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."
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A British Iranian man has been charged in connection with an arson attack on a memorial wall in north London, an area with a large Jewish population, police have said.
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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed an $800 million contribution from the U.S., saying the funding will strengthen humanitarian operations as global hunger continues to rise.
The United States military says it has carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing one person and leaving two others alive.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a rare public rebuke of Israel's military tactics in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah militants, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to hunt militants.
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring four, according to emergency authorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the war in the Gulf has been signed by the U.S. and Iran, though details have yet to be made public and both countries said a permanent truce is yet to be negotiated.
Ukraine has said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Moscow region, marking one of the deepest reported attacks into Russian territory in recent months.
Australia's weather bureau warned on Tuesday that an El Niño weather pattern has formed in the tropical Pacific and could intensify in the second half of 2026, becoming one of the strongest events recorded in seven decades.
The European Commission has announced €493 million in emergency support for the Ebola response, including funding for vaccines, treatment and health security measures.
A British Iranian man has been charged in connection with an arson attack on a memorial wall in north London, an area with a large Jewish population, police have said.
Russia’s fuel market is coming under increasing strain as Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt output at major oil refineries, forcing Moscow to rely more heavily on imports from Belarus, according to sources reported by Reuters.
The United States military says it has carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing one person and leaving two others alive.
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