Russia launches its own version of Wikipedia

Russia has launched Ruwiki, its own version of Wikipedia in the Russian language, according to Russian media reports.
According to the daily Kommersant, beta testing, a phase involving limited audience testing of the site, commenced in mid-2023. Remarkably, Ruwiki already boasts a greater number of articles compared to the Russian-language section of Wikipedia.
Despite a series of fines from Russian courts related to Ukraine content, Russia has not announced plans to block Wikipedia, recognizing it as one of the few remaining independent sources of information following an intensified state crackdown on online content after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In May 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin sanctioned the development of new alternative platforms to Wikipedia. The recent update from the Izvestia newspaper, citing Ruwiki's press service, highlighted that the most-read articles during the beta testing phase covered topics such as the list of deaths in 2023, the escalating Arab-Israeli conflict, Russia's military operation in Ukraine, and the highest-grossing films in Russia.
Ruwiki's arrival marks a significant development in Russia's online information landscape. While its long-term impact remains uncertain, it reflects the complex interplay between state control, independent voices, and the fight for access to diverse perspectives in an increasingly restricted digital environment.