Twitter pauses ads in Russia, Ukraine to keep focus on safety

[SAN FRANCISCO] Twitter said it suspended all advertising in Russia and Ukraine, seeking to ensure that promotional posts don't detract from public safety information sent via the social network.

The San Francisco-based company won't show advertising in those markets, and also will curb tweet recommendations that appear in users' timelines from accounts that they don't already follow in an effort to limit the spread of misleading and abusive content.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine early on Thursday (Feb 24), attacking from the north, east and south of the country. Russian troops are shelling Ukrainian cities, aiming to seize the capital, Kyiv. Twitter previously said it was "monitoring for emerging narratives that violate the Twitter Rules" as part of its effort to combat problematic content flooding online during the war.

Meta Platforms, which owns social networks Facebook and Instagram, is also fact-checking and labeling posts from Russian state-owned media organizations. The Russian government said earlier Friday is would partially limit Facebook in the country as a result. BLOOMBERG