Facebook hits out at Russia blocking its platforms

Russia banned Facebook on Friday due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The ban was a response to the restrictions on the media there.

There have been 26 cases of discrimination against Russian media by Facebook.

Soon millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information according to Facebook's President of Global Affairs.

Facebook and other platforms were limited in the country.

Facebook was not completely blocked in the country.

Last week, Meta, the company that owns Facebook, said that it had restricted Russian-backed outlets across the European Union and demoting content from state-affiliated media.

Several Russian state media outlets, including Sputnik, were fact-checking.

26 cases of discrimination against Russian media and information resources by Facebook have been recorded, according to Russia's media regulator.

The block on Facebook platforms was introduced to prevent violations of the key principles of the free flow of information, according to the statement.

Meta said that they will do everything they can to restore their services so that they remain available to people to safely and securely express themselves and organize for action.

Russia's Parliament passed a law on Friday that will impose a jail term of up to 15 years for spreading fake news about the military.

The introduction of the law in Russia will lead to the suspension of the work of the journalists and support staff of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Pressure has been put on other technology and social media giants to respond to the crisis in Ukraine.

All product sales in Russia have been halted by Apple, as well as limited services such as Apple Pay and Apple Maps. The retail stores in the country have closed.