Critics and rights groups say the measures are a clear attempt by the Kremlin to expand surveillance and tighten control over internet use, amid a broad crackdown on dissent during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Russia has attempted to “fully block” access to the WhatsApp messenger app in the country, the company said on Thursday, as Moscow seeks greater control over its internet space.
The Kremlin has also continued pushing for a state-backed, controlled Max messenger, which WhatsApp called “a state-owned surveillance app” in its company statement shared on social media.
“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 Meta-run messenger said.
Several Meta platforms have been officially banned in Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Facebook and Instagram are only accessible with the VPN. Reports about WhatsApp being the next tool to be blocked by the Kremlin have been circulating now for four years, since the beginning of Russia’s all-out war.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told Moscow-controlled media that Meta was being blamed for failing to comply with regulations governing WhatsApp's operations in Russia.
"This is again a question of fulfilling the legislation,” Peskov said, as he pushed Meta to negotiate with the Russian officials or be blocked.
“If the Meta corporation fulfils this and enters into dialogue with Russian authorities, then we have the possibility of reaching an agreement," he stated. "If the corporation sticks to an uncompromising position and, I would say, shows itself unready to align with Russian legislation, then there is no chance."
Earlier this week, Moscow also started restricting access to the Telegram messaging app, as confirmed by the founder Pavel Durov.
“Russia is restricting access to Telegram to force its citizens onto a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship,” Durov said.
“This authoritarian move won’t change our course. Telegram stands for freedom and privacy, no matter the pressure.”
He also compared the current restrictions in Russia with the situation in Iran eight years ago.
“Iran tried the same strategy — and failed. It banned Telegram on made-up pretexts, trying to force people onto a state-run alternative.”
Russia-born Telegram founder has a controversial reputation regarding his cooperation with the Kremlin.
He left Russia for Dubai in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform and hand over user data. But since then there have been signs of him possibly reconciling with the Kremlin.
A journalistic investigation revealed that Durov visited Russia over 50 times between 2015 and 2021.
In August 2024, he was detained in France as part of a probe into criminal activity on Telegram, leading to a complex, unfolding situation regarding his neutrality.
What does Russia want?
Moscow has argued that foreign tech firms, including companies behind WhatsApp and Telegram, have refused to store Russian users' data in the country as the Kremlin demands.
Since 2025, Russian authorities have announced that the domestically-developed Max app must be pre-installed on all new devices sold in the country.
Public sector employees, teachers and students have been required to use the platform.
In 2015, one year after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine, the country introduced the Data Localisation Law, which requires all companies, including foreign ones, to store and process the personal data of Russian users on servers physically located within Russia.
After Moscow launched its all-out war, the Kremlin toughened its regulations, and from 1 January 2026, all internet services are required to store user messages for three years and hand them over to security agencies on request.
The regulation applies to all user messages, including audio, video, text and metadata, even if the user has deleted them.