End of restrictions on official Russian accounts on Twitter

An investigation by the Telegraph on April 7, 2023, reveals that Twitter has lifted restrictions on official Russian government accounts. At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the social network had indeed decided to limit these accounts and their visibility.

At the time, Twitter pledged not to amplify or recommend « government accounts belonging to states that limit access to free information and are engaged in armed conflict between states« .

These different accounts are now accessible via a simple search with the keyword « Russia ». In some cases, they will appear again among the suggestions of accounts to follow. Some of their content can be found in the recommendation tab of a user who is not subscribed to them.

This change in policy is consistent with new Twitter owner Elon Musk’s desire to defend freedom of expression on all fronts. However, the social media company has not officially communicated on the lifting of these restrictions.

No media was able to obtain information on this subject. Any request sent to Twitter’s press relations mailbox has indeed generated, for several weeks, an automatic message containing only a « poop » emoji.

The Kremlin, for its part, is considering reauthorizing Twitter on Russian soil. Indeed, it is these restrictions imposed on governmental accounts that had pushed Russia to ban the social network. Their lifting could allow the bluebird to come back to Moscow.