Lifting the ban on the access of Russian social networks Odnoklassniki and VKontakte (both are owned by Mail.ru Group) is inexpedient, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's IT advisor Mykhailo Fedorov said, noting that he is speaking out for its extension.

"I can express my own opinion. I would not recommend lifting the blocking from Odnoklassniki and VKontakte, because I found that inadvisable. There is quite much content there which negatively affects the Ukrainians," he said in an interview with the Ukrainian news agency LIGABiznesInform, when asked about the possible cancelation of the sanctions against Russian social networks and websites, which have been imposed for three years in Ukraine in 2017.

The Ukrainian presidential advisor added that he has been standing for extending the blockings and sanctions against Russian social networks and companies in Ukraine after their three-year term will end in May 2020.

"I would recommend [extending the sanctions]. VKontakte unfortunately became Russia's special operation against Ukraine. After [VK founder and former director general] Pavel Durov stepped down, it is obvious," he said, when asked about whether the new authorities are planning to extend these restrictions in this case.

As reported, the then Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has enforced the National Security and Defense Council's decision on sanctions against the social networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, as well as against Mail.ru, Yandex and their services on May 15, 2017. The access to all services of Yandex and Mail.ru was forbidden for three years.