In the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion, Russia’s 146 million Russians have been denied access to Facebook by Russian governmental regulators.
The social media network was shut on day nine of the battle, according to the country’s communications authority, Roskomnadzor, due to “instances of prejudice against Russian media.”
It comes only a week after Russia restricted Facebook access because it refused to stop fact-checking and labelling content from state-owned enterprises.
Russians have been “silenced from speaking out,” according to Sir Nick Clegg, vice president of worldwide relations at Facebook’s parent company Meta.
“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: the Zvezda TV channel, the RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik, Russia Today, the Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru information resources.”
On the Russian government's decision to block access to Facebook in the Russian Federation: pic.twitter.com/JlJwIu1t9K
— Nick Clegg (@nickclegg) March 4, 2022
