Russia has announced it will cut off access to Instagram and launch a criminal investigation into its parent company Meta, adding to the country’s growing isolation since the start of its war on Ukraine.
Russia’s media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, on Friday said it planned to restrict access to the Instagram app within 48 hours, after Meta changed its moderation policies to allow for certain violent speech, such as “death to the Russian invaders”, by Ukrainian users.
Prosecutors in Moscow said Meta’s move was “aimed at inciting hatred and hostility toward citizens of the Russian Federation”. They are also seeking to designate the company, which also owns Facebook and WhatsApp, an “extremist organisation”, on par with terrorist groups.