Russia has verified it has blocked messaging platform WhatsApp, directing citizens to switch to the state- backed Max app rather.
The move comes days after authorities began confining access to Telegram, another extensively used messaging service in Russia. Telegram is popular among millions of druggies, including military labor force, elderly officers, state media outlets and government bodies similar as the Kremlin and dispatches controller Roskomnadzor.
Kremlin prophet, Dmitry Peskov said Thursday, February 12, that WhatsApp was blocked due to alleged legal violations by its parent company, without furnishing farther details.
“ Max is an affordable volition on the request for citizens, a developing public runner, ” Peskov said. “ Regarding the blocking of WhatsApp, our authorities did indeed state that the decision was made and enforced due to the pot’s reluctance to misbehave with the law. ”
WhatsApp is possessed by Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, both of which are formerly banned in Russia.
before Thursday, WhatsApp said the Russian government had “ tried to completely block ” the platform, describing the action as an trouble to push druggies toward “ a state- possessed surveillance app. ”
“ Trying to insulate over 100 million druggies from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to lower safety for people in Russia, ” the company said in a statement, adding that it would continue sweats to keep druggies connected.
Some druggies reported being suitable to pierce WhatsApp through virtual private networks( VPNs). still, Russian authorities have boosted sweats to check VPN operation, confining access to hundreds of VPN services. A law legislated in September also bans advertising tools that allow druggies to bypass state- assessed internet blocks.
This is n't the first action taken against the app. In August 2025, Roskomnadzor assessed restrictions on videotape and voice calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, citing the need to fight felonious exertion. WhatsApp at the time indicted Moscow of trying to limit access for Russian druggies.
The Max app, developed domestically, is beingpre-installed on new bias as part of a broader strategy to replace foreign digital platforms. Designed as an each- by- one “super-app ” analogous to China’s WeChat, Max combines messaging, voice and videotape calls, payments and access to government services. druggies can also authenticate their individualities for public service platforms through the app.
On Tuesday, Russian authorities blazoned restrictions on Telegram, claiming the platform refused to remove content supposed “ felonious and terrorist. ” Telegram author Pavel Durov responded that attempts to check the platform would not succeed, stating that “ Telegram stands for freedom of speech and sequestration, no matter the pressure. ”
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