A browser extension that restores modern country names for birthplaces on Wikipedia, correcting Soviet-era SSR designations to reflect the legal continuity doctrine recognized by affected nations.
| Before (without extension) | After (with extension) |
|---|---|
| Tallinn, Estonian SSR, Soviet Union | Tallinn, Estonia ✓ |
- The extension injects a content script on Wikipedia pages
- It scans the page for Soviet-era designations
- Replacements are performed in real-time on the visible content
- All processing happens locally in your browser—nothing is sent to external servers
- Users can toggle the extension on/off from the popup menu
The corrected infobox shows a green left border and green checkmark (✓) to indicate where corrections were made.
The Wikipedia Birthplace Corrector is a lightweight, privacy-focused browser extension that automatically updates Wikipedia articles to display modern country names instead of outdated Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) designations. It works seamlessly across all language editions of Wikipedia without modifying the source articles themselves.
When you encounter text like "Born in Tallinn, Estonian SSR, Soviet Union," the extension automatically displays it as "Born in Tallinn, Estonia"—providing historically and legally accurate information aligned with the international recognition of these nations' sovereignty.
For over 18 years, Wikipedia has been at the center of a contentious debate regarding how to refer to the Baltic states and other former Soviet republics during the Soviet period. This issue encompasses far more than just formatting preferences—it touches on fundamental questions of national sovereignty, legal continuity, and historical accuracy.
Key Resources:
- Wikipedia Talk:Manual of Style/Baltic states-related articles discussion - The ongoing RFC (Request for Comments) that has struggled to reach consensus
- ERR News coverage of mass editing campaign- Coverage of coordinated efforts to standardize birthplace references
- Baltic Sentinel coverage - Analysis of the naming dispute's political implications
The extension is grounded in well-established international legal principles:
Legal Continuity Doctrine
- Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania maintain that their pre-war republics never legally ceased to exist, even during Soviet occupation (1940-1941, 1944-1991)
- This doctrine is recognized by major international bodies and democratic nations
- The Baltic states' legal continuity is central to their post-1990 restoration of independence
Stimson Doctrine / Non-Recognition Policy
- The United States and other Western nations never formally recognized the Soviet annexation of the Baltic states
- This policy of non-recognition maintained that the Baltic republics retained their legitimate status as independent states
- Western governments continued to recognize Baltic diplomatic missions throughout the Cold War
Wikipedia RFC Status
- Despite 18+ years of debate, Wikipedia's Request for Comments has resulted in "no consensus"
- This means neither standardized approach has achieved the required support
- The extension respects Wikipedia's neutral point of view by allowing individual users to choose their preferred presentation
The extension provides automatic, client-side text replacement on Wikipedia pages:
- Text Replacement: Replaces "Estonian SSR" with "Estonia", "Ukrainian SSR" with "Ukraine", and other similar designations
- Link Updates: Corrects Wikipedia internal links to point to the correct country article pages
- Multi-Language Support: Works across all language editions of Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org, de.wikipedia.org, fr.wikipedia.org, etc.)
- Soviet Union Suffix Removal: Removes ", Soviet Union" suffixes that often accompany SSR designations (e.g., "Estonian SSR, Soviet Union" becomes "Estonia")
- Non-Invasive: Does not modify Wikipedia's source data—all changes occur in your browser only
- User Control: Can be easily disabled via the extension popup if you prefer the original text
The extension replaces designations for all 15 former Soviet republics:
- Estonian SSR → Estonia
- Latvian SSR → Latvia
- Lithuanian SSR → Lithuania
- Ukrainian SSR → Ukraine
- Byelorussian SSR / Belarusian SSR → Belarus
- Moldavian SSR / Moldovan SSR → Moldova
- Georgian SSR → Georgia
- Armenian SSR → Armenia
- Azerbaijan SSR / Azerbaijani SSR → Azerbaijan
- Kazakh SSR → Kazakhstan
- Uzbek SSR → Uzbekistan
- Turkmen SSR → Turkmenistan
- Kirghiz SSR / Kyrgyz SSR → Kyrgyzstan
- Tajik SSR → Tajikistan
- Russian SFSR / RSFSR → Russia
Note: The extension also handles various naming conventions for each republic (e.g., "Estonian SSR" and "Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic" both map to "Estonia").
- Clone or download this repository to your computer
- Open your browser and navigate to the extensions page:
- Chrome/Chromium/Brave:
chrome://extensions - Edge:
edge://extensions
- Chrome/Chromium/Brave:
- Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in the top-right corner)
- Click "Load unpacked"
- Navigate to the extension folder and select it
- The extension should now appear in your extensions list and in the browser toolbar
- Clone or download this repository to your computer
- Navigate to Firefox's debugging page:
about:debugging - Click "This Firefox" in the left sidebar
- Click "Load Temporary Add-on"
- Navigate to the extension folder and select the
manifest.jsonfile (ormanifest.firefox.jsonif you rename it) - The extension should now appear in your Firefox toolbar
Note: For temporary loading in Firefox, the extension will remain until you restart the browser. For permanent installation, you would need to package it as an .xpi file and add it through the official Firefox Add-ons website (requires review).
