Instagram's Adam Mosseri condemns Russian decision to block social network

Instagram head Adam Mosseri has condemned the Russian decision to block the social network over Meta's decision to allow publication of calls for violence against Russian soldiers and Russians in the context of the military operation in Ukraine.

Following the controversial statements of Meta, the Russian authorities decided to block Instagram starting from Monday.

"On Monday, Instagram will be blocked in Russia. This decision will cut 80 million in Russia off from one another, and from the rest of the world as ~80% of people in Russia follow an Instagram account outside their country. This is wrong," Mosseri wrote on his Twitter page.

On February 24, Russia launched a special operation after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk requested assistance to defend themselves from ongoing attacks by the Ukrainian troops.

The Western countries have strongly condemned the Russian military operation and boosted the sanctions pressure on Moscow.