Russian authorities have announced the “partial restriction” of access to Facebook after the social media network limited the accounts of several Kremlin-backed media outlets over the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said it had demanded that Facebook lift the restrictions it placed on Thursday on state news agency RIA Novosti, state TV channel Zvezda, and pro-Kremlin news sites Lenta.Ru and Gazeta.Ru.
The agency said Facebook did not reinstate the accounts.
Roskomnadzor said the restrictions on the accounts included marking their content as unreliable and imposing technical restrictions on search results to reduce the publications’ audiences on Facebook.
The watchdog said its “partial restriction” on Facebook takes effect on Friday, without clarifying what the move means.
In its official statement, Roskomnadzor cast its action as “measures to protect Russian media”.
It said Russia’s Foreign Ministry and the Prosecutor General’s office found Facebook “complicit in violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, as well as the rights and freedoms of Russian nationals”.
