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Senator has reason to view Facebook’s blocking of Russian delegation’s page as deliberate

Alexey Pushkov noted that Facebook had earlier repeatedly violated Russian laws and regulations

MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. There are reasons to believe that Facebook deliberately blocked the page of Russia’s delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Commission on Information Policy Alexey Pushkov told TASS.

A spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta Platforms said earlier that the company apologized for the inconvenience as the page had been blocked automatically by mistake. "However, a number of questions remain to be answered. First, why the automatic system’s mistake occurred at a time when everyone’s attention was focused on talks on security guarantees for Russia and the OSCE and Russia’s position on the issue. Second, why was it a nameless representative who offered apologies instead of a statement by the company’s top officials, given that it was the page of an official Russian delegation that had been blocked and not an individual account," Pushkov explained. "Third, why did the automatic system block a page where official documents were posted?" he added.

Pushkov noted that Facebook had earlier repeatedly violated Russian laws and regulations, refusing to delete banned content and blocking Russian news outlets and individual users.

Earlier, Facebook limited access to the Russian delegation’s official page. Russia’s telecom watchdog demanded on January 16 that the account be immediately unblocked, saying that the blocking was "an act of censorship, prohibited under the Russian Constitution." Facebook unblocked the Russian delegation’s page on January 17.

A source close to the watchdog told TASS that "the possibility of slowing Facebook down in Russia has been discussed.".

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Witnesses confirm involvement of detained suspect in Russian general’s assassination

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FACTBOX: Ukraine shells Kursk Region's Rylsk

All emergency response services are working at the site of the strike

As many as 70% of soldiers desert from reinforcements sent to Kurakhovo — politician

The situation is similar at several other sections of the frontline in the DPR

NATO prepares for war with Russia, Moscow takes these risks into account — senior diplomat

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Oreshnik’s launch is sudden, undetectable by satellites — analyst

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Ukrainian troops struggling to escape being trapped in Lozovaya in Kharkov region — expert

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Russia calls Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights unacceptable — MFA

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Zelensky actually flips the bird to Trump by insulting Putin, Medvedev says

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German chancellor exasperated by idea of spending frozen Russian assets to help Kiev

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US Congress passes stopgap funding bill to avert government shutdown

As many as 85 senators backed the bill, while 11 voted against it

Ukraine to cede territory regardless of US aid — news agency

According to the news agency, Kiev expects a "bitter settlement," which implies giving up territorial claims and NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees

Putin grants Russian citizenship to Italian opera icon Giancarlo del Monaco

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TASS has gathered the main information about the incident

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Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that the rhetoric about "inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia" is firmly rooted in the mentality of the NATO regimes not at all as hypothetical assumptions

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Ukrainian unit of machine-gunners disguised as Russian soldiers shoots civilians — captive

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US grants 3-month exemption from sanctions on Gazprombank for Hungary — Orban

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Putin suggests Zelensky may flee abroad, says Russia would take him in

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Russian forces create bridgehead near Kupyansk-Uzlovoy in Kharkov Region — expert

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Russia has no concerns about who attends Trump's inauguration — senior diplomat

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What is known about Russia’s retaliatory strike on Ukraine after attack on Rostov Region

Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported the fires in Solomensky and Shevchenkovsky districts

Musk believes Germany’s Scholz should step down after car drives into crowd in Magdeburg

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Trump wants NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP — FT

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Putin meets with Federation Council Speaker Matviyenko in Kremlin

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Putin declares 2025 year of defender of Fatherland

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Russia achieves key objective in Syria — Putin

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German president intends to dissolve Bundestag on December 27

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Maximal costs of Nord Stream pipeline repair to be 633 mln euro

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Expert predicts Russia, new Syrian authorities to establish strong ties

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