Russia to ban Instagram citing 'calls for violence against Russians'; Users bid tearful farewell

Moscow, Mar 14: Russia's communications agency Roskomnadzor announced that it will ban Instagram in the country from today, according to a statement on the agency's website.

Russians were relishing their final moments scrolling through Instagram on Sunday, while bloggers and small businesses that rely heavily on the platform scrambled to lure followers elsewhere online.

Moscow announced this week that access to the social network would cease, accusing Instagram's parent company Meta of turning a blind eye to calls for violence against Russians. The announcement comes a week after Russia blocked access to Facebook.

In a farewell post, reality TV star Olga Buzova -- who has racked up the second-largest audience in Russia with 23 million followers -- was in dispair and disbelief.

"Right now, I'm writing this post and crying," she wrote, annotating the text with a crying emoji. "I hope this isn't true."

Fashion blogger Karina Nigay, who meanwhile boasts nearly three million followers, was still processing the fact of the looming ban.

"I'm in a state of resentment and nowhere near a state of acceptance," she said.

The move comes as part of long-running efforts by President Vladimir Putin to rein in control of what Russians can and cannot access on the internet.

These efforts have quickened to a dizzying pace since he announced Russia's sweeping military incursion in Ukraine and as authorities work to control how the conflict is seen at home.

Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor said this week that Instgram was being taken down for allowing posts urging violence against Russians.