Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg calls Ukraine war ‘massively destabilizing'

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “massively destabilizing world event” in his first public comments about the war since it began.

Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “massively destabilizing world event” (Erin Scott/REUTERS)

Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg called Russia's invasion of Ukraine a “massively destabilizing world event” in his first public comments about the war since it began in late February. 

The CEO of Facebook's parent company dialed in by videoconference to the South by Southwest technology and entertainment conference in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday to talk about the metaverse, his futuristic vision for the next phase of the internet. But he started the conversation by addressing “the really terrible war,” saying that he's been thinking about the Ukrainian people. 

“It's really tough to find the right words that really mean anything in a situation like this,” he said, adding that Meta is working to keep its services up and running in the region so Ukrainians can continue using them. 

Zuckerberg has largely abstained from public comments about political or regulatory issues in recent months. The CEO has left the bulk of the policy decisions and public posturing to Nick Clegg, who was promoted to Meta's president of global affairs earlier this year.

Meta's products have been at the center of the information war since the invasion, with both Ukrainian and Russian leaders trying to get their messages out the the world. Meta blocked Russian state-backed media accounts in Ukraine and the European Union, and a recent policy change that gave Ukrainians permission to share posts wishing violence upon invading Russian forces led to some confusion.

Russian regulators have responded by blocking Facebook and Instagram in the country, citing “discrimination against Russian media and information resources.”