Facebook, owned bt Meta Platforms Inc, and Twitter issued security steps for Ukrainians to protect their social media accounts against hacking as Russia invades the country. Moscow launched a full-scale attack on Kyiv early Thursday and at least 137 soldiers were reported dead, 316 wounded, 

President Volodymyr Zelensky said. 

In Twitter posts on Thursday, a Facebook official highlighted the security steps Ukrainians could take to protect their social media profiles. The company has launched a feature that will help the users lock their accounts. 

Also read: Watch: Ukrainian man bids goodbye to family as Russia mounts invasion

Twitter, on the other hand, posted tips on how users can secure their accounts. The company tweeted the safety guidelines in English, Russian and Ukrainian.

Ukrainians can lock their profile with one click and no friends will be able to download their pictures, share their profile pictures or see posts on their timelines, Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy, said on Twitter.

Also read: Russian President Putin loses allies in eastern Europe by invading Ukraine

“In response to the unfolding military conflict in Ukraine, we have established a Special Operations Center to respond in real time. It is staffed by experts (including native speakers) so we can closely monitor the situation and act as fast as possible,” his first tweet in the thread read. 

He said that the tool has been previously deployed in Afghanistan. 

Also read: After Russia invades Ukraine, police arrest hundreds of anti-war protestors

“This is a one-click tool for people in Ukraine to lock down their account by quickly applying existing privacy settings and new features. When their profile is locked, people who aren’t their friends can’t download or share their profile photo or see posts on their timeline,” the tweet read. 

Twitter had shared information on how users can deactivate their account on Wednesday.