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Russia Restricts Voice Calls on WhatsApp and Telegram

Call access is contingent on platforms complying with Russian law on legal presence, data sharing, cooperation with authorities.

FILE - People look at their phones near the Kremlin in Moscow, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
WhatsApp says Russia is trying to block its services, vows to keep encryption.
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FILE - Police detain an activist protesting a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed “extremist” outside the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow, Russia, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo, File)

Overview

  • Roskomnadzor’s Aug. 13 order partially blocks voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram while leaving text messaging and other functions unaffected.
  • The regulator cited the apps’ use in fraud, extortion, sabotage and terrorism and said owners ignored repeated demands to comply with Russian law.
  • Reuters and user reports confirmed that Telegram calls were barely functional and WhatsApp connections suffered intermittent buzzing and dropouts.
  • Deputy State Duma IT committee head Anton Gorelkin said call access would resume only after the platforms establish Russian legal entities and agree to data-sharing and law-enforcement cooperation.
  • Observers warn that the curbs align with Moscow’s digital sovereignty campaign to steer users toward the state-backed Max messenger and expand surveillance powers.