A Twitter account that many presumed was run by Russian President Vladimir Putin has been suspended after more than 6 years, during which it gathered more than one million followers.<\/p>\n
@PutinRF_Eng claimed to be Putin’s “official” Twitter account and mainly linked to press releases from the Kremlin, but it was never confirmed to be authentic. The Kremlin’s verified account is @KremlinRussia_E.<\/p>\n
“We suspended @PutinRF_Eng for impersonation based on a valid report we received from Russian officials,” Twitter said in a brief statement. Other details were not immediately known.<\/p>\n
Many assumed that the account was authentic and it was often referred to by journalists and media outlets. Politicians also referred to @PutinRF_Eng, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kosovo President Hashim Tha\u00e7i, and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.<\/p>\n
Although the Twitter account was not affiliated with Putin or the Kremlin, it does not appear to have distributed false information.<\/p>\n
A second account, @PutinRF, also claims to be run by Putin and shares similar updates in Russian. It has gathered more than 2.2 million followers in 7 years, but it’s unclear if the account is authentic.<\/p>\n
\nIn #Paris<\/a>, I met President @PutinRF_Eng<\/a>, focusing on dialogue for the normalization of relations btwn Kosovo & Serbia for comprehensive, binding agreement. On this topic, President Putin was clear: \u201cIf you (#Kosovo<\/a> & #Serbia<\/a>) achieve a peaceful agreement, Russia will support it\u201d. pic.twitter.com\/TAXILAXutD<\/a><\/p>\n
— Hashim Tha\u00e7i (@HashimThaciRKS) November 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n