WhatsApp, a rival messaging platform, introduced some measures to counter disinformation when Covid-19 was first sweeping the world. Ukrainian forces have since put up a strong resistance to the Russian troops amid the war that has left hundreds of Ukrainian civilians, including children, dead, according to the United Nations. Ukrainian and international officials have accused Russia of targeting civilian populations with shelling and bombardments. In 2018, Russia banned Telegram although it reversed the prohibition two years later. Artem Kliuchnikov and his family fled Ukraine just days before the Russian invasion. Such instructions could actually endanger people — citizens receive air strike warnings via smartphone alerts.
from ru