Roskomnadzor orders TikTok and VKontakte ‘to prevent the involvement of minors in unauthorized protests’

Russia’s censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, has ordered the social networks TikTok and VKontakte to prevent “the involvement of minors in unauthorized rallies.” This was announced in two separate statements on the agency’s website on Wednesday, January 20.

In particular, Roskomnadzor demanded that TikTok remove “materials with calls for the social network’s underage users to participate in an illegal mass protest event.”

According to Roskomnadzor, this demand came from the Russian Attorney General’s Office. However, the statements do not specify the “illegal protest” in question.

Russia’s next major protest is scheduled for Saturday, January 23. It was announced by opposition figure Alexey Navalny after he was remanded in custody for 30 days during a hearing at a Khimki police station on January 18. A “Free Navalny!” rally is set to take place in Moscow at 2:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, and Navalny’s team is also planning demonstrations in other cities across the country.

In his announcement, Navalny urged his supporters to come out and protest, telling them “don’t be afraid — take to the streets.” 

While this particular video has yet to appear on Alexey Navalny’s TikTok account, there is a video promoting the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s recently published investigation into a billion-dollar palace allegedly built for Vladimir Putin on the Black Sea coast. TikTok users have brought up the protests planned for January 23 in the comments on this video.