WhatsApp in Russia under pressure block and battle between privacy and state control

In recent weeks, the Russian Government has intensified its measures against messaging services beyond its control, and WhatsApp has become one of the most recent goals. The company publicly denounced the action through its X-account, calling the maneuver a step back that could endanger the security of people within the country, and said it will do everything possible to keep its users connected.

According to Russian media reports, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor decided to remove the Whatsapp.com and web.Whatsapp.com domains from the national name resolution system, which in practice prevents many users from accessing the service unless they use tools such as virtual private networks or external DNS resolution. To understand why this blocks access, you should remember that the domain name system (DNS) is the Internet phone guide: when a browser tries to connect with a service, see a DNS to translate the legible name into a numerical address. By removing domains from internal routes, the State can stop these names from being resolved within its infrastructure explain Internet infrastructure experts.

This maneuver is not the first sign of pressure on WhatsApp in Russia. The messenger had already suffered restrictions: since 2022 the Matrix Meta was listed by the Russian authorities as an "extremist" entity, and in 2025 the first episodes of functional limitation, such as the slow down of voice and video calls and the subsequent attempt to prevent new users from registering on the platform, began. These measures have been climbing over time, and now they seem to be aimed at a more systematic blockade.

Officially, the Kremlin has left an open door to standardisation: presidential spokesmen have pointed out that WhatsApp could resume its operations if the company is in line with local regulations. However, this apparent concession is in conflict with the reality of legislation and regulatory pressure, which often requires changes that would compromise the privacy and security policies designed by international companies.

The hardening against WhatsApp comes shortly after similar actions against Telegram. This week, organizations like Amnesty International documented a strong slowdown in Telegram's traffic within Russia, and its founder, Pavel Durov, linked these movements to a state-driven drive for the population to migrate to the national MAX messenger, promoted by the VK company. Durov has publicly pointed out that the strategy aims to promote a controlled implementation by actors close to the Government through your X account and various communications.

MAX was included in the electronic devices on the market in Russia since September 2025 and has been presented as a solution to protect national communications from alleged foreign surveillance risks. However, independent analysts have pointed to structural problems in their security design, questioning the strength of their encryption and warning about possible government access and extensive data collection processes, which has been documented by means such as Policy.

For users in Russia, the immediate alternative is often the use of external DNS or VPNs. However, these solutions are not a panacea: in addition to not being infallible to new blocking techniques, their use may also entail legal or technical risks, and in a context of increasing regulatory pressure they could be the target of additional actions by the authorities.

The blocking of popular platforms has repercussions that exceed those who only use them to talk to friends or family. Journalists, activists, small businesses and professionals who depend on safe messaging are affected by their ability to communicate and operate. The closure or degradation of international services forces many to migrate to local alternatives that sometimes do not preserve the same standards of privacy and data protection.

From the perspective of technology companies, the situation poses a recurring dilemma: to comply with national laws that require access to or location of specific data and functionalities, or to maintain global principles of privacy and security for users. The trajectory of Meta and other platforms in Russia shows that both roads can bring significant costs: loss of market access, legal sanctions, or conflict with authorities seeking stricter control over digital communications.

Human rights organizations and cybersecurity experts have warned about the impact on freedom of expression and the right to information when access to widely used channels of communication is restricted. In this regard, international entities have documented how deliberate blockages and slows not only prevent access to services, but also erode confidence in the digital ecosystem and increase risks for those dependent on encrypted and reliable communications points out Amnesty International.

Meanwhile, the response of WhatsApp and other international companies has been to make public their rejection and to reiterate their commitment to user safety. However, the technical tools and legal pressures that governments with national infrastructure control can apply complicate any absolute guarantee. The next few months will be crucial to know whether companies have access to commitments that allow their return or whether services are increasingly limited within the Russian Federation.

In a world where digital communication is both a civil tool and a strategic resource, blockades to international platforms raise questions about technological sovereignty, digital rights and the real ability of States to shape the flow of information. The case of WhatsApp in Russia is a recent example of how these tensions materialize and the implications they have for the daily lives of millions of people.

Sources and recommended reading: the WhatsApp release in X Here., the coverage of the exclusion of domains in Russian media according to RBC, the context about the cataloguing of Meta as "extremist" on the BBC Here., the call limitation background reported by TASS Here. and analysis of MAX and its risks in Policy.