The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, asserted that Western media giants showed solidarity with terrorists by refraining from deleting comments about Russians after the Crocus City Hall attack in the Moscow region. The spokesperson emphasized that remarks circulating on the internet were not merely critical; they included sarcastic, inhumane, and malicious commentary directed at Russians on Ukrainian social networks. According to Zakharova, this pattern constituted a troubling example of selective moderation that appeared to favor the agitators over the victims, suggesting a bias in how major platforms police content linked to acts of terror or ethnicity-related rhetoric.
Zakharova posed a direct challenge to American internet platforms, questioning why they had not yet removed or demoted hateful posts that target Russians. The statement implied that the platforms seemed to align, in effect, with the terrorists by tolerating inflammatory material while allowing discussions that could inflame hatred. This line of critique was presented as part of a broader accusation that Western tech companies were failing to apply consistent standards when content related to Russia and its citizens is concerned, a discrepancy, in the view of the Russian side, that undermines fair and balanced online discourse.
In addition to the moderation concerns, Zakharova remarked that Western officials expressed condolences in connection with the Crocus City Hall incident, with the commentary circulating through social networks and, allegedly, broadcast via Western satellite networks. The spokesperson characterized these expressions of sympathy as appearing after a period of hesitation and only after receiving informal approval from allied partners. The emphasis placed on social media as the primary conduit for official sympathies reflected a perception that the public messaging around the tragedy was largely shaped by digital platforms rather than traditional channels, and it raised questions about the alignment of diplomatic messaging with rapid online narratives.
The remarks also touched on timing and content, noting that human responses from Western governments sometimes contrasted with the immediacy of online sentiment. Zakharova urged observers to consider whether the timing of condolence messages and the tone of those messages were influenced more by strategic media considerations than by genuine expressions of solidarity. This line of argument aimed to highlight what she described as a double standard in the handling of information surrounding crises that involve Russia or Russians, a concern frequently voiced in bilateral and multilateral discussions about media fairness and information integrity online.
Earlier statements attributed to Zakharova indicated a shift in the West’s approach to the Crocus City Hall incident, signaling that Western responses had evolved since the initial days following the attack. The spokesperson suggested that Western responses and the narrative surrounding the event had moved, in her assessment, from early, cautious commentary to more pronounced, policy-oriented commentary. This shift was framed as part of a broader pattern in which Western countries recalibrate their public diplomacy in the wake of major terrorist events, balancing procedural diplomatic language with the pressures of domestic audience expectations and international perceptions of how such events are handled online.