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Russia has officially ordered a nationwide block on WhatsApp, marking the most significant step yet in its campaign to isolate citizens from Western communication tools.
The Kremlin announced the move on Thursday, following months of technical disruptions that had already forced many users to rely on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
The official justification for the ban is a lack of legal compliance. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed the service was blocked due to Meta’s “unwillingness to comply with the norms and the letter of Russian law.”
Specifically, Moscow has long demanded that foreign tech firms store the data of Russian users on local servers and provide law enforcement with access to encrypted messages – demands that WhatsApp, which uses end-to-end encryption, has consistently refused.
Rights groups have condemned the move as a transparent attempt to ramp up state surveillance. WhatsApp, which had over 100 million users in Russia, warned that trying to isolate people from secure communication is a “backwards step” that only decreases public safety.
The ban follows similar restrictions placed on Telegram, which regulators accused of failing to abide by security laws, despite the app’s widespread use among Russian military personnel.
MAX super-app
In place of Western platforms, the Kremlin is aggressively promoting MAX, a state-developed “super-app” designed to be a Russian equivalent to China’s WeChat. MAX is touted as a one-stop shop for messaging, making payments, and accessing online government services. However, the convenience comes with a significant catch: the app lacks the end-to-end encryption found in WhatsApp.
Experts warn that MAX is a “surveillance app” by design. The platform openly declares it will share user data with authorities upon request, leaving private conversations vulnerable to state snooping. To ensure adoption, the government has mandated that MAX be pre-installed on all new devices sold in Russia, while public sector employees and students are increasingly required to use the platform for official communication.
The block on WhatsApp completes a digital iron curtain that already includes bans on Facebook, Instagram, and X. By pushing the population toward a state-monitored ecosystem, the Kremlin is hoping to create a “sovereign internet” where the flow of information can be entirely controlled and monitored by the state.
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