Facebook will now allow posts calling for violence against Russian soldiers

Meta will temporarily amend its policy on hate speech, allowing some Instagram and Facebook users to post calls for violence against Russian soldiers in the context of its invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported.

The company will allow users in some countries to call for the death of Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the company said in emails to its content moderators, seen by Reuters. The policy changes apply to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.

These types of posts, however, do have limits: They can't name other targets, and they can't include multiple indications of credibility, such as where and how those deaths might happen. They can also only be in the content of the invasion of Ukraine.

Meta also will not allow for "credible calls for violence against Russian civilians," Andy Stone, Meta's policy communications, tweeted on Thursday.

"As a result to the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as 'death to Russian invaders,'" Stone tweeted in response to New York Times reporter Ryan Mac.

Meta did not immediately respond to request for comment from Protocol.

The company had previously made the exception to allow praise of the Azov battalion, a Ukrainian neo-Nazi military unit, which is usually prohibited, according to The Intercept, which Meta spokesman Joe Osborne said would be "strictly in the context of defending Ukraine."

The move is the latest response by Meta to the war in Ukraine. The company has paused all ads targeting people in Russia, and will no longer run ads anywhere globally from Russian marketers. It's also restricted access to Russian state-run news outlets RT and Sputnik in the EU, and prohibited state-run media from running or monetizing ads on its platforms. Instagram is also "downranking" posts by Russian state-owned media. Meta has also introduced tools to support Ukrainians, including offering encrypted Instagram DMs in Russia and Ukraine.

In retaliation against Meta for its fact checking and restrictions of Russian context, Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications regulator, restricted access to Facebook within the country last week.