Russian Watchdog Agency Ordered Wikipedia Page Containing Drug-Making Recipe

Wikipedia uses a protected protocol that states providers can not block separate pages on the same site.

Given that Wikipedia can’t find a way to discuss the damning article with Roskomnadzor and won’t stop delivering content over HTTPS, it’s likely that this ban might last longer than the Reddit incident.

Meanwhile, since Chyorny Yar – home to some 8,000 people – appears to have no major problems with drug abuse and reportedly has no cannabis fields, making it unclear as to why the people found the article concerning.

The warning came after a district court in South Russia’s Astrakhan Region ruled in June that it’s illegal to publish instructions on preparing “charas” in Russian Federation , including on internet sites. The site was ordered to remove the page.

In an effort to resolve the impasse Russian Wikipedia editors are investigating ways of including additional information and citations to the offending article which meets the concerns of Roskomnadzor whilst maintaining Wikipedia’s commitment to free access to knowledge.

Reddit suffered the same fate in Russian Federation earlier this month after an article about hallucinogenic mushrooms attracted the ire of the government. “Therefore, users will have no access to all Wikipedia pages”.

The executive director of Wikimedia Russian Federation , Stanislav Kozlovsky, said in press comments on Friday that his company was aware of the situation and that its staff had assessed the situation and decided not to comply with the authorities’ demands. Moreover, Russian-language administrators and reviewers will also be allowed to edit the website using proxy services.

Russian Federation has threatened to ban Wikipedia in its entirety if the online encyclopedia refuses to delete an entry about charas, a hashish form of cannabis.