Zuckerberg in Moscow to boost Facebook's presence

MOSCOW — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was Monday in Moscow on a visit the government believes should stimulate innovation in Russia and the social network hopes will boost its position in the Russian market.

Zuckerberg was to meet Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev along with the main government pointmen on innovation in Russia, Deputy Prime Ministers Arkady Dvorkovich and Vladislav Surkov.

The government has said they will discuss cooperation in IT technology and start-ups in Skolkovo -- the technology hub outside Moscow that has been championed by Medvedev as a Russian equivalent of Silicon Valley.

Zuckerberg, 28, wasted no time in exploring the Russian capital after his arrival, posing for photographs in Red Square like an ordinary American tourist in one of his trademark hooded tops, Russian press reports said.

Staying true to his roots, he then headed for a meal at a nearby branch of McDonalds.

Regularly brandishing an iPad at government meetings and publishing comments on Twitter, former president Medvedev likes to promote himself as the main proponent of a drive to give Russia a more innovation-based economy.

Critics have regularly ridiculed his often banal utterances on Twitter and noted that making Russia a true innovation-based economy is still just a pipe dream.

Zuckerberg will be hoping his visit boosts Facebook's presence in Russia, one of the few major countries worldwide where it is not the number one social network.

Facebook lags well behind Russia's most popular social network VKontakte, founded by Saint Petersburg native Pavel Durov, 27, often described as the "Russian Zuckerberg."

Read More. (AFP)