The move is part of the actions by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to crack down on dissent about the war in Ukraine. On Friday, the government passed a law making it illegal to spread what it called “false information” about Russia’s armed forces, punishable with up to 15 years in jail. The law will take effect as soon as Saturday, and could make a criminal offense of simply calling the war a “war” — the Kremlin says it is a “special military operation” — on social media or in a news article or broadcast. Many of the few remaining independent news outlets in Russia have closed down in anticipation of the law.
In a statement, Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said Russia’s block of the social network would harm the country’s citizens.
“Soon, millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silenced from speaking out,” he said, adding that Meta would work to restore Facebook’s services in the country.
Russia has in recent years built out a vast censorship infrastructure that allows it to block or slow down access to certain websites. It has used the system to slow down access to Twitter. In the past, the authorities have also ordered internet service providers across Russia to enforce its judgments.
Facebook does not have employees in Russia and it is not hugely popular with the general public. But it has been a place where people could voice criticism of the government and find information outside of the state-run media outlets.