The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that Twitter did not clarify the grounds on which the resources of the Valdai International Discussion Club were classified as elements of "destructive information operations."
Zakharova added, "Even the official accounts in Russian and English of the Valdai International Club were subjected to a large-scale purge. Is this resource unidentified? This is a registered global trademark, and it is a platform that has proven effective, featuring well-known professionals in the field of international relations." She pointed out that the club's meetings are held in various countries around the world, attended by scholars and notable figures in the fields of politics, economics, and science.
The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the microblogging site Twitter has turned into a tool for "digital dictatorship," considering the deletion of accounts on Twitter under the pretext of "undermining trust in NATO" and "attempts to influence the United States and the European Union" to be absurd.
Last Tuesday, Twitter announced the banning of 373 accounts "for engaging in media operations," including accounts linked to Iran, Armenia, and Russia. The ban included 100 "Russian" accounts, and according to Twitter's administration, these accounts "undermine" trust in NATO and attempt to "influence" the United States. It is worth noting that the Valdai Forum is a vital international platform for exchanging views on the most pressing international issues, attracting intellectual and economic political figures from various countries around the world.
