Growing Access Limitations on Telegram and WhatsApp across 34 Russian Regions

Access to popular messaging applications Telegram and WhatsApp has been limited in approximately 40% of Russia’s regions, according to the independent monitoring initiative Na Svyazi, which reported on Wednesday.

«Reports of unreliable performance of these messaging services are on the rise throughout Russia. Thirty-four regions have indicated they can no longer make calls or send messages,» stated Na Svyazi.

The state’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, had already imposed restrictions on voice and video calls on these two platforms since August, a decision that both companies condemned.

On Wednesday, Roskomnadzor announced that it was imposing additional restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram, citing “criminal activities,” claiming both apps are being utilized for “fraud and extortion,” as well as for recruiting individuals for “sabotage and terrorist activities.”

The agency also accused the companies of not collaborating with Russian authorities to address these issues.

Russia consists of 84 federal regions, excluding the annexed Crimea and four partially occupied territories of Ukraine.

The authorities began restricting access to WhatsApp and Telegram on Monday, primarily impacting southern regions. Users in the Vologda, Kirov, and Chelyabinsk areas also experienced issues, albeit to a lesser extent.

A subsequent wave of restrictions later that evening affected regions including Bashkortostan and Irkutsk, followed by a third wave on Tuesday that expanded to 21 additional regions including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tatarstan, Yaroslavl, Kaliningrad, and Yakutia, as well as parts of the Russian Far East.

According to Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society, WhatsApp is effectively blocked in certain regions of Russia.

“The application continues to function normally elsewhere in the world, experiencing only regular fluctuations in user complaints,” he noted on Telegram.

He expressed that Roskomnadzor’s announcement suggests that “the full blockade of Telegram and WhatsApp in Russia is in progress” and may be finalized by December or January, likening it to a “repeat of the YouTube scenario.”

YouTube began facing access limitations in Russia in mid-2024, culminating in a complete national blockage by the year’s end, with access currently requiring the use of VPNs.