Russia blocks Facebook and Twitter

By: Theo W.

Russia has blocked Facebook and possibly Twitter as part of a censorship push during the country’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.

The country’s media regulator said Facebook had been banned in retaliation for its “discrimination” against state propaganda sites. The regulator also banned Twitter, Russian newswire Interfax reported Friday, though Twitter said its service appeared blocked only for some people in Russia and it wasn’t aware of a blanket ban.

It also comes days after both companies blocked access to Russian state propaganda outlets RT and Sputnik in the European Union.

In response, Facebook said it would do everything it could to restore service in Russia.

“Soon, millions of people will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silenced from speaking out,” said Nick Clegg, the president of global affairs for Facebook’s parent company, Meta.

Clegg, a former deputy prime minister of the UK, said Facebook would work to restore service to the country so its users could “safely and securely express themselves and organize for action.”

Meanwhile, Russia’s state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, claimed in a statement that 26 cases of “discrimination against Russian media and information resources” had been logged against Facebook.

“In recent days, the social network has restricted access to accounts: the Zvezda TV channel, the RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik, Russia Today, the Lenta.ru and gazeta.ru,” the regulator claimed. “The above restrictions are prohibited by federal law,” Roskomnadzor said.

While Volodymyr Zelensky was not mentioned in the statement, the Ukrainian president has used Facebook and Twitter to share videos giving updates on the war and urge Putin to withdraw his troops.

Internet-famous Russians including the influencer daughters of politicians and oligarchs have also used Meta-owned Instagram to speak out against Russia’s invasion.

Prior to Friday’s ban, Russia had also shut down several independent media outlets and “throttled” social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.

Meta-owned Instagram and WhatsApp appeared to still be allowed in Russia on Friday.