The Russian edition, whose accountant Elena Khusyaynova had been accused by the US attorney's office in an attempt to middle in the US 2018 elections, filed a lawsuit in California against Facebook, Reuters reported. 

The Federal Agency of News LLC, known as FAN, and its sole shareholder, Evgeniy Zubarev, filed the lawsuit in federal court in California, seeking damages and an injunction to prevent Facebook from blocking its account.

“FAN is an independent, authentic and legitimate news agency which publishes reports that are relevant and of interest to the general public,” the company said.

The leadership of the social network, according to the plaintiff, acted on the instructions of the US government, discriminating FAN only on the basis of the Russian origin of the publication.

FAN accounts on Facebook and Instagram were blocked in April 2018, when social network management announced the removal of 270 pages allegedly related to the “troll factory.”