Meta Hits Back at Russia’s WhatsApp Block Move
"Today the Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app," the company declared on X, the U.S. social media platform. "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 accusation centers on MAX, a state-engineered "super app" merging messaging capabilities with government services. Russian law has required MAX to be preloaded on every device sold domestically since 2025, with mandatory adoption enforced for civil servants and students.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov left the door open for restoration—contingent on WhatsApp bowing to Moscow's regulatory framework, a state outlet reported.
"This is a matter of complying with the law. If the Meta corporation complies with it and enters into dialogue with the Russian authorities, then an opportunity to reach an agreement will arise," he stated.
Peskov warned that continued resistance would permanently seal WhatsApp's fate in Russia.
"If the corporation maintains such an uncompromising position and, I would say, demonstrates a complete unwillingness to abide by Russian legislation, then there are no chances," he added.
Moscow alleges the platform enables terrorist operations and serves as a primary channel for financial fraud targeting Russian citizens.
Roskomnadzor, the federal communications regulator, has purged the messenger's domain from its National Domain Name System server, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
Russian devices can no longer retrieve the messenger's IP address without VPN circumvention tools, the outlet confirmed.
While whatsappand web.whatsappvanished from the NDNS registry, the quick-link domain wa.me and technical domain whatsappremain listed under Roskomnadzor's records.
The Kremlin is constructing an insulated digital infrastructure severed from Western networks—an economic pivot accelerated by the Ukraine conflict and corresponding Western sanctions.
Authorities designated Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as a terrorist and extremist entity in 2022.
Since 2019, American platforms X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and video giant YouTube have been banned across Russia for noncompliance with national regulations.
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