Russia puts 'partial restriction' on Facebook access

The move comes after the social media network limited the accounts of several Kremlin-backed media over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine

Pic courtesy: Reuters

Brussels: Russian authorities on Friday announced the "partial restriction" of access to Facebook after the social media network limited the accounts of several Kremlin-backed media over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said on Friday it demanded that Facebook lift the restrictions it placed 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 didn't reinstate the media outlets.

The restrictions on the accounts, according to Roskomnadzor, included marking their content as unreliable and imposing technical restrictions on the search results to reduce the publications' audiences on Facebook. Roskomnadzor said its "partial restriction" on Facebook takes effect Friday, without clarifying what exactly 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." This version has been corrected to show that Facebook restricted but did not ban the Russian media accounts.