Russia has compared the decision of social media giants to suspend US President Donald Trump’s accounts to a “nuclear blast in cyberspace” with the consequences hard to predict.

“The decision of US internet platforms to block the head of state can be compared to a nuclear blast in cyberspace,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Facebook.

“It’s not the destruction that’s scary but the consequences,” she added. “A blow has been dealt against democratic values proclaimed by the West.”

Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended last week following the violent invasion of the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters, which disrupted the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory.

Twitter went a step further by deleting Trump’s account, depriving him of his favourite megaphone. Zakharova pointed to a chorus of critics in the West including German Chancellor Angela Merkel calling the Twitter ban “problematic”.

The social media ban, said Zakharova, was one more reason for US authorities to “take care” of their own country instead of criticising Moscow.

She made the statement after Washington expressed concern over a crackdown on independent media in Russia, among other issues.