Russian news agencies reported that a court in the capital banned the social networking sites Facebook and Instagram on Monday, considering them "extremist" activities, after the decision of the parent company "Meta" to ease restrictions on content against Russia.
"The court accepted the lawsuit filed by the First Deputy Prosecutor against the Mita Holding Company regarding the ban of its activities on Russian territory," the court said in a message on the Telegram app.
She added that Meta's two social media sites were "banned due to extremist activities".
The decision does not apply to the WhatsApp messaging service, also owned by the US Meta Group (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram), because the court considered that he was not using a means of "disseminating information to the public."
The security services (FSB) demanded earlier on Monday the imposition of an "immediate" ban on Facebook and Instagram on charges of activities "directed against Russia and its armed forces".
But the TASS news agency quoted - from the State Duma - that the Meta ban may be canceled if the company lifts the ban on state media.
On March 11, the Public Prosecutor's Office requested that Meta be classified as an "extremist" organization, a measure paving the way for all of its activities to be banned.
Meta had announced the relaxation of its rules regarding Russia's war on Ukraine, and a Facebook spokesperson said the phrase "death to Russian invaders" was among the examples of exceptions to phrases that violated the guidelines.
This sparked outrage in Moscow.
Meta later set the rules for content reviewers, saying they only apply in Ukraine, and added that calls for violence should not be made against Russians in general or against President Vladimir Putin.