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
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

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.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

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...

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

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.

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