Ukraine tries to get Russia banned from Twitter

Ukraine's Twitter account has encouraged users to regularly be updated on the war.

 People take part in the Unity March, which is a procession to demonstrate Ukrainians' patriotic spirit amid growing tensions with Russia, in Lviv, Ukraine February 19, 2022. (photo credit: REUTERS/PAVLO PALAMARCHUK)
People take part in the Unity March, which is a procession to demonstrate Ukrainians' patriotic spirit amid growing tensions with Russia, in Lviv, Ukraine February 19, 2022.
(photo credit: REUTERS/PAVLO PALAMARCHUK)

The official Ukraine account tweeted on Thursday, demanding that Twitter remove the Russia account from its platform.

Encouraging other users to demand the same, Ukraine tweeted that there is "no place for an aggressor like Russia on Western social media platforms," as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is still ongoing.

"They should not be allowed to use these platforms to promote their image while brutally killing the Ukrainian people?" the account continued while also tagging Twitter Support as well as the site's main account. The tweet went viral with more than 200,000 likes as of Saturday morning.

The tweet came shortly after a previous tweet encouraging users to "Tag @Russia and tell them what you think about them."

Due to the invasion, many cultural events were banned from Russia, such as their participation in the next Eurovision Song Contest and the relocation of the UEFA Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris. 

TWITTER’S LOGO is seen on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange last week. (credit: ANDREW KELLY / REUTERS)
TWITTER’S LOGO is seen on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange last week. (credit: ANDREW KELLY / REUTERS)

In other soccer news, Poland will not be playing their upcoming match against Russia as part of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, according to Cezary Kulesza, president of the Polish Football Association.

"In light of the escalation of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, the Polish national team is not going to play a match against the Russian Republic," Kulesza said on Twitter. "This is the only right decision. We are in talks with the Swedish and Czech associations to present a common position to FIFA."

Polish national team players also took to social media to express their support for the move.

National team captain Lewandowski wrote on Twitter: "I can't imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening."

Ukraine's Twitter account also encouraged users to regularly be updated on the war - recommending that they check the Facebook and Twitter of Ukraine's president and Foreign Affairs Ministry, as well as the country's official Facebook and Instagram pages.

They also recommend users who are able to help to contact their local representatives to "urge strong economic sanctions: banning Russia from SWIFT, fully isolating it, stopping all business, oil and gas embargo, providing Ukraine with more defensive weapons, ammunition, money." The Twitter thread can be seen below:

Other options include donating money to support the Ukrainian military and organizing street protests in local cities in support of Russia's embattled neighbor.

Reuters contributed to this report.