Adding to the previous emails: 

speaking as a Wikimedian or board member, it doesn't matter; all people must respect each other here. Victoria (as a Wikimedian) also didn’t have the right to say what she shared, because nothing Ravan said or shared in her SM hurts the Wikimedia Foundation's reputation, especially supporting Palestine and rejecting genocide. Again, our freedom of expression ends when it becomes harmful to others.

In any case, her apology has been received. 

Thanks, 
RH 

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 at 2:13 PM Gnangarra <gnangarra@gmail.com> wrote:
I dont know how much more open and honest Victoria could have been in the recent email started by Hannah where she explicitly opens with;

I'm writing this as a Wikimedian, relying solely on publicly available information. 

I get some people took her response as being in some way official, there is a problem distinguishing where the volunteer in us ends and the position starts, its even more blurred when someone is discussing something which overlaps both roles. 

LC raises the point;
Specifically "Be honest and accurate in conveying professional conclusions, opinions, and research findings, and in acknowledging the potential limitations."

I get that Victoria was possibly (probably) in possession of more information due to her role than what was public.  Stepping down for a period of time is a valid outcome, as is offering a public apology for any misunderstanding that was caused. 

Calling for Victoria to resign isn't reflective of her original clear intent to speak as an individual in the belief that speaking as a volunteer could be disconnected from being on the Board as a volunteer.  It's healthy for community representatives on the Board of Trustees to learn from this that they can't reliably separate their voice as a volunteer from that as a board member on areas where the two collide.  

For the wider community this lesson should also flow on through to other Committee & Community positions when you take on a role you take a specific responsibility that binds you to those committees, while forfeiting the right to be heard solely as a volunteer. Your right to be heard is in the closed forums, to offer any explanation 

We learn we move on, and we grow as a community together, yet with it we have also irreparably suffered a loss.


On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 at 18:02, L C <zinkloss@gmail.com> wrote:
Victoria Doronina, resign immediately.

You have interfered with an open election resulting in a mass boycott with multiple open letters explaining the case. You blatantly violated the WMF Board of trustees code of conduct. If you refuse to resign the board should stop circling the wagons and creating tangents by lobbying "personal" comments in volunteer forums and sack her for blatant misconduct.

Specifically "Be honest and accurate in conveying professional conclusions, opinions, and research findings, and in acknowledging the potential limitations." and "The Foundation recognizes as bullying behavior that may be characterized as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting, or an abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient."

WMF Board of trustees Code of Conduct: https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Code_of_Conduct_of_the_Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees

Fact check, did Victoria lie?
====================
Yes, the defamatory allegations against both Lane and Ravan were demonstrated as false the same day they were published. She must have been fully aware they were lies before posting them. These public responses were available to the WMF Board at the start of the WMF board election and have not been addressed.
1. Breakdown of the defamatory allegations against Lane: https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/EBRZA4SXW2DVQTY3MOVIT57OZ2OFFWUE/
2. Breakdown of the defamatory allegations against Ravan: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Coordinating_Committee/Cases/2025/Formal_Complaint_on_Deliberate_Defamation_an_Exposing_Private_Information_by_a_Board_of_Trustees_Member

On Tue, 21 Oct 2025 at 07:34, Victoria Doronina <vdoronina@wikimedia.org> wrote:

Dear Wikimedians 


I have been thinking more about my message to this mailing list and the reactions it caused, and I want to offer my apologies. People who know me know that I always speak my mind and I am a direct person. I think this is one of the reasons people voted for me on the Board. 


When we had the Movement Charter vote last year and people were questioning the Board’s decision, I wrote a message to explain my personal reasons for my vote, especially since this was one of the campaign issues in my election to the Board. I felt it was important to keep my promise. 


So I did that again here. But my mistake was that this board decision is about people, not about a document, and people don’t deserve to be drawn attention to in ways that can cause harm. I also understand that the Board’s code of conduct requires Trustees to coordinate their public communications on collective decisions, which I did not do this time. 


I am frustrated by what I see as inaccurate information about some aspects of the election but understand that sometimes not all forms of official communications can satisfy everyone.  


First and foremost, I would like to apologise to Ravan and Lane for any harm I may have caused them as people. In hindsight, it sounds naive that I did not intend it. I will tell them more personally but a public apology is essential. I would also like to apologise to any Wikimedian who experienced any negative emotions as a result of my letter. And I apologise to the Board and staff as well for breaking the agreed commnucation strategy.


I have decided to immediately suspend myself from most of the board activities until the end of the year, in coordination with Board officers. I will continue my Wikimedia activities such as editing, uploading photos etc.


Thank you for reading this letter. 


--
         Kind regards, Victoria   
          Victoria Doronina (she/her)
           Trustee
             Sister Projects Taskforce Lead

Wikimedia Foundation 

"Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. Please help us make it a reality."


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--
Boodarwun
Gnangarra
'ngany dabakarn koorliny arn boodjera dardon nlangan Nyungar koortabodjar'
  
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