On Wednesday, April 12, deputies from across the factions of the State Duma submitted an appeal to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Igor Krasnov, requesting consideration of unblocking Twitter within Russia. The move was coordinated by the New People party and signed by 22 lawmakers. They noted their support for the government’s restrictions on Facebook (Meta, banned in Russia as an extremist organization), as well as Twitter and Instagram (Meta’s platforms, banned in the country).
The authors argued that Twitter’s policy shifted with its new ownership. They contended that the platform no longer discriminates against official bodies and Russian journalists due to a personal decision by its new owner, Elon Musk. As examples, the appeal cited the decision not to delete tweets by Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, and the presence of a government-funded media label on the British broadcaster BBC’s page.
The appeal also claimed that Twitter has removed bots that spread misinformation and that it has introduced policies regarding violence, harassment, and terrorism. It suggested that if the platform commits to neutrality in information dissemination, it would be reasonable to reestablish constructive dialogue with Twitter’s leadership and use the platform to convey Russia’s position to Western audiences, including government agencies.
Unblocking Twitter, the lawmakers argued, would enable Russian entrepreneurs and bloggers to reach new audiences, including international readers.
The deputies urged the Prosecutor General to conduct a fresh review of Twitter for content that violates Russian law and to alert the platform to any violations. They concluded that lifting the ban could be considered if problematic materials are removed or properly tagged.
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Elon Musk began acquiring Twitter shares on January 31, 2022, and the deal to complete the sale was finalized on October 28. Musk assumed leadership of the company, while key executives such as Parag Agrawal and Ned Segal stepped down from their roles. The entrepreneur argued that Twitter should remain politically neutral to earn public trust, a stance he described as balancing the viewpoints of the far right and the far left alike. After Musk’s takeover, the platform underwent significant reorganizational steps and widespread workforce reductions. Access to Twitter in Russia has been blocked for well over a year, with Roskomnadzor justifying the restriction by noting the spread of socially significant misinformation related to the subject of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. [Source attribution: Russian State Duma briefing]