Blocking Instagram and Facebook

In April 2022, Instagram and Facebook, owned by Meta, which Russian authorities recognized as an extremist organization, were blocked in Russia. This became the largest restriction in the field of social networks in the entire history of the country. The blocking affected tens of millions of Russians - Instagram was one of the most popular platforms for businesses and bloggers. Thousands of entrepreneurs have lost sales platforms, advertising tools, subscribers and communication channels. Many of them were unable to quickly adapt to new conditions, and their incomes fell sharply. Censorship in all areas of media has also increased: YouTube has become the main destination for free content, and authorities have begun to look for ways to limit its influence. Many laws have appeared introducing liability for the spread of “fakes” about the army, for criticism of the state and military actions. Hundreds of journalists left abroad, dozens of media projects were closed. April was the month when the Russian information space actually came under complete state control, and people switched to VPNs, Telegram and closed communities.