Internet censorship
WhatsApp criticizes complete blockade in Russia
Updated on 02/12/2026 – 06:16 amReading time: 1 min.
The Russian government has been restricting the functions of international messenger apps for some time. WhatsApp is now talking about attempting a complete blockade.
The chat service WhatsApp accuses the Russian government of attempting a complete blockade. Excluding over 100 million users from secure and private communication will lead to less security for people in Russia, criticized a spokeswoman for the app owned by the Facebook Group Meta. Everything possible will be done to ensure that users remain connected.
The Russian government has been gradually restricting the functions of international messenger apps for some time. With WhatsApp, for example, calls were only possible via VPN connections (Virtual Private Network). Telegram and the Apple service iMessage were also restricted.
WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption, which means that only the users involved can see posts in plain text – but not WhatsApp as the operator.
Since the start of the war of aggression in Ukraine, the Russian authorities have drastically tightened control and censorship on the Internet. While foreign services are being restricted, the domestic Messenger Max has been launched in Russia. In the statement, WhatsApp spoke of a “state surveillance app” that the Russian government wanted to force users into.
