Russian authorities have ordered a block on WhatsApp as part of an expanding effort to tighten control over digital communications within the country. The move forms part of a broader campaign by the Kremlin to restrict access to foreign-owned platforms and promote a state-developed alternative.
Meta, which owns WhatsApp, said the decision was aimed at pushing more than 100 million Russian users toward the government-backed messaging platform Max, which critics argue lacks end-to-end encryption and could therefore be subject to state surveillance. In a statement, WhatsApp described the measure as an attempt to isolate users from private and secure communications and warned that such restrictions would ultimately reduce safety for people in Russia.(BBC)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision had been taken due to Meta’s alleged failure to comply with Russian law. He added that Meta could resume operations if it complied with legal requirements and entered into dialogue with the authorities. When asked whether the government was attempting to force citizens to adopt Max, Peskov described the national messenger as an available alternative.
Russia’s internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, has also announced further curbs on access to Telegram, citing security concerns. Telegram remains highly popular in Russia and is reportedly widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine. Its chief executive, Pavel Durov, accused the authorities of restricting access in an effort to compel users to migrate to a state-controlled platform for surveillance and political censorship. He argued that restricting citizens’ freedom was not the appropriate response and noted that similar efforts in Iran to ban Telegram had ultimately been circumvented by users.
The government-backed Max app has been likened to China’s WeChat, combining messaging services with government functions. Since 2025, Russian authorities have mandated that Max be pre-installed on all new devices sold domestically, and there have been reports that public sector employees, teachers and students are increasingly required to use the platform. State media and local officials have promoted Max through advertising campaigns, while denying allegations that it is designed for surveillance.
Russian officials maintain that both WhatsApp and Telegram failed to comply with data localisation laws requiring the storage of Russian users’ data within the country. Authorities have also alleged that WhatsApp is frequently used to defraud and extort Russian citizens, presenting this as a justification for encouraging migration to Max. State news agency TASS has reported that WhatsApp is expected to be permanently blocked in 2026. Russian lawmaker Andrei Svintsov was quoted as saying that such measures were justified because Meta has been designated an extremist organisation in Russia.
Meta’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, were blocked in Russia after the company was labelled extremist in 2022, although Russian citizens are not prohibited from using its products and often access them via virtual private networks. According to the digital rights project Na Svyazi, authorities have increasingly removed websites from the state-controlled National System of Domain Names, rendering them inaccessible without a VPN. Reportedly affected services include YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp Web, Instagram, the BBC and Deutsche Welle.
The latest measures reflect Moscow’s broader effort, intensified since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, to develop a more sovereign and state-controlled digital infrastructure while limiting reliance on global internet platforms.