In a move that effectively isolates a massive portion of its population from Western communication, Russian authorities have blocked WhatsApp, the Financial Times reports. By removing the app from the nation’s official online directory, the government has essentially wiped the platform from the Russian internet, impacting an estimated 100 million users.
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The Kremlin is reportedly leveraging this blackout to force citizens onto Max, a state-owned, unencrypted “WeChat clone.” While officials claim the transition is necessary to protect citizens from fraud and terrorism, critics view it as a major expansion of state surveillance.
The WhatsApp ban is part of a wider, rapid erasure of foreign digital platforms within Russia. Over the last 48 hours, the government has:
- Erased Telegram: Wiping out the primary alternative used by both citizens and officials.
- Deleted Meta Platforms: Formally removing Facebook and Instagram after labeling Meta an “extremist organization.”
- Degraded YouTube: Throttling access to the video platform, though its total removal remains unconfirmed.
In a statement to the FT, Meta condemned the move: “Trying to isolate over 100 million people from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia.”
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The crackdown follows a 2025 directive from Vladimir Putin to restrict software from “unfriendly countries.” However, the decision is meeting unexpected resistance even from within the state.
Pro-government officials and residents near the Ukrainian border have expressed deep concern over the Telegram ban specifically. Because the app is used for real-time drone and missile alerts, local governors fear that degrading these information flows could lead to civilian casualties. One regional governor warned that slowing these platforms could dangerously impede critical communication if the border situation deteriorates.
The government’s replacement app, Max, is being positioned as a secure domestic alternative. However, because it lacks the end-to-end encryption that defined WhatsApp and Telegram, it grants the state unprecedented access to private conversations, effectively turning a communication tool into a surveillance asset.
