Putin has introduced a "state-endorsed" encyclopaedia, which is like the original Russian Wikipedia. Yet, it has been selectively edited to exclude content that might portray the Russian government unfavourably.
The authentic Russian Wikipedia editors were once referred to the genuine Wikipedia as Ruwiki; the new version is termed Ruviki, incorporates "ruwiki" in its URL, and has replicated all Russian-language Wikipedia articles rigorously modified to adhere to Russian legislation. The revised articles do not reference "foreign agents," a term used by the Russian government for any individual or organisation that voices opinions about the government and receives financial or otherwise support from a foreign country.
In late 2023, Wikimedia RU, the Russian-language division of the non-profit organisation responsible for Wikipedia, was compelled to cease operations due to political pressures stemming from the Ukraine conflict.
Vladimir Medeyko, the previous leader of the chapter who now oversees Ruviki, conveyed to Novaya Gazeta Europe in July his belief that Wikipedia struggled with "reliability and neutrality."
Medeyko unveiled the initiative to replicate and sanitise the 1.9 million Russian-language Wikipedia articles in June. His objective, as stated then, was to revise them to ensure the information would be "trustworthy" for all Russian users.
The independent media Bumaga reported in August that approximately 110 articles concerning the war in Ukraine were entirely absent, while others were extensively altered. Ruviki omits articles about allegations of torture in prisons and controversies involving Russian government officials.
Graphic designer Constantine Konovalov analysed the number of character alterations between Wikipedia RU and Ruviki articles on identical subjects and discovered that there were 205,000 modifications in articles about freedom of speech; 158,000 alterations in articles about human rights; 96,000 changes in articles about political prisoners; and 71,000 adjustments in articles about censorship in Russia. He noted in a post on X that the censorship was "straight out of a 1984 novel."
Ironically, the Ruviki article on George Orwell's 1984 completely excludes the Ministry of Truth, which is the central propaganda institution in the novel tasked with controlling "truth" within the nation.