Meta blocks Russian media accounts amid expanded sanctions

The "Meta" corporation, known for its extremist stance and banned in the Russian Federation, has blocked the accounts of several Russian media outlets on its platforms, including "RT" and the "Rossiya Segodnya" media group, Azernews reports citing NBC.

NBC reported this based on a statement from a "Meta" representative.

"After careful consideration, we have expanded our measures against Russian state media. 'Russia Today,' 'RT,' and other related organizations are now blocked from our applications worldwide due to attempts at foreign interference," NBC reports, citing the corporation's statement.

Pages for "RT," "Sputnik," and "RIA Novosti" are no longer available on "Facebook" (owned by "Meta"). The message that appears reads, "This content is currently unavailable. The owner may have removed the content or restricted access to it."

"Meta" has not yet responded to inquiries from Russian media on the issue.

On September 4, the US Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of "RT" TV channel, and her two deputies. Additionally, the US State Department is tightening operational rules for Russia Today, RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik media groups.

According to the "Repressions Against Russia" section on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Western countries have imposed approximately 150 different restrictions on Russian media and journalists since 2022.