Russia on Tuesday added Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, to its list of “terrorist and extremist” organisations, AFP reported.

Moscow had banned Facebook and Instagram in March for “carrying out extremist activities”.

This was done after Meta had said that it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages urging violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his troops, according to Reuters.

On March 21, a court in Moscow had also found Meta guilty of “extremist activities”. The charge was denied by Meta’s lawyer at the time.

Around the same time, Moscow had also restricted access to Facebook and a number of news websites, including the BBC, in Russia.