
The Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LNR) in eastern Ukraine said on Wednesday they had blocked access to Facebook and Instagram, aligning themselves with Russia's policy on the U.S.-based social networks.
Moscow recognised the two separatist regions as independent on Feb. 21, and three days later launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in what it calls a "special military operation" aimed partly at protecting Russian-speakers there.