No plans to block Wikipedia in Russia for now - Minister Shadayev

MOSCOW. April 18 (Interfax) - There are no plans to block Wikipedia in Russia for now, Russian Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Maksut Shadayev said.

"We are not blocking Wikipedia for now, we currently have no such plans," Shadayev told reporters on the sidelines of the First Russian Data Forum on Tuesday.

A domestic alternative to Wikipedia is being developed, Shadayev said. "It is being developed but I cannot say how ready it is," he said in response to a question about whether the domestic resource was ready to substitute Wikipedia.

Chairman of the Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights Valery Fadeyev has recently called for Wikipedia to be blocked in Russia and for quickly developing its domestic substitute.

Shadayev announced the upcoming 2023 launch of Wikipedia's domestic analogue, the Znaniye website, at the end of last year.

Domestic search engines designate Wikipedia as a violator of Russian laws because of its refusal to remove content prohibited in Russia. The Wikimedia Foundation has been fined in Russia several times.