WhatsApp Accuses Moscow Of Trying To Block Communication Safe For Millions Of Russian Citizens

JAKARTA - WhatsApp accuses the Russian government of trying to prevent millions of Russians from accessing safe communications after calls through the app are restricted. This move comes as Russia promotes domestically-made social media platforms and seeks to increase control over the country's internet space.

On Wednesday, August 13, Russia announced it had started limiting calls via WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta Platforms, and Telegram, arguing the two foreign platforms did not share information with law enforcement regarding cases of fraud and terrorism. However, text messaging services and voice records are currently not affected.

Conflicts with foreign technology providers have escalated since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has blocked Meta's Facebook and Instagram, slowed Alphabet's YouTube speed, and imposed hundreds of fines on platforms that do not comply with Russian rules regarding online content and data storage.

"WhatsApp is a private platform with end-to-end encryption and opposes the government's attempts to violate people's rights to safe communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from more than 100 million Russian citizens," WhatsApp said on Thursday morning WIB. "We will continue to do our best to ensure end-to-end encrypted communications are available to everyone, including in Russia."

Telegram states that its moderators use artificial intelligence tools to monitor the platform's public parts and remove millions of malicious messages every day.

"Telegram is actively fighting the use of its platform for dangerous things, including calls for sabotage, violence and fraud," Telegram said.

According to Mediascope data, in July 2025, the number of WhatsApp monthly active users in Russia reached 97.3 million people, compared to 90.8 million for Telegram. VK Messenger, which is a service of state-controlled technology company VK, ranks third with 17.9 million users. Russia has a population of more than 140 million people.

The blocking of WhatsApp and Telegram calls comes as the Russian government is aggressively promoting a new state-controlled messaging app, MAX, which will integrate with government services. Critics fear the app could track its users' activities.

Senior politicians began to switch to MAX and invited their followers to join the app. Anton Gorelkin, the IT sector regulator in Russia's parliament, said he would prioritize his followers in MAX, and many other lawmakers would soon follow.

Other WhatsApp services are currently still available, but service degradation is a tactic Russia has used before, especially on YouTube, where slower download speeds make content access difficult.

Human Rights Watch in its report last month stated that Russia had "closely expanded legal and technological tools to isolate the Russian internet segment into a strictly controlled forum."

Members of parliament have approved a new law that tightens sensors and could have a major impact on digital privacy. Russian citizens face fines if they look for online content Moscow deems "extremist", including through a virtual private network (VPN) used by millions of people to access blocked internet.