Russia shuts down WhatsApp, pushes citizens to state-run app accused of being a ‘surveillance’ tool

Russia has blocked the U.S.-based messaging app WhatsApp, the Kremlin announced Thursday, claiming the Meta-owned company failed to comply with local laws. The move follows six months of pressure on WhatsApp and comes after Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram were banned in Russia in 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “Due to Meta’s unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed taken and implemented,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. RUSSIAN FORCES LOSE KEY BATTLEFIELD ADVANTAGE AFTER STARLINK TERMINALS ABRUPTLY SHUT DOWN Russia blocked the U.S.-based messaging app WhatsApp, citing the company’s failure to comply with local laws. (REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo / Reuters) Peskov instead urged Russians to use MAX, the country’s state-owned messaging app. “MAX is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market for citizens as an alternative,” he said. WhatsApp, Russia’s most popular messenger app, said in a statement that the Russian government “attempted to fully block” the app “in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app.” “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,”
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