The Russian government partially banned voice calling services for WhatsApp and Telegram in August 2025. At the time, Russia justified this partial block as a necessary measure to combat crimes and terrorist activities allegedly carried out using these foreign-owned instant messaging applications. Now, WhatsApp has issued a strong statement, claiming that the Russian government is actively seeking to entirely block the company from operating within the country.
WhatsApp Warns 100 Million Users About Losing Privacy Features
In a recent post on X, the instant messaging service explicitly claimed that Russia, on Thursday, made an attempt to “fully block” WhatsApp nationwide. The tech firm further alleges that this decision is part of the government’s broader strategy to promote the adoption of its state-owned messaging platform, known as Max. As of now, the Russian government has not issued an official announcement regarding a complete WhatsApp ban.
WhatsApp warns that over 100 million users in Russia would be deprived of the crucial privacy and security features offered by the Meta-owned platform. The company expressed concerns that such a blockade would compel Russian residents to use less secure online communication methods. “We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected,” WhatsApp affirmed.
This marks another chapter in Russia’s repeated attempts to restrict WhatsApp’s services. Amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, Russian lawmakers have consistently called for bans on social media platforms and other online communication services that are not based in Russia.
Previously, in August 2025, a report detailed how Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, had imposed a partial ban on WhatsApp and Telegram’s voice calling features. The regulator reportedly claimed this action was aimed at curbing crimes committed through these foreign platforms, though other functionalities of the two messaging apps remained operational.
The Russian regulator asserted that law enforcement agencies had reported instances where the voice calling services of WhatsApp (based in the US) and Telegram (based in the UAE) were being exploited to deceive and extort money from Russians, as well as to facilitate terrorist activities against the state.
Roskomnadzor reportedly made several requests to WhatsApp and Telegram to implement countermeasures against these malicious actors. However, these requests were allegedly ignored by the companies. Despite the ongoing restrictions, many Russian residents were able to bypass the partial ban by utilizing VPN services.