August 18, 2025

WhatsApp and Telegram Blocked


WhatsApp and Telegram Blocked
iPhone screen with messaging apps, including Telegram and WhatsApp.
microsiervos, Wikimedia Commons.

On Tuesday, August 12, complaints of video and call failures on WhatsApp and Telegram, the two most used messaging apps in Russia, skyrocketed. On August 13, Roskomnadzor confirmed it had implemented a "partial restriction" of calls through these apps, which many Russians use to communicate with friends and family abroad.

The service Downdetector began receiving mass reports of WhatsApp and Telegram calls not working. Most complaints attributed the failed calls to the users' internet connection. However, on August 12, journalist Ksenia Sobchak said on her Telegram channel, Krovaya Barnya (Bloody Lady), that Roskomnadzor had decided to block calls on the two messengers. According to Sobchak, the ban was going to be promoted "under the auspices of fighting terrorists." President Putin's alleged goddaughter said regular correspondence would be available on both apps.

Roskomnadzor confirmed Sobchak's post after it announced a ban on phone and video calls on WhatsApp and Telegram. The government agency said the "partial restriction" was implemented due to "foreign messengers" being used to "deceive and extort money, to involve Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities."

The Ministry of Digital Development said it would restore calls on both apps if they "comply with the requirements of Russian legislation." According to Forbes and Sobchak, Russia asked its telecommunications companies to block calls on "foreign messengers."

According to Novaya Gazeta Evropa, the ban on phone calls on WhatsApp and Telegram was adopted to lure Russians to use messengers in a "white list." Russia has been working to launch a national messaging app. The measure has been criticized for the potential access it could give to the FSB to surveil chats and leak data.

To bypass the latest restrictions, lawyer Sarkis Darbinian recommended installing a VPN with obfuscation and a Kill Switch to increase privacy. Obfuscation hides the fact that a user is using a VPN, making the internet traffic appear normal. The Kill Switch function stops the internet connection as soon as it detects that the VPN is interrupted, preventing data leaks.

Another cybersecurity expert, who decided to remain anonymous, told Novaya Gazeta Evropa that Russians should have 4 to 5 VPNs installed and regularly supply them with fresh keys. The publication also recommended using Signal. The app is end-to-end encrypted, so nobody except the participants of a conversation can read the messages, including the developer. Signal is blocked in Russia, but it works when using a VPN.

WhatsApp's complete ban in Russia appears imminent. On July 18, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma IT Committee Anton Gorelkin said, "It's time for WhatsApp to prepare to leave the Russian Market." Therefore, Novaya Gazeta Evropa advised installing alternative end-to-end encrypted messaging apps to maintain secure communication with loved ones, including DeltaChat, Jami, Briar, and Bridgefy.

You Might Also Like

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955