Russia’s communications and media regulator says it's restricting national access to Instagram because the platform is spreading “calls to commit violent acts against Russian citizens, including military personnel.”

The regulator, called Roskomnadzor, took the step Friday as Russia presses ahead with its invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier on Friday, Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said in a statement it had “made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules on violent speech, such as ‘death to the Russian invaders’”. The statement was via a tweet by spokesman Andy Stone.

The statement stressed that the company “still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians.”