Russia fines Wikipedia owner over 'fake information' about Ukraine war

The Wikimedia Foundation has been hit with a string of fines as Moscow pursues a drive to crack down on independent sources of information.

A Moscow court on Thursday fined the Wikimedia Foundation, owner of the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, 2 million roubles ($24,525) for failing to remove what the court termed "fake information" about Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, Interfax reported.

Smoke emanates from multiple buildings after shelling in the Donetsk region.(Yevhen Titov / AFP)

The Wikimedia Foundation has been hit with a string of fines as Moscow pursues a drive to crack down on independent sources of information. Wikimedia has previously said information that Russian authorities have complained about was well sourced and in line with Wikipedia standards.