Russia Adds Meta Spokesperson to Wanted List Amid Ongoing Media Crackdown

Andy Stone, Meta's spokesperson, was added to Russia's wanted list in February 2022, but the move was not publicly disclosed until now.

Russia has added Meta spokesperson Andy Stone to a wanted list, according to an online database maintained by the country’s interior ministry.
Russian authorities in October classified Meta as a “terrorist and extremist” organization, opening the way for possible criminal proceedings against Russian residents using its platforms.
Stone was put on the wanted list in February 2022, but authorities made no related statements at the time and no news media reported on the matter until this week.
In March this year, Russia’s federal Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into Meta, alleging that the company’s actions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 amounted to inciting violence against Russians.
After Russian troops moved into Ukraine, Stone announced temporary changes to Meta’s hate speech policy to allow for “forms of political expression that would normally violate (its) rules, like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’