Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2025/Submissions/North-West Russia Wiki-Historians in the times of trouble: why are we still here?

ID : 57
Author(s): Nikolai Bulykin, Ekaterina Borisova	Username(s): Красный, Екатерина Борисова	Type of submission: Lecture
Author(s): Nikolai Bulykin, Ekaterina Borisova	Affiliation: North-West Russia Wiki-Historians User Group	Theme(s): Community Engagement, Partnerships
Abstract: This lecture will bring insights to the story of North-West Russia Wiki-Historians User Group that now finds itself in a very complicated situation of total restriction and uncertainity. Despite all that we still operate. How and why we are still active, what pulls us through this mess and what safety measures we take?		Slides: in preparation
		Level of advancement: basic
		Special requirements: no photos or recordings should be made at the session
		Recording (Yes/No): No
		Photography (Yes/No): No

How will this session be beneficial for the communities in the region of CEE? We are the most active affiliate in Russia that still operates in the circumstances which led to the steep decline of all Wikimedia activity in the country. We are in a situation of a dictatorship and isolationist policies when every "suspicious" activity such as photographing or looking for specific info in the libraries and archives can bring you attention from the officials, and affiliation with the foreign entity as Wikimedia (both Foundation and Movement) can lead to the pariah ("foregn agent") status or even imprisonment. And despite all that we still contribute to the Movement both with content and organizing effort. We think that our experience can be useful to a lot of communities in a situation or the rapid radicalizing of their environment.

Interested participants

(register below and ask your questions now to the session organiser)

« Saper // talk » 11:46, 19 June 2025 (UTC) possibly the most important session this year[reply]