Russia further isolates itself with partial block of WhatsApp and Telegram calls

For more than three years, since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been accelerating a campaign to isolate its digital space from the outside world. This drive for “digital sovereignty” has manifested in sweeping laws, expanded censorship powers, and pressure on foreign technology platforms to comply with domestic rules on data storage, content moderation, and cooperation with security agencies.

Critics, including rights groups such as Human Rights Watch, have consistently argued that these measures are not about fighting crime but about strengthening state control over the flow of information and suppressing dissent.

Against this backdrop, Moscow has now moved to partially restrict voice calls on two of the most popular messaging platforms in the country – WhatsApp and Telegram. The ban, announced by state telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor on Wednesday, is being presented as a targeted measure against fraud and “criminal activity” allegedly proliferating via foreign-owned messengers.

Official justification: combating fraud and terrorism

According to Roskomnadzor both platforms have become the primary channels through which Russians have been deceived, extorted, or recruited into sabotage and terrorist activities. Since 2024, Russia’s domestic “Antifraud” system has blocked most scam calls with spoofed numbers on national telephone networks, pushing fraudsters to migrate to online messengers.

The agency claims that repeated requests for WhatsApp and Telegram to implement stronger anti-fraud measures were ignored, prompting the partial call restriction. Other functions, such as text messaging, remain unaffected for now. Officials say that access to calls will be restored once the companies comply with Russian legislation, which could include opening local offices, storing data inside Russia, and working more closely with law enforcement.

Anton Nemkin, a lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, stressed that WhatsApp still refuses to localise Russian user data and “generally does not comply” with national rules. Another parliamentarian, Anton Gorelkin, went further, warning last month that WhatsApp should prepare to exit the Russian market entirely.

Platforms push back

Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, rejected the official narrative. In a statement, the company reaffirmed its commitment to end-to-end encryption, calling the Russian move an attempt to cut more than 100 million people off from secure communication. “We will keep doing all we can to make end-to-end encrypted communication available to people everywhere, including in Russia,” the statement read.
Telegram, which is registered in the United Arab Emirates but was founded by Russian nationals, stressed that it actively combats malicious use of the platform. Its moderators, it said, deploy artificial intelligence tools to monitor public areas of the app and remove millions of harmful messages each day – including those promoting sabotage, violence, and fraud.

Part of a broader strategy

The targeting of WhatsApp and Telegram fits into a longer pattern. Since 2022, Russia has blocked or throttled access to Western platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, while promoting domestic alternatives. Last month, President Vladimir Putin signed legislation authorising the creation of a state-backed messenger service – a move widely seen as an attempt to reduce dependence on foreign apps.

Rights groups fear the new platform could be used to monitor users’ activities and nudge them toward “state-approved interpretations” of events. They also warn that Russia’s increasing technical capacity to block websites, slow traffic, and disrupt circumvention tools will make it harder for citizens to access independent sources of information. Already, accessing global social networks in Russia typically requires a VPN and half the population reportedly does not know how to use one.

A familiar battlefront

Moscow’s confrontation with these messaging platforms echoes its failed 2018 attempt to block Telegram after it refused to hand over encryption keys to the security services. The new measures are more targeted and potentially more effective, focusing on the services’ most sensitive feature: secure voice communication.

Whether the restrictions will meaningfully curb online fraud, as the authorities claim, remains to be seen. What is certain is that in Russia’s tightening information environment, every technical measure has political consequences and the partial silencing of WhatsApp and Telegram calls will further limit the already shrinking space for private, unmonitored conversation.

With Reuters, TASS, Washington Post.

Caption: A woman uses her smartphone while sitting in a cafe in Tehran, Iran, 28 December 2024. The Iranian government on 27 December 2024 unblocked Whatsapp and Google Play after two years, while the rest of the social media such as Telegram, Instagram, X and YouTube remain blocked. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH