War on words: Russia threatens to fine Wikipedia over ‘false information’
A Russian watchdog has threatened to fine Wikipedia unless it removes an unfavourable account of the invasion of Ukraine.
Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, said it would fine Wikipedia up to 4m roubles (£36,000) for failing to remove “material with inaccurate information of public interest” from the site.
The regulator said it has written to Wikipedia ordering it to remove “inaccurate information on the subject of a special military operation of the RF Armed Forces in Ukraine.” Roskamnadzor said an article posted on the site deliberately sought to misinform Russian users.
Russia invaded Ukranie on 24 February when President Putin ordered thousands of troops to enter the country under the guise of a peacekeeping mission. More than 4.2m Ukranians have been forced to flee their homes amid the conflict.
The regulator took issue with an article which said that Putin had stated the need to protect the people of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine “as a justification for the invasion” as well as “the unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state.”
The article also accuses Russian forces of targeting civilians by launching missile strikes against residential areas, hospitals and social infrastructure in Ukraine, citing comments by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Russia has repeatedly denied claims that civilians are being targeted by its armed forces.
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