Here's how social media platforms are responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine's official Twitter account wants @Russia to be removed from the platform. YouTube is facing scrutiny for allowing a Russian broadcaster who is widely viewed as part of the country's propaganda machine to continue making money from ads on the video site. And TikTok, a service that didn't even exist during the 2014 crisis in Ukraine over Russia's annexation of Crimea, is now offering an unprecedented close-up of the front lines through videos — some authentic, others not.

Social media companies have in recent years grappled with how to handle misinformation and conspiracy theories about a pandemic, a fraught US presidential election and an insurrection, often while facing intense criticism from lawmakers for doing too little or too much. Now, the platforms are scrambling to confront a growing list of challenges, some of which appear to be almost unheard of in their histories, as war unfolds in Europe.

On Thursday, Twitter faced a new kind of moderation decision when the verified account for the country of Ukraine posted: "hey people, let's demand @Twitter to remove @Russia from here ... they should not be allowed to use these platforms to promote their image while brutally killing the Ukrainian people @TwitterSupport." Twitter spokesperson Trenton Kennedy declined to comment on whether Twitter might remove the official Russian account referenced in the tweet, or the Kremlin's verified account, from the platform.