Russia targets WhatsApp as it pushes homegrown messenger app

Social media platform WhatsApp on Thursday accused Russian authorities of trying to block the service as part of an effort to exert more control over the country’s internet sphere.

“The Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app,” WhatsApp said in a statement on X.

“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” the Meta-owned company said.

The move against WhatsApp follows reports of renewed difficulties with Telegram, the most popular messaging platform in Russia, after media watchdog Roskomnadzor announced new restrictions against the company earlier this week.

Roskomnadzor last year accused Telegram and WhatsApp of violating Russian law by facilitating terrorists and scammers. 

Following its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia banned as “extremist” Facebook and Instagram, which also are owned by Meta.

In a post earlier this week, Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused the Russian authorities of trying to “force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship.”

The Kremlin has promoted the home-grown messenger service Max as an alternative to foreign platforms. But internet experts have criticized the Russian app for providing a backdoor to Moscow’s security services in what they see as an attempt by the Kremlin to secure further control over Russians’ private lives.

For now, WhatsApp and other banned services remain accessible to tech-savvy Russians who use a virtual private network (VPN) to bypass online restrictions. But authorities are increasingly trying to shut down that option as well, introducing fines for VPN providers and blocking specific workarounds.

Asked whether WhatsApp would be allowed to remain in Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said it depended on whether Meta “would enter into dialogue with the Russian authorities.” 

“If the corporation sticks to an uncompromising position and, I would say, shows itself unready to align with Russian legislation, then there is no chance,” Peskov told state news agency TASS.