Russia has put the spokesperson of U.S. tech giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, on a wanted list, as per an online database maintained by the country’s interior ministry.
It was reported by Russian state agency Tass and independent news outlet Mediazona that Andy Stone has been included on the list, weeks after Russian authorities in October classified Meta as a “terrorist and extremist” organization, potentially leading to criminal proceedings against Russian residents using its platforms.
The interior ministry’s database does not provide details of the case against Stone, stating only that he is wanted on criminal charges. According to Mediazona, Stone was added to the wanted list in February 2022, but this information was not made public until recently.
In March 2022, Russia‘s federal Investigative Committee launched a criminal probe of Meta, alleging that the company’s actions following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine constituted incitement to violence against Russians. After Russian troops entered Ukraine, Stone announced temporary changes to Meta’s hate speech policy, allowing for “forms of political expression that would normally violate (its) rules, like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ ” He also stated that “credible calls for violence against Russian civilians” would remain banned.
Mediazona reported that an unspecified Russian court issued an arrest warrant for Stone earlier this month, on charges of “facilitating terrorism.” Western social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter) were popular with young Russians before the war but have since been blocked in the country as part of a broader crackdown on independent media and other forms of critical speech. In April 2022, Russia also formally barred Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country.
