Russia bans 'extremist' Facebook and Instagram

Russia bans Facebook and Instagram

A court in Moscow has ruled the activities of Instagram and Facebook are "extremist" and has banned their operations in Russia, Qazet.az reports.

"We are granting the prosecution's request to ban the activities of [Instagram and Facebook's parent company] Meta," Judge Olga Solopova said, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office said that extremist materials had been posted on the social networks, citing alleged calls for violence against Russian citizens, including military personnel stationed in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, prosecutors called for a criminal investigation into Meta, citing Russian propaganda and extremism laws.

Access to Facebook and Instagram had already been restricted in the country over what Moscow had described as "fake news" about its invasion of Ukraine.