Why Russia tried to ‘completely block’ WhatsApp in the country

WhatsApp said in a statement on Wednesday night (11/2) that the Russian government “tried to completely block” the platform’s service in the country. “Trying to isolate more than 100 million users from private and secure communication is a step backwards and can only lead to less security for people in Russia,” says the text shared by the company, which belongs to Meta. “We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected,” the note concludes. Also according to the WhatsApp statement, one of the reasons for the attempt to block the application would be an effort to direct the platform’s users to a “state surveillance application”. For months, the country has been increasing efforts to get Russians to use a state-developed communications platform called Max, which has been compared to China’s WeChat — a so-called “super app” that combines messaging and government services, but without encryption. Since 2025, local authorities have required the Max app to be pre-installed on all new devices sold in the country. Public sector employees, teachers and students are required to use the platform. The BBC sent a request for a position to the Kremlin, which has so far not responded to the report. The episode takes place at a time when the Kremlin has escalated restrictions on messaging applications in the country. Alleging a lack of security, Russian regulatory agencies have also been limiting the country’s citizens’ access to Telegram, which is estimated to have as many users as WhatsApp in Russia. The local authorities’ argument is that both WhatsApp and Telegram refuse to store Russian users’ data in the country, as required by law. In this sense, the country’s communications regulatory agency, Roskomnadzor, has repeatedly warned WhatsApp to comply with local legislation. State agency Tass Media reported earlier this year that WhatsApp is expected to be permanently blocked in the country in 2026. “Such drastic measures” are “absolutely justified” given that Russia has designated Meta as an extremist organization, said Andrei Svintsov, a Russian government official. Since this classification in 2022, Meta apps such as Instagram and Facebook have been blocked in Russia and can only be accessed through virtual private networks (VPNs). Telegram’s executive director, Russian businessman Pavel Durov, has already commented that the State is restricting access to its service in an attempt to force the population to use its own application for surveillance and political censorship purposes. Iran tried a similar strategy to ban Telegram and force its population to use a state-run alternative, but citizens found ways around it, he wrote, commenting on the matter. “Restricting citizens’ freedom is never the right answer,” Durov said.

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