Report: Russia may block Instagram, YouTube on Deripaska’s suit

MOSCOW, Feb 12 (PRIME) -- Russia could block Instagram and YouTube under provisional measures imposed by a Krasnodar Region court over a lawsuit filed by tycoon Oleg Deripaska to Anastasia Vashukevich and Alexander Kirillov, business daily Vedomosti reported on Monday on its Web site.

The court issued a warrant on inclusion of 14 Instagram posts and seven YouTube videos in the register of banned information. The giant media platforms have three days to delete the information. As not all providers are technically equipped to delete separate web pages, a part of users of the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet, the Runet, can find themselves unable to access Instagram or YouTube.

A spokesperson for the communications service specified that Instagram and YouTube have time until Wednesday evening.

Deripaska filed the lawsuit against Vashukevich, known as Nastya Rybka on Instagram, and Kirillov, known as Alex Lesley, for violation of his privacy.

The businessman went to court after the release of investigation of political activist Alexei Navalny, who used posts and a book of Vashukevich to say that Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko had allegedly rested on the businessman’s yacht in Norway in a company of several models, including Vashukevich. The latter wrote the book about the trip, during which Deripaska was said to discuss Russia–U.S. relations with Prikhodko.

Vashukevich posted her photos with Deripaska on Instagram in October 2017 along with her YouTube videos on relationships with the businessman.

With the lawsuit, Deripaska obtained provisional measures against Navalny, Instagram, YouTube, and several mass media that had reposted arguable photos and videos.

After the move, Vashukevich deleted most of photos with Deripaska from Instagram except for one. On February 9, she released a new video on Instagram on more details about the trip with Deripaska and Prikhodko.

End