Kremlin drops plans for state-approved Wikipedia

President Putin had called for the replacement of Wikipedia with an online version of the Great Russian Encyclopaedia
President Putin had called for the replacement of Wikipedia with an online version of the Great Russian Encyclopaedia
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/GETTY IMAGES

Russia has dropped plans for an alternative to Wikipedia based on a government-approved encyclopaedia.

The Kremlin had earmarked £22 million for the interactive website. Officials said that they hoped it would attract up to 15 million users a day, equivalent to five times more traffic than Wikipedia, the world’s 13th most visited website, receives within Russia. It was due to be completed by 2022.

In November President Putin called for the replacement of Wikipedia with an online version of the Great Russian Encyclopaedia, which was published between 2004 and 2017, consisted of 35 volumes and was inspired by a Soviet-era version that was criticised for its ideological slant.

“This will be trustworthy information,” Mr Putin, 67, said at the time. He added that