Banned and blocked. Russia says good-bye to messaging apps
There are hardly free digital communication channels left in the country after Moscow this week banned Snapchat, WhatsApp and FaceTime.
The service "is used to organise and carry out terrorist acts within the country, recruit perpetrators, commit fraud and other crimes against our citizens," Russia's censorship agency Roskomnadzor announced as it blocked Snapchat this week.
The app is not among the most popular social media and messaging services in Russia. Up to 2 million Russians are believed to use the app.
But Snapchat is only the latest of many services that have been blocked by Putin's dictatorship. This week, Roskomnadzor blocked also WhatsApp and FaceTime.
WhatsApp has been among the most used messaging apps in Russia and its banning will reverberate across the country.
Pressure against the app, which is owned by Meta, has been building over the last year.
A Russian legislator now says that the blocking of the app is complete and that the process is part of Russia's so-called 'import substitution.'
"I see no compelling reasons or further point in continuing to indulge the American extremist Meta and its messenger with all their threats, leaks and demonstrative unwillingness to comply with the requirements of the law," said Sergei Boyarsky, a State Duma deputy from the United Russia faction.
From before, Facebook, Instagram, Signal, Viber, Google Meet and several more services have also been blocked.
There have also been introduced restrictions on the use of Telegram.
At the same time, Russian authorities have been rapidly developing its national and home-grown messaging app, the Max.
Max is now about to become compulsory in a wide range of public sectors. Including in schools.
Government agencies and authorities on local, regional and national level are being advised to switch to Max by 1 January 2026.
“The emergence of a national messenger is a response to the challenges of our time. Strengthening digital sovereignty and leadership is a necessity. But these processes are not new for Russia — our country has long been a leader in digitalization… The app is meant to competitively replace unsafe foreign messengers with a more modern, functional, domestic alternative,” said member of the State Boyarsky.
The state promotes it as a safe, domestic alternative to foreign services, but in reality, it turns private communication into a monitored channel. Max demands full access to the user’s device, collects telemetry and metadata, and its infrastructure is integrated with government-controlled systems.
