Russia’s full block of WhatsApp intensifies pressure on Meta’s messaging business at a time when the company is also facing heightened antitrust scrutiny in Europe.
Russia has completely blocked WhatsApp, the messaging platform owned by Meta Platforms, in what the Kremlin described as a response to the company’s failure to comply with domestic law.
The decision removes the country’s most widely used messenger from the Russian internet and deepens Meta’s regulatory challenges abroad, particularly in Europe.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the move on Thursday.
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“Due to Meta’s unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed taken and implemented,” Peskov told reporters.
He urged Russians to switch to MAX, a state-backed messaging service, calling it “an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market for citizens as an alternative.”
WhatsApp said the decision would undermine secure communications.
“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” the company said in a statement.
The ban follows months of escalating restrictions imposed by Roskomnadzor, Russia’s state communications watchdog. In August, authorities began restricting WhatsApp and other foreign messaging platforms, disabling voice calls after accusing them of failing to share information with law enforcement in cases related to fraud and terrorism.
In December, Roskomnadzor announced further measures to gradually limit the service, accusing WhatsApp of continuing to violate Russian law and of being used “to organize and carry out terrorist acts on the territory of the country, to recruit their perpetrators and to commit fraud and other crimes.”
Russian courts have previously fined WhatsApp for failing to remove prohibited content. Authorities have also demanded that the company establish a local representative office in Russia, a legal requirement imposed on foreign technology firms operating in the country.
Meta itself has already been designated an extremist organization in Russia, following earlier bans on Facebook and Instagram.
The technical mechanism behind the latest block appears to involve removing WhatsApp-related domain names from Russia’s national domain registry, preventing devices inside the country from resolving the app’s IP addresses. Access is now largely limited to users employing virtual private networks, which are themselves subject to increasing regulatory constraints.
Sovereign Internet Strategy and Domestic Alternatives
The move aligns with Russia’s broader push to construct what officials describe as a “sovereign” communications infrastructure. The policy seeks to ensure that foreign-owned digital platforms either comply with Russian legislation or withdraw from the market.
Authorities have promoted MAX, a state-backed messenger that integrates government services into its platform. Critics argue the app could facilitate state surveillance. Russian officials reject that characterization, saying the service is intended to improve convenience and centralize access to public services.
In Moscow, the reaction to the ban was mixed. Activists briefly locked the doors of Roskomnadzor’s offices with a bicycle chain and displayed a poster reading, “Give us an unregulated internet – Russia without Roskomnadzor.” Some residents described the move as a violation of consumer choice, while others said alternative messaging platforms would suffice.
The elimination of WhatsApp, however, removes a central communications channel for millions of users, businesses, and cross-border contacts.
Broader Regulatory Headwinds in Europe
The Russian block comes at a sensitive moment for WhatsApp and Meta more broadly in Europe, where regulators have intensified scrutiny under competition and digital market rules.
WhatsApp, which has integrated messaging infrastructure across Meta’s platforms, is operating in a regulatory environment shaped by the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under the DMA, large online platforms designated as “gatekeepers” must comply with interoperability, data use, and competition requirements. The European Commission has examined how Meta structures data sharing and integration between WhatsApp and other services within its ecosystem.
European competition authorities have also scrutinized how Meta leverages its scale across messaging, social networking, and digital advertising markets. The latest is the inquiry into Meta’s policy, restricting the use of third-party AI on WhatsApp. Antitrust regulators are increasingly focused on whether dominant platforms restrict rivals’ access to user data or lock in users through ecosystem integration.
WhatsApp is not only a consumer communications tool for Meta, but a strategic asset in payments, business messaging, and cross-platform integration. Restrictions in large markets limit growth opportunities and complicate compliance strategies.