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Twitter, Facebook, Instagram allowing Kremlin officials to promote war efforts on social media
By Yael Halon
Published February 24, 2022
Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are quiet about whether the Kremlin and high-ranking Russian officials who are using the platform to give updates about Russia's advance on Ukraine and spread Russian propaganda will continue to have unfettered access to their accounts.
Twitter declined to comment to Fox News Digital on Thursday on whether it will take steps to block Putin or high-ranking Russian accounts from posting as the war escalates.
Instagram and Facebook did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Russia's verified Twitter account for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has nearly 380,000 followers and regularly posts Kremlin talking points laden with Putin fanfare. On Thursday, the account posted over 20 tweets defending Russia's invasion of Ukraine, claiming in one that, "The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for 8 years now, have been facing genocide perpetrated by the Kiev regime."
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to the media during a joint news conference with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban following their talks in the Kremlin in Moscow. (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool)
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Other posts on the account threaten "tough response measures" to the EU’s "continuing unfriendly steps against Russia" and scolds the U.S for creating a "veritable ‘empire of lies.'" Thursday evening, it tweeted out a phone conversation between Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, where he "expressed understanding with respect to Russia’s security concerns caused by the destabilising actions of the US and NATO."
The official Kremlin Twitter account also continued to post frequent updates of Putin's activity for its 1.2 M followers on Thursday.
Russia's heightened social media activity has been consistent on Instagram and Facebook as well, with posts that continue to gush over Putin as Russian forces advance on Ukraine.
A Facebook page for Vladimir Putin with 3M followers congratulated the Russian leader on Wednesday for what it refers to as "Defender of the Fatherland Day."
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Kremlin, in Moscow on Feb. 14, 2022. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Instagram page with 425,000 followers also remained active, in addition to their official Kremlin Instagram page, with over 500,000 followers.
"The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on the progress of the operation in the Donbass," Putin's Instagram account posted on Thursday to 450,000 followers, according to a translation.
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