Russia widens social media crackdown by blocking Instagram

Russian regulators said internet users will be blocked from accessing Instagram because it’s being used to call for violence against Russian soldiers

Russian regulators said Friday that internet users will be blocked from accessing Instagram because it's being used to call for violence against Russian soldiers, in Moscow's latest move to tighten up access to foreign social platforms.

The communications and media regulator, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement that it's restricting national access to Instagram because the platform is spreading “calls to commit violent acts against Russian citizens, including military personnel.”

Facebook parent Meta Platforms, which also owns Instagram, didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.

Roskomnadzor specifically cited a Thursday tweet by Meta spokesman Andy Stone conveying a company statement saying it had “made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules on violent speech, such as ‘death to the Russian invaders’.”