Wikimedia.Ru, the nonprofit partnership led by Stanislav Kozlovsky, which supports the Russian-language Wikipedia, faced another fine in Russia as part of a broader dispute over content related to military units and operations. Kozlovsky told a news outlet that a new punishment is not automatically a step toward blocking the service. Earlier, a court imposed a 2 million rubles fine on the owner of the online encyclopedia for not removing articles about three Russian military formations. This sequence underscores the legal tension between content preservation and enforcement actions in cases involving military topics.
According to Kozlovsky, the law does not require immediate blocking in these circumstances, and the imposition of a fine does not itself equate to a service shutdown. He asserted that if the government determines these particular articles violate existing rules, then Wikipedia could be blocked, but as of now the service remains accessible. The absence of a restraining order means that the court has not ordered immediate removal or disablement of the site. He noted that decisions regarding fines or potential removals are overseen by the Wikimedia Foundation, which has historically contested such rulings in higher courts. Some challenges have succeeded, others have not, reflecting a back-and-forth characteristic of regulatory action in this area.
In the meantime, no final decision on removing the contested articles has been reached. The articles in question concern the 74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, the 138th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, the 92nd Missile Brigade, and coverage of military operations in Ukraine. This set represents the latest stage in a pattern of penalties directed at content that the authorities deem sensitive, prompting ongoing debate about where editorial independence ends and legal compliance begins.
In reporting on the matter, TASS noted the specifics of the fines and the topics involved, highlighting how the penalties fit into Russia’s broader approach to information about its armed forces. This latest development marks the fourth instance of punitive action toward the encyclopedia within a relatively short period, suggesting persistent regulatory scrutiny over volunteer-run platforms that host military-related materials.