To confirm the extension is working correctly:
- Install the extension using the instructions above
- Visit a Wikipedia article for someone born in a former Soviet republic during the Soviet era, such as:
- Kaja Kallas (born in Tallinn, Estonian SSR)
- Tõnis Mägi (born in Tartu, Estonian SSR)
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy (born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR)
- Look at the infobox on the right side of the article—you should see the green border and checkmark as shown above
To prepare the extension for distribution:
# Copy the entire extension folder
cp -r antitankie-extension/ ./build/antitankie-extension/
# For Firefox, rename the manifest
cp build/antitankie-extension/manifest.firefox.json build/antitankie-extension/manifest.json
# Optionally, create a zip file for distribution
cd build
zip -r antitankie-extension.zip antitankie-extension/The extension is ready to be loaded unpacked in developer mode or packaged for submission to browser extension stores.
antitankie-extension/
├── manifest.json # Chrome/Chromium manifest (Manifest V3)
├── manifest.firefox.json # Firefox-specific manifest (Manifest V2)
├── config.js # Country mappings configuration (easy to extend)
├── replacements.js # Replacement engine using config.js
├── content.js # Content script (runs on Wikipedia pages)
├── background.js # Background/service worker script
├── popup.html # Extension popup UI
├── popup.js # Popup functionality and user preferences
├── popup.css # Popup styling
├── build.sh # Build script for packaging
├── icons/
│ ├── icon16.png # 16x16 extension icon
│ ├── icon48.png # 48x48 extension icon
│ └── icon128.png # 128x128 extension icon
├── LICENSE # Mozilla Public License 2.0
└── README.md # This file
The Wikipedia Birthplace Corrector is built with privacy as a core principle:
- No Data Collection: The extension does not collect, track, or transmit any information about your browsing habits
- Local Processing Only: All text replacement and processing occurs entirely within your browser
- No Network Requests: The extension makes no external network requests (except to load Wikipedia pages, which you're already accessing)
- No Server Communication: Your data is never sent to external servers
- No Tracking: No analytics, telemetry, or tracking code is included
- Transparent Code: The source code is available for inspection to verify these privacy claims
The extension requests the following permissions, which are used as indicated:
- storage: Saves your enabled/disabled preference so the extension remembers your settings between sessions
- activeTab: Allows the extension to know which tab you're currently viewing (needed to apply replacements to the active Wikipedia page)
- host_permissions (://.wikipedia.org/*): Enables the extension to run on Wikipedia pages across all languages and protocols
- Lightweight and fast—minimal performance impact
- Respects user preference with an easy on/off toggle
- Works on mobile browsers (Chrome for Android, Firefox for Android) where these features are available
- Handles multiple naming variations (e.g., "Estonian SSR" and "Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic")
- Removes obsolete "Soviet Union" suffixes for cleaner text
- Updates internal Wikipedia links to point to correct country articles
- Verify it's enabled: Check the extension popup—ensure the toggle is switched on
- Refresh the page: Load or reload your Wikipedia page
- Check the console: Open Developer Tools (F12) and check the Console tab for any error messages
- Verify permissions: Ensure the extension has permission to run on wikipedia.org
- The extension only runs on pages that load after it's enabled
- If you enable/disable the extension, refresh the page to see changes
- Some Wikipedia pages may use dynamic content loading that bypasses the initial content script
This is normal when loading the extension temporarily via about:debugging. The temporary load is for development and testing purposes only.
This project welcomes contributions and feedback:
-
Bug Reports: If you encounter issues, please open a GitHub issue with:
- The URL of the Wikipedia page where the issue occurred
- A description of the unexpected behavior
- Your browser and version
-
Feature Requests: Suggestions for improvements are welcome
-
Code Contributions: Pull requests are accepted for bug fixes and improvements
This extension is released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0). See the LICENSE file for full details.
If you fork or redistribute this extension, please preserve:
- This README.md file - including the Background section explaining the legal and historical context
- The original project attribution - credit to the original authors
- The stated purpose - the extension's goal of reflecting legal continuity doctrine
You are free to modify the code, add features, and adapt it for your needs under MPL 2.0 terms. We simply ask that the historical and legal context that motivated this project remains accessible to users of derivative works.
This extension is provided as-is for informational purposes. While it aims to reflect internationally recognized legal principles regarding national sovereignty, users should be aware that the interpretation of birthplace designations is subject to ongoing debate. This extension does not claim to represent the definitive Wikipedia position on these matters, but rather provides a tool for users who prefer modern country name designations.
Version: 0.0.6 Last Updated: 2026-02-01 Browser Support: Chrome, Chromium, Brave, Edge, Firefox, Firefox for Android (and other Chromium-based browsers)