The Tver court in Moscow recognized the activities of the social networks Instagram and Facebook, owned by the American company Meta Platforms, as extremist and banned their work in Russia.
The decision to ban Meta in Russia takes effect immediately. The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation insisted on this earlier, the Russian news agency TASS reports.
The Prosecutor General's Office said that "extremist information threatens both individuals and society as a whole". They believe that the company allegedly violates its own rules, "allowing calls to kill the Russian military".
According to lawyers, from now on the purchase of advertising on Instagram and Facebook can be seen in Russia as financing extremism.
The court decision states that the ban does not apply to the WhatsApp messenger, and "only for the use of services people will not be punished".
However, the chairman of the working group of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Internet Users, Alexander Malkevich, insists that the WhatsApp messenger should also be blocked. The deputy claims that this messenger shares a lot of false information.
According to State Duma deputy and journalist Anton Gorelkin, the decision to ban Facebook and Instagram in Russia can be revoked if Meta officially acknowledges the violations and corrects them.
Earlier, Meta allowed Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russian soldiers amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.