Russia has announced partial restrictions on voice calls made through WhatsApp and Telegram, citing efforts to combat crime, state media reported on Wednesday, August 13.

 

 

 

The communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said the measure was necessary because the foreign messaging apps had become “the main voice services used for fraud and extortion, and for involving Russian citizens in subversive and terrorist activities.” Russian security services have repeatedly claimed that Ukraine uses Telegram to recruit individuals or carry out acts of sabotage within Russia.

 

 

 

 

Moscow is demanding that messaging platforms provide law enforcement access to user data, not only for fraud investigations but also for cases it labels as terrorism-related. The digital ministry said the restrictions would be lifted once the companies comply with Russian legislation.

 

 

 

Telegram, in a statement to AFP, said it “actively combats misuse” of its platform, including calls for sabotage, violence, and fraud, removing “millions of pieces of harmful content every day.” WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, condemned the move, with a spokesperson stressing that the app’s end-to-end encryption protects private communication and defies government attempts to compromise security.

 

 

 

 

 

“WhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people,” the spokesperson said.

 

 

 

More than 100 million people in Russia rely on WhatsApp for calls and messages, and the platform expressed concern that the restrictions are aimed at forcing users toward services more susceptible to government surveillance.

 

 

 

Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has sharply curtailed press freedom and tightened controls over online speech.