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WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has been completely blocked in Russia for failing to comply with local laws, the Kremlin said on Thursday, marking a major escalation in Moscow’s push to control digital communications during wartime.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the move, saying the decision had been implemented after Meta declined to meet Russian legal requirements. He urged citizens to switch to MAX, a state-backed messaging service promoted by the government as a national alternative.
“MAX is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market for citizens,” Peskov told reporters.
Critics, however, have raised concerns that MAX could function as a surveillance tool. Russian authorities deny the allegation, saying the platform is designed to integrate government services and simplify daily interactions for citizens.
The blocking of WhatsApp — Russia’s most widely used messaging app — follows months of regulatory pressure on Meta and reflects a broader strategy to establish a “sovereign” communications ecosystem in which foreign technology companies must submit to local rules or exit the market.
Meta has already been designated an extremist organisation in Russia, and WhatsApp had earlier warned that authorities were attempting to fully block its service. “Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” the company said in a statement.
Technical measures accompanying the ban included the removal of WhatsApp-related domain names from Russia’s national domain registry, preventing devices inside the country from receiving the app’s IP addresses. As a result, WhatsApp became accessible only via virtual private networks (VPNs).
Russian regulators have been steadily tightening restrictions since August, when the media watchdog Roskomnadzor began limiting calls on WhatsApp and other foreign messenger platforms. Authorities accused the services of failing to share data with law enforcement in cases involving fraud and terrorism.
In December, Roskomnadzor said it would introduce further measures to restrict WhatsApp, alleging the platform was being used to organise terrorist activity, recruit perpetrators and facilitate fraud — accusations Meta has denied. Russian courts have also fined WhatsApp for failing to remove banned content, and officials have said the company must establish a local representative office to comply with the law.
Russia already blocks or restricts several major foreign platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Since December, many Russians have relied on VPNs to access WhatsApp or migrated to alternative messaging apps, some of which are now facing similar regulatory scrutiny.
The move underscores Moscow’s intensifying efforts to replace foreign digital platforms with domestically controlled services as geopolitical tensions and information controls continue to tighten.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the move, saying the decision had been implemented after Meta declined to meet Russian legal requirements. He urged citizens to switch to MAX, a state-backed messaging service promoted by the government as a national alternative.
“MAX is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market for citizens,” Peskov told reporters.
Critics, however, have raised concerns that MAX could function as a surveillance tool. Russian authorities deny the allegation, saying the platform is designed to integrate government services and simplify daily interactions for citizens.
The blocking of WhatsApp — Russia’s most widely used messaging app — follows months of regulatory pressure on Meta and reflects a broader strategy to establish a “sovereign” communications ecosystem in which foreign technology companies must submit to local rules or exit the market.
Meta has already been designated an extremist organisation in Russia, and WhatsApp had earlier warned that authorities were attempting to fully block its service. “Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” the company said in a statement.
Technical measures accompanying the ban included the removal of WhatsApp-related domain names from Russia’s national domain registry, preventing devices inside the country from receiving the app’s IP addresses. As a result, WhatsApp became accessible only via virtual private networks (VPNs).
Russian regulators have been steadily tightening restrictions since August, when the media watchdog Roskomnadzor began limiting calls on WhatsApp and other foreign messenger platforms. Authorities accused the services of failing to share data with law enforcement in cases involving fraud and terrorism.
In December, Roskomnadzor said it would introduce further measures to restrict WhatsApp, alleging the platform was being used to organise terrorist activity, recruit perpetrators and facilitate fraud — accusations Meta has denied. Russian courts have also fined WhatsApp for failing to remove banned content, and officials have said the company must establish a local representative office to comply with the law.
Russia already blocks or restricts several major foreign platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Since December, many Russians have relied on VPNs to access WhatsApp or migrated to alternative messaging apps, some of which are now facing similar regulatory scrutiny.
The move underscores Moscow’s intensifying efforts to replace foreign digital platforms with domestically controlled services as geopolitical tensions and information controls continue to tighten.
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