Russian citizens can no longer make calls using WhatsApp and Telegram

Moscow's digital communications watchdog on Wednesday said it has restricted WhatsApp and Telegram users in Russia from making voice and video calls using the messaging platforms.

The federal agency known as Roskomnadzor (RKN) – responsible for monitoring the nation’s communications, information technology, and mass media – released a statement to Russian media confirming the new cherry-picked restrictions.

“Calls on these foreign messaging platforms are partially restricted to counter criminal activity,” Roskomnadzor told TASS, Russia's main state-run news agency.

“Nearly all such fraudulent calls have shifted to foreign messengers, which refuse to ensure the safety of Russian users and society,” the watchdog said.

TASS highlighted in a social media post that WhatsApp happens to "belong to the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in Russia.”

FACTBOX: What is known about partial restriction of calls in Telegram, WhatsApp* in Russia:https://t.co/a1ANFFQCuG

* Belongs to the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in Russia pic.twitter.com/joI30OI6e2

undefined TASS (@tassagency_en) August 13, 2025

Telegram, on the other hand, is the homegrown brainchild of Russian tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov, although he has lived in Dubai since 2017, bringing Telegram operations with him.

The restrictions are said to have been triggered by numerous complaints received from both citizens and police officers, claiming the platforms are being used by criminals for extortion, sabotage, and terrorist activities.

WhatsApp released a statement in response to the restrictions late Wednesday.

"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," it said. Telegram has not commented.

RKN, meantime, alleges the watchdog has "repeatedly sent demands” for the apps to “take countermeasures," but has been repeatedly ignored as well.

The Moscow Times said on Sunday that WhatsApp and Telegram users across the country began reporting problems with making voice and video calls. However, the news outlet also said it wasn’t clear how widespread the disruptions were.

In Wednesday's statement, RKM admitted the government began “selectively blocking calls” on the platforms after August 1st, noting that no other functionalities on the platforms have been restricted.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the development of a state-backed messaging app to rival WhatsApp and Telegram due to “security concerns.”

The yet-to-be-released app will be integrated with government services, which Moscow hopes will reduce Russian citizens' dependence on the two foreign platforms.

With features similar to its counterparts, users will be able to send messages and make calls, perform municipal tasks such as accessing state documents, including passports and student ID cards, and electronically sign official documents.

Additionally, Russia’s Digital Development Ministry said 'Moscow would restore all services if WhatsApp and Telegram started adhering to Russian law,' The Times reported.

A Human Rights Watch report released on July 30th accused Russia of "meticulously expanding [its] legal and technological tools to carve out Russia's section of the internet into a tightly controlled and isolated forum."

The Kremlin has also approved a new censorship law, in which Russians can now be fined for searching online content the government considers "extremist," even if they are using VPN’s to do so.