Wikimedia Foundation appeals Russian fine over Ukraine war articles

A Russian court ruled that the articles about the invasion of Ukraine were in violation of the law. The organization filed an appeal last week, arguing that Russia didn't have jurisdiction over the globally operating Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikimedia was fined around $65,000 by the Moscow court after they ruled on seven Russian-language articles. Following an order from Russia's tech and communications agency, as well as the passage of a "fake news" law that attached criminal penalties to basic reporting on the invasion, the decision was made. The Russian subsidiary of Google was declared bankrupt after its bank account was frozen due to non-payment.

Stephen LaPorte, associate general counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation, said in a statement that the decision implies that well-sourced, verified knowledge on Wikipedia that is inconsistent with Russian government accounts is a form of misinformation. Information that is vital to people's lives is being targeted by the government. Everyone has the right to knowledge access and free expression. Russia's government will have the opportunity to respond to the appeal in the coming weeks.

The war on Wikipedia intensified after the invasion, despite the fact that the website has been asked to remove content before. The arrest of an editor in Belarus in March was one of the challenges faced by volunteers of the online encyclopedia.