A Moscow court ruled that Facebook and Instagram are “extremist” groups and banned them.

Authorities accused US tech giant Meta of condoning “Russophobia” during the military activity in Ukraine, prompting the ban.

The Tverskoy district court said it had accepted to prosecutors’ request to prohibit Instagram and Facebook for “carrying out extremist activities,” but that WhatsApp would be excluded because it is not a public platform.

The court decision is part of Moscow’s efforts to stifle social media in the midst of the Ukraine conflict.

“The activities of the Meta organisation are directed against Russia and its armed forces,” FSB representative Igor Kovalevsky told the court, Russian news agencies reported.

“We demand (the court) to ban Meta’s activities and oblige it to implement this ruling immediately,” he added.