Fresh reports reaching Africa Today News, New York has revealed that Russia has on Tuesday added United States tech giant Meta, which is the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, to a dreaded list of “terrorist and extremist” organisations, according to a released report by the database of the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring (Rosfinmonitoring).
Russia had also in late March completely banned Facebook and Instagram for “carrying out extremist activities” after authorities accused Meta of tolerating “Russophobia” during Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
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And Meta had also made an announcement on March 10 that most of the platforms would allow statements like “death to Russian invaders” but not credible threats against most of the civilians, before saying the change only applied to users posting from inside Ukraine.
Facebook and Instagram have also been inaccessible in Russia since March, but many Russians have also resorted to VPN to keep using the social media network. Instagram which is also particularly popular in Russia and used to be a key platform for advertisement and sales.
In another related report, Russia has on Sunday disclosed that no fewer than three people had been killed after a truck exploded on its bridge linking Crimea — a symbol of its annexation of the peninsula — while hesitating to blame Ukraine.
Africa Today News, New York reports that this was coming less than a few days after a series of setbacks on the battlefield that triggered unprecedented criticism of its army at home, Moscow appointed a new general to lead its Ukraine offensive.
The blast had pushed through the 19-kilometre (12-mile) bridge more than seven months into Moscow’s Ukraine offensive.
Local officials later disclosed that it had reopened to motor traffic with vehicles subject to stringent screening. Shortly after, Grand Service Express, which operates rail services there, said the first trains had left the peninsula for Moscow and St Petersburg.