Three networks of accounts from Russia that the company suspected of "foreign interference" were removed from the Facebook social network.

A corresponding press release has been published on the company's website, the author of which is the head of the Facebook cybersecurity department Nathaniel Gleicher. He claims that the results of the company's internal investigation indicated that the networks were connected with Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, and RT and Sputnik were among the materials distributed.

“During each of these operations, account networks were created that were supposed to mislead other users as to who they were and what they were doing. Although the people behind these networks tried to hide their identity and coordinated actions, our investigation established the connection of these campaigns with organizations affiliated with Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was previously indicted by the US Department of Justice, ”the report said.

The author noted that the company shared “the identified information with law enforcement and policy makers, as well as with partners in our industry.”

The first network, Facebook said, targets Madagascar, the Central African Republic, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Sudan and Libya. Allegedly, she totaled 35 Facebook accounts, 53 pages, seven communities and five Instagram accounts. According to Gleicher, they published world and local news on political topics, in particular, Russian politics in Africa and criticism of similar policies in the United States and France.

Two other networks, Facebook claims, were intended for audiences in Sudan and Libya. They totaled more than 30 accounts and 30 pages, as well as about four groups and about seven Instagram accounts.

However, no concrete evidence of allegations made by Facebook of "interference" in the company's press release is not given.

As Yury Pocht, professor of comparative political science at RUDN University, noted in an interview with RT, Facebook’s activity almost coincided with the holding of the Russia-Africa forum in Sochi.

“It is precisely the connection between such actions of Facebook and the successful Russia-Africa forum that came to our minds that was very unexpected for our Western partners, because we have not been dealing with Africa much lately,” the expert believes.

The post drew attention to the fact that Facebook is a global social network, but its founder is a US citizen who “captures the trends” demonstrated by Congress and the White House.

“If Russia should not be present in Africa, then you need to show that there are attempts by Russians through social networks to interfere in the internal affairs of African states. That is, only certain Western countries can intervene. These are the realities of the modern political struggle, which, in particular, is being waged in the information space, ”the expert stated.

Earlier material on the "propaganda" of RT and Sputnik in African countries was published by The New York Times.

The American newspaper posted an article claiming that the Kremlin is using “propaganda tools,” to which American journalists ranked RT and Sputnik.

“With the help of international propaganda tools - the RT channel and the Sputnik news agency - the Kremlin makes the following point clear: while Western Europe and the United States continue the centuries-old tradition of exploiting Africa, Moscow is ready to interact with Africa on mutually beneficial conditions,” the author of the article writes. discussing the Russia-Africa forum held in Sochi.

It should be noted that during the summit, Alexei Volin, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Telecom and Mass Media of Russia, said that RT and Sputnik are ready to cooperate with African partners and exchange information. So, according to Volin, RT is ready to provide its news stories, analytical programs and documentaries, while Sputnik can offer the organization of continuing education courses.

According to the political scientist, director of the International Institute of the Newest States, Alexei Martynov, against the backdrop of a new stage of cooperation between Russia and Africa, it is not surprising that the Russian Internet community is interested in life in African countries.

According to him, the reaction of Facebook indicates the desire to "curry favor" with the American authorities after a series of accusations against the company in the United States.

“The fact that Facebook is going to such things today, once again suggests that this global social network, if not directly serving some US government agencies, is at least trying to please today's American authorities so as not to fall under accusations of meddling in the US domestic process, ”the expert said.

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We add that Facebook systematically blocks various accounts, including those related to RT, as well as the management and projects of the channel. In October, the social network closed one of the pages of the Russia Beyond project with recipes for Russian cuisine, and in September, the page of RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan was blocked.

Investigation of interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation

In an interview with RT, Senator Oleg Morozov suggested that Facebook’s behavior could also be a reaction to Moscow’s investigation into the company's potential interference in Russian affairs.

Recall that in early October it became known that the Federation Council is preparing a request to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation to prevent violations of the electoral legislation of the Russian Federation. As part of this initiative, the senators intended to invite Facebook representatives “in order to prevent the possible further use of their Internet platforms for committing illegal actions on Russian territory”.

In addition, earlier Roskomnadzor studied the circumstances of the publication on Facebook of political advertising on the background of the elections to the Moscow City Duma. Subsequently, the department sent to the State Duma commission, which is investigating foreign interference in the internal affairs of Russia, data on violations by Facebook on election day.

“It looks strange, if not funny. And by the “purpose” of the intervention, and by geography, and by methods. It seems that this is a peculiar response of Facebook to the accusations of providing its platforms for interference in the internal affairs of Russia, ”Morozov told RIA Novosti.