Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his government to block access to Facebook this week because the company allegedly “discriminated” against his state-controlled media sources on the platform.
Russia blocks access to Facebook and Twitter https://t.co/kL8J1IXtVM
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) March 4, 2022
The announcement was unveiled on the Kremlin’s webpage:
On March 4, 2022, it was decided to block access to the Facebook network (owned by Meta Platforms, Inc.) in the Russian Federation.
Since October 2020, 26 cases of discrimination against Russian media and information resources by Facebook have been recorded. In recent days, the social network has restricted access to accounts: Zvezda TV channel, RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik, Russia Today, Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru information resources.
These restrictions are prohibited by Federal Law No. 272-FZ “On measures to influence persons involved in violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms, rights and freedoms of citizens of the Russian Federation”, adopted, inter alia, to prevent violations of key principles of free dissemination of information and unhindered access of Russian users to Russian media on foreign Internet platforms.
The move comes as hundreds of thousands of anti-war demonstrators take to the streets of Europe, Asia, and North America to protest Putin’s aggression in Europe.