Facebook has restricted hashtags related to civilian deaths in Bucha, outside Kyiv, where bodies of people shot at close range were found. The killings have drawn pledges of further sanctions against Moscow from the West.

Meta spokesman Andy Stone said automated systems that scan for the brutal images on Facebook and Instagram and hashtags #bucha and #buchamassacre were blocked from the platforms. Facebook and Instagram allow the posting of graphic and violent content when shared to raise awareness of possible human rights abuses, but delete the content if it is incredibly explicit. The social media companies also add warning labels to some graphic posts that users must click before seeing the images.

Human rights groups have criticised Meta’s action for removing violent content during conflicts, saying its practice of removing the data from its servers results in the deletion of critical evidence of war crimes.