WhatsApp has been blocked for more than 100 million users in Russia, following warnings from lawmakers last year. financial Times Informed. Russian authorities removed the app from an online directory, effectively erasing it from Russia’s internet. The government has previously said it wants users to switch to an app called Max, which is an unencrypted WeChat clone.
“Today the Russian government attempted to block WhatsApp entirely in an effort to drive users toward the state-owned surveillance app,” Meta reported. foot In a statement. “Attempting to cut off more than 100 million people from private and secure communications is a backward step and could reduce the safety of people in Russia.”
The Russian government yesterday removed WhatsApp rival Telegram, while also removing meta apps Facebook and Instagram. YouTube access was also reportedly disrupted, although it is unclear whether the app has been completely removed.
In July 2025, a Russian lawmaker who regulates the IT industry said that it was very likely that WhatsApp would be placed on the list of banned software. Parent Meta has been designated an extremist organization in Russia, and last year Vladimir Putin issued a directive to the nation to further restrict communications apps originating from “unfriendly countries” that Russia sanctions.
The state has said that given the large number of scammers on WhatsApp in the country, an in-house app will protect citizens from fraud and terrorism. Domestically, however, the ban on Telegram has not gone down well even among Putin’s allies, as residents along Ukraine’s borders rely on it for drone and missile alerts. The governor of one of those regions said, “I am concerned that Telegram slowing down could affect the flow of information if the situation worsens.”
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