WhatsApp claims that Moscow is preventing secure communication as Russia tightens its control over the internet
WhatsApp claims that Russia is blocking calls in order to prevent safe communication while the Kremlin advertises the state-run messaging service MAX.
WhatsApp has stepped up its efforts to promote state-backed platforms and tighten control over the nation’s internet environment, accusing Moscow of attempting to prevent millions of Russians from using encrypted communication after the Kremlin banned calls on the well-known messaging service.
Citing the platforms’ inability to provide law enforcement with information in fraud and terrorism cases, Russian officials revealed on Wednesday that they had started restricting specific calls on Telegram and WhatsApp. Voice notes and text messages on both applications are unaffected.
“WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russians,” the Meta Platforms-owned company stated in a statement. The business promised to continue offering encrypted services within the nation.
According to Telegram, which is widely used in Russia, moderators use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to filter out millions of bad messages every day. The platform actively fights hazardous content, such as calls for violence and fraud.
Mediascope data from July 2025 shows that WhatsApp reached 97.3 million Russians each month, while Telegram reached 90.8 million. In a nation of more than 140 million people, VK Messenger, a platform run by the state-owned internet company VK, came in third place with 17.9 million users.
Complaints about connectivity have increased as a result of the limitations. While local media reported mobile network problems in the southern Krasnodar region, monitoring sites Downdetector and Sboy noticed an increase in user complaints. Local taxi drivers’ public Telegram thread was inundated with grievances on unsuccessful internet navigation systems, leading to recommendations to download offline maps.
The action is taken in conjunction with the government’s promotion of MAX, a new state-controlled messaging app that will interface with official services. Critics caution that it might make it possible to follow users’ activities in great detail. Digital rights organizations claim that the ultimate objective is to control people and the content they consume, while senior politicians are moving to MAX and encouraging followers to follow suit.
The strategy of gradual service degradation is not new, according to analysts, who cite slower YouTube speeds as an earlier example. Russia is “meticulously expanding its legal and technological tools” to control and isolate its internet segment, Human Rights Watch recently warned.
A recently passed law may further curtail online liberties by fining Russians who look for “extremist” content, even when they use virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around restrictions.
