Russia bans Instagram as Meta relaxes rules on hate speech

MOSCOW

Russia on Friday banned access to Instagram after media reports that its parent company Meta said it would allow calls for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

The request to ban Instagram came from the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, Roskomnadzor, the federal media regulator, said in a statement.

Prosecutors had demanded to recognize Meta as an "extremist organization" and ban its activities in Russia.

The country's Investigative Committee also launched a probe after "illegal calls by employees of the American company Meta for violence against and murder of Russian nationals."

Meta also owns Facebook, which the Russian government blocked access to last week, in response to restrictions the social network imposed on several Russian media outlets.

Hundreds of brands have exited the Russian market since the war began on Feb. 24. Besides the casualties, the conflict has created a refugee crisis in Europe with more than 2.5 million people fleeing Ukraine.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk