WhatsApp said Russia was trying to block its services because the social media messaging app owned by Meta Platforms META.O offered people's right to secure communication, and vowed to continue trying to make encrypted services available in Russia.
Russia has started restricting some Telegram and WhatsApp calls, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.
"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," WhatsApp said in a statement.
"We will keep doing all we can to make end-to-end encrypted communication available to people everywhere, including in Russia."
Russia has clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage in a simmering dispute that intensified after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with critics saying that Russia is trying to expand its control over the country's internet space.
President Vladimir Putin has authorised the development of a state-backed messaging app integrated with government services, as Moscow seeks to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services and reducing its dependence on platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
"In order to counteract criminals... measures are being taken to partially restrict calls on these foreign messengers," the Interfax news agency quoted communications regulator Roskomnadzor as saying.
"No other restrictions have been imposed on their functionality."
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 5th of November, covering the latest developments you need to ...
UNESCO has officially designated 15 December as World Turkic Language Family Day, marking an historic recognition of the linguistic and cultural herit...
The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi has risen to 66 as residents in the Philippine province of Cebu confront the devastation left by the storm that f...
Zohran Mamdani made history on 4 November, 2025, when he won New York City's mayoral election, becoming the city's first Muslim mayor, first South Asi...
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has won New York City’s mayoral election, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in a landmark victory that make...
UNESCO has officially designated 15 December as World Turkic Language Family Day, marking an historic recognition of the linguistic and cultural heritage shared by Turkic-speaking nations.
The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi has risen to 66 as residents in the Philippine province of Cebu confront the devastation left by the storm that flattened homes and displaced thousands.
Zohran Mamdani made history on 4 November, 2025, when he won New York City's mayoral election, becoming the city's first Muslim mayor, first South Asian mayor, and youngest mayor in over a century.
The U.S. Senate has blocked a Republican-backed funding bill for the 14th time, as the government shutdown reached 35 days on Tuesday — tying the longest in U.S. history.
Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year, but Ukraine said its forces were holding on.
At least 37 people have died and five are missing after devastating floods and landslides hit central Vietnam, officials said Monday, as a new typhoon threatens to worsen the disaster.
The eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk has emerged as a critical point in Russia’s campaign to seize the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk, and its fate could shape the course of the conflict in the region.
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan vowed on Monday to move on from deadly protests set off by last week's disputed election as she was sworn into office for her first elected term.
Israel’s top military legal officer Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week, has been arrested over the leak of a video showing soldiers brutally assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military prison.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 5th of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
UNESCO has officially designated 15 December as World Turkic Language Family Day, marking an historic recognition of the linguistic and cultural heritage shared by Turkic-speaking nations.
Zohran Mamdani made history on 4 November, 2025, when he won New York City's mayoral election, becoming the city's first Muslim mayor, first South Asian mayor, and youngest mayor in over a century.
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has won New York City’s mayoral election, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in a landmark victory that makes him the city’s first Muslim mayor.
The U.S. Senate has blocked a Republican-backed funding bill for the 14th time, as the government shutdown reached 35 days on Tuesday — tying the longest in U.S. history.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment