Russia blocks access to Facebook in the country

The Russian communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, decided this Friday to block access in Russia to the social network Facebook in response to the “censorship” from Russian media accounts amid the Kremlin’s military offensive in Ukraine.

“On March 4, it was decided to block access to the social network Facebook, controlled by Meta, on the territory of the Russian Federation.”, Roskomnadzor said in a statement, according to the Interfax agency.

The Russian regulator already partially restricted access to Facebook at the end of February, one day after Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine.

Then he explained that he was taking this measure after the American 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 “unlawfully restricted the dissemination through Internet users of socially important information on the territory of the Russian Federation, including registered 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 in a lawful manner.”, affirmed the Prosecutor’s Office.

Roskomnadzor said it has asked Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to lift the restrictions and explain the reasons for their introduction, but the social network ignored the Russian request.

All this in the midst of the information and propaganda war about the military intervention launched by the Kremlin against Ukraine.