Russian Version of Wikipedia, Ruwiki, Set to Launch Fully

A full-scale launch of Ruwiki, a Russian version of the popular Wikipedia internet encyclopedia, is scheduled for Monday, according to Russian media reports. The beta testing phase of the site, which began in mid-2023, has reportedly garnered more articles than the Russian-language segment of Wikipedia itself, as reported by Kommersant.

Despite the state crackdown on online content following Moscow‘s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has stated that it currently has no plans to block Wikipedia. However, Russian courts have imposed a series of fines on Ukraine-related content since. In May 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the creation of new alternative platforms to Wikipedia, as reported by Russian media.

Ruwiki’s press service, as cited by Izvestia, revealed that the most-read articles during the beta testing phase included a compilation of deaths in 2023, updates on the Arab-Israeli conflict escalation, Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, and the highest-grossing films in Russia.

Within the trial phase, the average user spent more than six minutes on the site, with an average viewing depth of over five pages, according to Izvestia. However, the founders of Ruwiki have not disclosed the project’s cost or the names of its investors, as reported by Kommersant.

In anticipation of the full launch, it remains to be seen how Ruwiki will contribute to the Russian internet landscape and whether it will pose any competition to existing Russian-language informational platforms.