Russia blocks WhatsApp, urges users onto domestic ‘Max’ app as Kremlin cites legal noncompliance
Russia has blocked WhatsApp nationwide over what the Kremlin called the platform’s failure to comply with local legislation, intensifying a state push to shift tens of millions of people to a homegrown alternative that lacks end-to-end encryption.
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“As for the blocking of WhatsApp … such a decision was indeed made and implemented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that the move stemmed from the service’s “reluctance to comply with the norms and letter of Russian law.”
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, said it believed Russia was attempting to fully block the service to spur adoption of Max, a domestic messenger heavily promoted by authorities. “We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected,” the company said.
The ban threatens to disrupt communications for WhatsApp’s estimated 100 million Russian users, who rely on the platform for everything from family messaging to small business transactions and community groups. It also sharpens a broader clampdown on foreign tech services while channeling users into state-favored platforms that rights groups warn could expand surveillance.
Max, which the government has been urging Russians to adopt for months, does not offer end-to-end encryption—unlike WhatsApp—and has been criticized by activists and digital rights campaigners as a potential tool for monitoring online activity. Authorities have framed the shift as a matter of compliance and security, insisting foreign platforms must adhere to Russian data and content rules.
In a parallel move, Russia’s internet watchdog said Tuesday it would impose “phased restrictions” on the Telegram messaging platform, also accusing it of failing to meet local legal requirements. Any squeeze on Telegram—hugely popular in Russia for news, communities and business channels—would further narrow the country’s digital public square and push even more users toward domestic services.
The Kremlin’s latest steps underscore a yearslong effort to tighten control over the internet and foreign tech companies operating in Russia. Officials say platforms must store data locally and respond to lawful requests; critics counter that such demands can be used to stifle dissent, identify political opponents and pressure independent media.
For users, the immediate questions are practical: how quickly the WhatsApp block will be felt across networks, whether intermittent access remains possible and what alternatives are viable. While some may try to switch to other international apps, those platforms could face similar pressure. Others will weigh moving to Max despite privacy concerns, particularly if it becomes the default for government and public services.
Digital rights advocates say the loss of end-to-end encryption—one of WhatsApp’s core privacy protections—changes the risk calculus for ordinary users. Without it, messages can be readable by service providers and, potentially, authorities. That prospect has turned the Kremlin’s messaging push into a wider debate over data security and the future of private communication in Russia.
For now, Meta and WhatsApp say they are working to keep connections alive inside Russia, without detailing technical steps. It remains unclear whether the block will be uniformly enforced by internet providers or whether access will vary by region and network, as has sometimes occurred in previous restrictions.
The outcome will shape how Russians communicate in the months ahead—and signal how far the state will go to draw its vast online audience into platforms it can more readily oversee.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
