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Russian media watchdog blocks Wikipedia page with drug recipe

Last week the watchdog warned Wikipedia that the free online encyclopedia could be blocked in Russia unless the controversial article was deleted

MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor on Monday ruled to block a Russian-language Wikipedia page containing a drug-making recipe.

"The illegal nature of the information published in Wikipedia has been confirmed by experts and a relevant ruling of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service," Roskomnadzor said adding that Russian Internet providers had been ordered to block access to the page.

Last week the watchdog warned Wikipedia that the free online encyclopedia could be blocked in Russia unless the controversial article was deleted.

Wikipedia already has changed the URL of the article, the TJournal news website said on Saturday.

Vladimir Medeiko, the head of non-commercial organization Wikimedia RU, said Roskomnadzor’s ruling could affect the website as a whole and would be appealed.

"Wikipedia uses a protected protocol, which does not allow providers… determine what pages the user is reading," Medeiko told the Govorit Moskva radio. "Therefore, users will have no access to all Wikipedia pages."