Russia Threatening To Ban Instagram After Meta Says It Will Allow Violent Speech Against Russian Soldiers On Platform

Russia is reportedly threatening to ban Instagram and designate its parent company Meta as an “extremist organization.”

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, Russia is allegedly moving to ban Instagram. Meta announced it would allow certain forms of political speech regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders,’” said Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed to The Verge. “We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians.”

Russia’s communications agency Roskmnadzor said it plans to ban Instagram on March 14th if the reports about the allowance of calls of violence against Russian soldiers are true. Meta’s Facebook app has already been blocked. 

“If Meta confirms this fact or declines to comment, that will be a reason for Roscomnadzor [sic] and other colleagues to take the toughest measures,” said the head of the Duma’s Committee on Information Policy, Alexander Khinshtein toTASS. “My opinion is that the work of Instagram in Russia, in this case, should be blocked, like what’s happened to Facebook.”

Russian news agency Interfax reports Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has filed a petition to “recognize Meta Platforms Inc. as an extremist organization and ban its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation.”