Thursday, August 14, 2025 - Russia has announced partial restrictions on voice calls made through WhatsApp and Telegram, citing efforts to combat crime, state media reported on Wednesday, August 13.
The communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said the measure
was necessary because the foreign messaging apps had become “the main voice
services used for fraud and extortion, and for involving Russian citizens in
subversive and terrorist activities.” Russian security services have repeatedly
claimed that Ukraine uses Telegram to recruit individuals or carry out acts of
sabotage within Russia.
Moscow is demanding that messaging platforms provide law
enforcement access to user data, not only for fraud investigations but also for
cases it labels as terrorism-related. The digital ministry said the
restrictions would be lifted once the companies comply with Russian
legislation.
Telegram, in a statement to AFP, said it “actively combats
misuse” of its platform, including calls for sabotage, violence, and fraud,
removing “millions of pieces of harmful content every day.” WhatsApp’s parent
company, Meta, condemned the move, with a spokesperson stressing that the app’s
end-to-end encryption protects private communication and defies government
attempts to compromise security.
“WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies
government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication, which is
why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people,” the
spokesperson said.
More than 100 million people in Russia rely on WhatsApp for
calls and messages, and the platform expressed concern that the restrictions
are aimed at forcing users toward services more susceptible to government
surveillance.
Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has sharply curtailed
press freedom and tightened controls over online speech.
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