On the eve, the Russian-language Wikipedia announced a week dedicated to expanding articles about Kyrgyzstan in the Russian language. The initiative was motivated by the assumption that the English and Kyrgyz versions lacked comprehensiveness.
Typically, participants in the work on the articles during these designated weeks receive virtual awards highly valued within the Wikipedia community, which are displayed on their personal profile pages. The content of these pages often resembles a pompous collection of badges, chevrons, and cockades, akin to a “dembel album” (a photo album of military service memories).
Distinctive features of the Russian-language section of Wikipedia
Does the Russian section of Wikipedia differ from sections in other languages in any way? Similar to any section of the encyclopedia gradually developing an atmosphere of meticulous scrutiny towards information, often substituting substance with form, the Russian-language section is no exception. However, the significant number of employees in state-owned companies and companies directly dependent on the government, along with their ample free time, have over the years led to a characteristic bias in the editing process and the display of informational “badges.” Just examining the revision history of the article about Joseph Stalin is enough to grasp the direction of such bias. Nevertheless, like in other Wikis, presenting material in a more “encyclopedic” style increases the likelihood of its publication and preservation amidst subsequent edits.
With the onset of the war in the North Black Sea region, the pro-Kremlin faction of bureaucrats (officially known as Wikipedia moderators) failed to justify presenting materials in the style of Russian television channels, and the encyclopedic approach made the accumulation of facts about war crimes inevitable. Subsequently, proposals to block access to Wikipedia within the territory of the Russian Federation emerged in the circles of Moscow’s near-information authorities. Due to such measures, the numerous community of bureaucrats, enthusiasts of the Russian style of power and societal organization, may lose the ground beneath their feet.
Meanwhile, in Russia itself, “Cheburnet” is becoming more imminent?
Today, users of internet connection services through channels provided by the “most state-owned” provider, “Rostelecom,” noticed a sudden and complete loss of access to servers located outside the Russian Federation for several hours.
Rostelecom experiences mass outages—users are unable to access foreign services and websites. For example, Google, GitHub, Telegram, Figma, WhatsApp, Discord, Twitch, and Steam.
The provider stated that they are conducting technical work. The completion time is unknown. All websites work with VPN.
whackdoor
Some telecom experts express the opinion that it might be an unexpected testing of an “isolated national communication network” for the domestic Russian consumer, ironically nicknamed “Cheburnet.”
