Russia disabled Instagram for roughly 80 million of its users on Monday, after its parent corporation Meta permitted messages calling for violence against Russian military and President Vladimir Putin on Facebook and Instagram in certain countries.
Last week, the government announced plans to ban Instagram in reaction to parent company Meta's decision to allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russian military in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In an effort to control the flow of information about the war, Russia has gradually restricted access to internet platforms, and has already blocked Facebook and Twitter.
According to Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, more than 80% of individuals in Russia follow profiles from outside of Russia on Instagram. "The situation is dreadful. We're doing everything we can to keep people safe. Everyone in Ukraine and Russia now has access to encrypted communications. In a video message, he added, "We've advised everyone in the region to make their accounts private."
Over the weekend, Russian Instagram influencers sent out farewell messages to their followers, urging them to follow them on other platforms or use VPN software to circumvent the state's ban.