The support community of Russian-language Wikipedia has announced its closure

The Russian Wikipedia support community “Vykymedia RU” announced its closure. The head of the community, Stanislav Kozlovsky, was offered to resign from the psychology faculty of Moscow State University, because he “will be recognized as a foreign agent on Friday.” Journalist Ksenia Sobchak reported this in her Telegram channel.

According to Kozlovsky, he was on a business trip at the Baku branch of Moscow State University, but his superiors released him to Moscow. The dean’s office told Kozlovsky that there is some reliable information according to which he will enter the register of foreign agents of the Russian Ministry of Justice.

“They laid out two papers in front of me – a dismissal order based on the article “for absenteeism” and a statement “on my own”. I chose the latter,” Sobchak quotes Kozlovsky.

He reported that he held a meeting of the “Vykymedia RU” community, where a unanimous decision was made to close the organization in order to protect other employees. The process of liquidation of a legal entity will take several months.

Kozlovsky claims that the closure of the community does not mean the closure of Wikipedia itself. If it is not blocked in Russia, it will continue to work, as there are enthusiasts who write articles.

“Vykymedia RU” was involved in the support of Russian-language Wikipedia, support of the platform’s infrastructure, lectures and training. It has the status of a charitable NGO. Earlier this year, part of the “Vykymedia RU” team went to create a Russian analogue of Wikipedia – RuVyka.

The non-commercial partnership “Vykymedia RU” was established in 2008 with the aim of spreading encyclopedic knowledge and educational information. The project was awarded nine “Runet Awards” and the “Golden Site” award.

Stanislav Kozlovsky is a psychologist, a specialist in the cognitive neuroscience of memory and perception. Candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor.