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Wikimedia Foundation calls for continued access to free and open knowledge as Ukraine crisis continues

Kyiv's Independence Monument / victory column

Цей пост також доступний українською мовою.
Этот пост также доступен на русском языке.

Update: As the conflict has continued, the Wikimedia Foundation received a Russian government demand to remove content from Russian Wikipedia. You can read the latest update and our response.

The Wikimedia Foundation supports a global movement of volunteers and communities around the world. We stand with our volunteers in Ukraine, Russia, and around the world who are calling for an immediate and peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the senseless loss of life and has also been accompanied by information warfare online. The spread of disinformation about the ongoing crisis affects the safety of people who depend on facts to make life-and-death decisions and interferes with everyone’s right to access open knowledge. Ukrainian volunteers have heroically continued to add content and make edits to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects ensuring that people everywhere continue to have access to neutral, reliable information in times of crisis, and demonstrating our shared belief in knowledge as a human right.

The Wikimedia Foundation is actively working with affected communities to identify potential threats to information on Wikimedia projects, and supporting volunteer editors and administrators who serve as a first line of defense against manipulation of facts and knowledge.

We join those calling for a peaceful end to the conflict, and will continue to support the efforts of those contributing to a strong digital commons that keeps knowledge open, neutral and free.

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