Russia will cut off access to Instagram

Instagram will soon be inaccessible in Russia, according to regulator Roskomnadzor. The latest ban is in response to Facebook “temporarily” changing its rules to allows for calls for violence against Russian soldiers and Vladimir Putin.

Though Facebook has been in the country for more than a week, the ban didn’t extend to Instagram. State news agency TASS earlier that Russian lawmakers had called for the ban in response to the company’s rule change. 

Now, the state regulator Roskomnadzor says that it will move to cut off access to the photo sharing app on March 14th. “Messages are circulating on the Instagram social network encouraging and provoking violent acts against Russians, in connection with which the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office demanded that Roskomnadzor restrict access to this social network,” Roskomnadzor posted on its . “Roskomnadzor decided to complete the procedure for imposing restrictions on access to Instagram at 00:00 on March 14, providing users with an additional 48 hours of transition period.”

Facebook didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment A company spokesperson said Thursday that it had changed its rules around violent speech in order to allow for more “forms of political expression.”

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