Russia decided today to partially restrict access to the social network Facebook in the country starting this Friday for censoring Russian media in the midst of the informative and propagandistic war on the military intervention launched by the Kremlin against Ukraine.
The Russian communications regulator, Roskomnadzor explained in a statement that it takes this measure one day after the US technology company restricted the official accounts of four russian media: the Zvezda military television channel, the official RIA Nóvosti agency, the Lenta portal and the Gazeta.ru newspaper.
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office stated that Facebook “illegally restricted the dissemination through Internet users of socially important information on the territory of the Russian Federation, including recorded media messages and materials, in connection with the imposition of political and economic sanctions by foreign countries with respect to Russia.”
The Russian authorities consider that this violates the right of citizens contained in article 29 of the Russian Constitution to freely access, receive, transmit, produce and disseminate information legally,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Roskomnadzor said it had asked Meta, Facebook’s parent company, on Thursday to lift the restrictions and explain the reasons for their introduction, but the social network ignored the Russian request.
Since Russia launched the military offensive on Ukraine on Thursday, disinformation and Kremlin propaganda have multiplied on social networks.