Reflection of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine in the online encyclopedia «Wikipedia»

Abstract

Abstract. Introduction. Historical topics in the publicly available free multilingual online encyclopedia «Wikipedia» deserve not only a historiographical analysis given the specifics of this new information, communication and social phenomenon’s functioning. The influence of various political and ideological factors in certain countries or language-dased groups of countries on the content of historical articles in «Wikipedia» is also of great scientific interest. In the proposed study, Wikipedia is considered not only as an online encyclopedia, but also, to some extent, as a manifestation of the so-called new media.The purpose of the article is not only to analyze a fairly wide range of ideas about the Russian continued armed aggression against Ukraine in various language sections of Wikipedia, but also to reflect the extent to which these ideas are influenced by various ideological factors.

Results . In the scientific literature there is a rather limited range of works that relate to the outlined complex problem. Media studies has developed an approach to the proposed problem, according to which Wikipedia articles are divided into relatively stable and controversial (ie, those that have undergone significant ideological influence) depending on the number of edits. The number of sources involved in the preparation of Wikipedia articles should also be taken into account, as this number correlates with the degree of public interest in the relevant issues.

The subject of Russian military aggression against Ukraine is widely represented in Wikipedia. Articles published in the English, German and Ukrainian language sections of Wikipedia have the largest number of edits and the largest volume of sources involved, indicating the degree of public attention and the degree of influence of ideological and political factors on the content of articles on Russian armed aggression against Ukraine. These articles are generally devoid of relevant Russian propaganda narratives, in particular those concerning the «civil war in Ukraine».

Conclusion. The knowledge about the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine transformed through Wikipedia is becoming an important ideological and political factor. Both the Ukrainian scientific community and the relevant authorities should pay attention to the coverage of this topic in other language sections of Wikipedia, given the fact of the latter’s significant influence on the formation of public opinion in many foreign countries, and the impact of this opinion on official government policy of relevant countries in relation to Ukraine.