Russia restricts Twitter and Facebook during Ukraine attack

Twitter has been restricted in Russia as of Saturday morning, according to data forensics from internet monitoring group NetBlocks.

Why it matters: It’s part of a greater effort by Russia to silence dissent amid protests against Russia’s Ukraine offensive.

• On Friday, Facebook confirmed that Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor said it would partly restrict Facebook in response to its refusal to stop fact-checking and labeling Russian state media.

Details: The restrictions are in effect "across multiple providers," according to an assessment across Netblocks. As of midday Saturday, Roskomnadzor had not publicly stated whether the accounts were indeed restricted.

• In a tweet, Twitter's public policy team said, "We’re aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our service safe and accessible. ... We believe people should have free and open access to the Internet, which is particularly important during times of crisis."

The big picture: Russia has a history of shutting down internet access and social channels during political upheaval.