Russian President Vladimir Putin expelled the head of Russia’s Council of Bloggers after the group appealed a decision to block Facebook and Instagram, Newsweek reported Tuesday.
Valeriya Rytvina received the boot for pushing to ease the ban, which Putin enacted shortly after the March invasion of Ukraine. It followed a ruling from a Russian court that claimed Meta Platforms, Inc. harbored extremism.
“Russia has lost an effective channel for forming a positive image of the country, and Russian users have lost the opportunity to create content aimed at defending the interests of the country,” the Council of Bloggers had said immediately following the prohibition.
The group argues for a national security interest in restoring the two social media platforms in its appeal, claiming that “limiting access to Meta social networks has negative consequences for Russian bloggers and risks for the whole country.”
Further, the RCB stated Russians using VPNs [virtual private networks] “pose a threat to users' personal data” as a lack of social media presence helps Ukraine allegedly win the information war.
But quickly after Rytvina’s departure, the Russian Federation Council denied the legitimacy of the blogger organization. In a Telegram post, the council stated that Rytvina does not represent the official position of its committees or other bodies.
"Due to the fact that Valeriya Rytvina repeatedly violated the rules of the section and made statements on behalf of a non-existent organization under the Federation Council, it was decided to remove her from the panel of experts," the chamber stated.
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