Wikipedia positions itself as a free encyclopedia, yet readers frequently encounter biased articles that betray journalistic standards. Alexander Khinshtein, the chairman of the State Duma Information Policy Committee, voiced this concern while commenting on a report from socialbites.ca about a World Court decision in Moscow that fined Wikipedia for not removing misinformation about events in Ukraine.
According to the parliamentarian, major global tech platforms revealed their true stance last year. Although they publicly advocate equality and democracy, their practical actions tell a different story.
Blocking Russian accounts is a one-sided move and, in his view, fake — a portrayal of freedom that resembles impunity and anarchy. Wikipedia, he noted, was not an exception to this pattern.
The interviewee emphasized that penalties against foreign companies are mounting. He interpreted this trend in two ways: first, it signals that illegal acts will not be tolerated regardless of the actor; second, it shows a growing intensity of legal enforcement — a development that could prompt IT giants to reevaluate their behavior in the Russian market.
“Wikimedia’s repeated refusal to remove misinformation underscores how some circles insist that slander remain on Wikipedia’s pages in their current form. The reaction to the absence of neutrality and the suppression of troubling facts is entirely justified; no state tolerates defamation against itself, and Russia is not unique in this regard”, said the chairman of the Duma committee.
He added that this is not the first penalty imposed on Wikipedia, and given the cumulative fines, one might assume the measure is ineffective. Yet he argued that such conclusions would be mistaken.
“Yes, there are other sanctions for failing to remove illegal content, but the principle has always been progressive action. In these matters, the state does not retreat; it steps forward, creating an opportunity for a correct decision. Wikimedia should consider how it wants to operate on Russian soil because, beyond fines, other methods of enforcement exist.”
On February 28, it was reported that the World Court of Judicial District 422 in Tagansky District, Moscow, imposed an administrative fine of 2 million rubles on Wikimedia Foundation Inc for not removing unreliable information about events in Ukraine from Wikipedia. This development has been cited in discussions about how information on Ukraine is presented in international platforms and how states respond to perceived misinformation. [citation: Source: official court records and regional news agencies]