Russia Blocking WhatsApp to Promote State-Backed ‘Surveillance’ Alternative, Firm Claims
Reports from Russian news sites on Wednesday said that the Russian government has completely blocked , making it impossible to use without a VPN or other workarounds.
WhatsApp, which Meta owns, rapidly responded that the government was deliberately trying to isolate millions of users to get them to switch to a state-supported alternative. The move is a major step in Moscow’s long-running efforts to take control of digital communications amid growing geopolitical concerns.
WhatsApp’s Direct Charge
WhatsApp in a post on X, “Today the Russian government tried to completely block WhatsApp to get people to use a state-owned surveillance app.” The business also said, “Trying to cut off over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a step back and will only make things less secure for people in Russia.”
WhatsApp stressed its continuous commitment, saying, “We are still doing everything we can to keep users connected.” The company said Russia is its fourth-largest market worldwide, with between 72 million and 100 million subscribers, depending on how you count. This shows how large the difficulty is.
Push Toward State-Backed MAX
The purported redirection is aimed at MAX, a messaging app released by the Russian internet company VK in March 2025. Positioned as a “national messenger,” MAX blends communications with government services, payments, and other tasks. begining September 1, all smartphones sold in Russia must come with it pre-installed, and the government has been very vocal about it.
Critics, including internet specialists and rights groups, say that MAX lacks strong end-to-end encryption and allows authorities to view data upon request. This is very diverse from WhatsApp’s architecture, which is centred on privacy. officials deny that they are spying on people, but the way the program works has made some worry about government surveillance.
Escalating Restrictions and Context
The embargo comes later than months of lobbying on foreign platforms. Last year, Moscow restricted voice and video communications on WhatsApp and because they didn’t comply with rules on data localisation and cooperation with law enforcement.
Andrey Svintsov, a member of the State Duma, told TASS in January that Russia’s telecom regulator planned to completely block WhatsApp by the end of 2026.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, acknowledged the measure and said that WhatsApp would have to comply with Russian law and demonstrate its readiness to engage in dialogue to be unblocked. He told users to switch to MAX as a legal alternative. This is part of a larger trend of increasing internet rules.
For example, and Instagram (also owned by Meta) have been blocked in the past, and Telegram is still under close monitoring.
Broader Implications for Users and Digital Freedom
The move makes many worried about how simple it is to get secure, private communication in Russia. By limiting choices to an app controlled by the government, it viewms like the authorities want to make a “sovereign” digital ecosystem where foreign services either comply or leave.
People have noticed that, in other countries, when there is turmoil, communication disruptions or limitations lead people to turn to decentralised alternatives. In Russia’s case, the drive for MAX during the Ukraine war shows that information control is becoming more significant.
WhatsApp’s stance shows the conflict between claims of national security and the right to privacy as people use to get around the block. The result could make digital communication worldwide even more fragmented, affecting how tech companies respond to demands from authoritarian governments.
