The Russian version of Wikipedia, called Ruwiki, is due to go online this Monday, after several months of testing. Is this the end of the famous encyclopedia in the land of the tsars?
The full-scale launch of Ruwiki, the Russian Wikipedia, is scheduled for today, Monday January 15, 2024. The initiative, confirmed by Russian media, comes after months of beta testing which saw Ruwiki outperform the language section Russian from its Western competitor in terms of articles. At the same time, Moscow reiterates its intention not to block Wikipedia in the country.
Ruwiki launches against Wikipedia, which is a UFO in Russia
The Russian digital landscape is transforming with the launch of Ruwiki, which was already online since last summer but in test form, just to pile up articles in the Russian language, so that there are more on the new platform than on Wikipedia. It is now done.
On Wikipedia’s side, we perhaps feel some concern about this expansion of Ruwiki. But despite tensions between the encyclopedia and Russia, the Kremlin said it would not block the platform.
To this day, Wikipedia is a UFO and remains one of the country’s few independent sources of information, despite repeated fines imposed by Russian courts for content linked to Ukraine. The launch of Ruwiki offers a pro-Putin alternative in Russia, while highlighting the importance of maintaining the diversity of information sources there.
Users have already taken charge (and adopted?) Ruwiki
It was in May 2022, a few months before the invasion of Ukraine, that Vladimir Putin approved the creation of platforms competing with Wikipedia. The Russian president’s idea is to strengthen government control over online content.
And about this, according to the local newspaper Izvestia, the most read articles during Ruwiki’s beta testing phase covered topics like the 2023 death toll, the escalation of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Statistics also indicate significant user participation, with an average time spent on the site of more than six minutes.
Concerning the financial details of the Ruwiki project, these remain confidential. Kommersant, the famous Russian daily, explains that the founders of Ruwiki did not disclose the cost of the project or the names of the investors. This opacity raises questions about financing but also about the long-term viability of the platform.
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