project as an alternative to the Russian Wikipedia that is more friendly to the Russian government.[3]

Origins

On 24 May 2023, long-time Wikimedia Russia director Vladimir Medeyko announced Ruwiki as a Russian fork of Wikipedia on the Russian technology website Habr.[6] The Russian politician Anton Gorelkin stated that the new "ruviki" website would be hosted on Russian servers and managed by a Russian organization.[7] Medeyko has stated that Ruwiki will follow Russian laws, but is independent of the Russian government.[3]

Content and editorial policy

Ruwiki was created by copying all 1.9 million articles from the Russian Wikipedia, as well as several media components from Wikimedia Commons,[8] and data items from Wikidata. However, articles containing content contrary to the Russian government's official line have been removed.[1][3] Removals of content considered "anti-Russian propaganda" include coverage of the Russo-Ukraine War, the Wagner rebellion, and criticism of Vladimir Putin.[2]

In mid-July 2023, Ruwiki was not yet editable by third parties. Medeyko had stated that he plans to allow public editing to resume, but that content will be vetted by panels of experts.[3] Nevertheless, as of August 2023, Ruwiki was available to edit by all registered accounts.[9]

Public launch

In January 2024, it was reported that Ruwiki would enter full public service on Monday 15 January.[10] Ruwiki confirmed the statements shortly thereafter, announcing the "end of beta testing on January 15, 2024".[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Corfield, Gareth (2023-07-12). "Russia launches Wikipedia rival in new censorship crackdown". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  2. 1 2 Jankowicz, Mia. "Russia has launched its own version of Wikipedia, called Ruwiki, which is notably more sympathetic to Putin". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Cohen, Noam (2023-07-12). "Russian Wikipedia's Top Editor Leaves to Launch a Putin-Friendly Clone". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  4. ↑ "Russian version of Wikipedia to launch Monday, reports say". Reuters. January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Wikipedia Russia, Other Sites Protest Proposed Internet 'censorship' Law". PCWorld. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  6. ↑ "Запуск проекта Рувики". Хабр (in Russian). 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  7. ↑ "Resource "Ruviki" will become a new analogue of "Wikipedia" in Russia". Orient. 2023-05-24. Archived from the original on 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  8. ↑ "Заглавная страница". РУВИКИ.Медиа (in Russian). 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  9. ↑ "Россиянам разрешили редактировать отечественный аналог «Википедии»". Rambler.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  10. ↑ Bureau, BW Online. "Russia To Launch Its Version Of Wikipedia Called 'Ruwiki': Reports". BW Businessworld. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  11. ↑ "Рувики: Новая интернет-энциклопедия". РУВИКИ (in Russian). 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16. [RUVIKI announces the end of beta testing on January 15, 2024. Technology updates will be introduced throughout 2024.]
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