Meta misses deadline to pursue appeals against Facebook, Instagram ban in Russia - RIA

(Reuters) -U.S. social media giant Meta has missed the deadline to launch a fresh appeal against Russia's block of Facebook and Instagram in the country, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a court official.

RIA reported Meta did not file an cassation appeal, meaning the company has now lost the opportunity to launch further judicial challenges, including in Russia's supreme court, against Russia's decision to ban the social media platforms.

No comment was immediately available from Meta.

Russia banned Facebook and Instagram as "extremist" in March as Moscow imposed sweeping restrictions on freedom of speech at home following its invasion of Ukraine.

Meta lost an initial appeal in June against it being labelled "extremist" in a court system which almost always sides with state prosecutors.

Russia has said there will be no punishments for Russians accessing the platforms, for instance through a virtual private network (VPN), and Meta's WhatsApp messenger service is not affected by the ban.

(Reporting by Reuters)