Russia has fully blocked WhatsApp for failing to comply with local legislation, the Kremlin said on Thursday, marking a sharp escalation in Moscow’s campaign to tighten control over foreign technology platforms.
The move marks the culmination of months of pressure on the U.S. company and reflects a wider push by Russian authorities to create what they describe as a “sovereign” communications infrastructure in which foreign-owned technology companies must comply with local legislation or leave the market.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the decision had been “taken and implemented” due to Meta’s unwillingness to comply with Russian law. He suggested Russians switch to MAX, a state-backed “national messenger”.
“MAX is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger and it is available on the market for citizens as an alternative,” Peskov said.
Meta said the move would isolate more than 100 million users in Russia from private and secure communication, and previously described earlier actions by Moscow as an attempt to push users towards a state-owned alternative.
Some domain names associated with WhatsApp were removed from Russia’s national internet registry, meaning devices inside Russia stopped receiving the app’s IP addresses and the service could only be accessed using a virtual private network.
Last year, Roskomnadzor began restricting certain functions on WhatsApp and Telegram, making it impossible to complete some calls after accusing foreign-owned platforms of refusing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases. Telegram has also faced slowdowns and regulatory pressure, though it remains accessible.
Telegram’s Russian-born founder Pavel Durov has previously said the platform remains committed to protecting freedom of speech and user privacy.
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