Facebook says Russia’s move to block the social network will cut off millions of people from trusted information and forums to share their views.
As previously reported, Russia announced that it would block Facebook on the grounds that it had “discriminated” against the Russian state media.
Various Kremlin-backed media outlets have been restricted to several different online platforms following the invasion of Ukraine.
“Soon millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves without reliable information… and will not be able to express their free speech,” said Nick Clegg, Meta’s vice president.
“We will continue to do everything we can to restore our service and stay available for people to express themselves in a safe and secure way,” he added.