Meta bans Russian state media RT from its platforms for “foreign interference activity”

() – Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced Monday that it has banned Russian state-run media outlet RT and other Kremlin-controlled networks from its platforms, alleging that the outlets have engaged in deceptive influence operations.

“After careful consideration, we have strengthened our measures against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from accessing our apps globally for foreign interference activity,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

Before Monday’s ban, RT had 7.2 million followers on Facebook and 1 million followers on Instagram.

RT did not immediately respond to a request for comment from .

The move comes days after the U.S. Justice Department announced charges against two RT employees for funneling nearly $10 million to a U.S. company to create and amplify content aligned with Russian interests. The covert influence campaign targeted the American public ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, U.S. officials said.

Following the US Justice Department’s announcement, RT responded with mocking statements that failed to address the details of the US accusations.

Executives from Meta, Microsoft and Google-owner Alphabet are expected to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday about their platforms’ work to combat foreign threats to U.S. elections.