The American group Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced on Monday, September 16, that it will ban Russian state media from accessing its platforms worldwide, to prevent any “foreign interference activity”.
The ban comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday denounced the destabilizing activities of Russian media outlet RT, which he said had become a ” branch “ of Russian intelligence in the world.
“After careful consideration, we have expanded our action against Russian state media”said Meta. “Rossia Segodnia, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps worldwide due to their foreign interference activities”the American company announced.
“Russian sanctions specialist”
Ten days ago, US authorities unveiled a series of measures targeting the Russian media outlet RT in particular, including criminal actions and sanctions, in response to attempts to interfere in the US elections, which they blame on Russia. The State Department then imposed visa restrictions on a media group that owns RT, Rossia Segodnia, as well as other subsidiaries of this company.
In a Telegram message, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova joked about the latest US announcements on Friday, saying: “I think there should be a new profession in the United States: that of a Russia sanctions specialist.”
Founded in 2005, Russia’s state-run broadcaster RT is widely regarded by Westerners as a pro-Kremlin propaganda outlet. Its website and TV channels broadcast in several languages, including English, Spanish, French, German and Arabic.
