Russia blocks calls on popular messaging apps
Russia's telecommunications authority Roskomnadzor placed restrictions on voice and video calls on WhatsApp and Telegram this week, citing the need to "protect the population from fraud" on "foreign messenger services". At the same time, citizens are being encouraged to use the new Russian messenger app Max - to which state intelligence services reportedly have easy access.
Keeping even regime-loyal users in check
Such measures only increase the pressure in the Russian cauldron, journalist Viktor Shenderovich observes on Facebook:
“This is a predictable and sweeping move in the direction of North Korea. ... A blow to the daily lives and habits of millions of Russians, most of whom are by no means liberals! ... What is clear is that anger is building up within the country. All these 'hits' [by drones], a fourth year of the meat-grinder war against a backdrop of inflation, crippled airports ... I can't say when or how (in the complete absence of legitimate public mechanisms) all this will culminate in political turmoil. ... But for now, of course, the country is keeping quiet - it has plenty of practice in that. Especially since the blocking of messaging apps has made this easier.”
Freedom of expression further restricted
The Kremlin is using pretexts to restrict citizens' access to information, writes Radio Europa Liberă:
“Russian security services have frequently claimed that Ukraine is using Telegram to recruit people or commit acts of sabotage in Russia, which has upped the pressure on the platforms. However a Human Rights Watch report warned as early as July 2025 that the Russian government is expanding its technological capabilities and control over internet infrastructure to block and slow down undesirable websites and options to circumvent censorship. These measures are part of a broader strategy to restrict the freedom of the press and freedom of expression on the internet.”
Kremlin pushing private project as a replacement
In a Telegram post republished by Echo, research specialist Andrei Sakharov explains background of the new app Max:
“At the end of 2021, banker [and Putin confidant] Yuri Kovalchuk acquired the holding company VK. ... In March 2025, VK launched Max, and soon after a law on a 'national messenger' was passed, and now officials are promoting this VK project through state-owned media. ... In short: the state is currently using repression (blocking) and aggressive advertising to force people into using a 'national messenger' that in fact doesn't even belong to the state but to one specific citizen. This is the exact opposite of the Chinese model which the Kremlin is so keen to emulate: there are several competing messengers there - and they are not owned by Xi Jinping or his 'treasurers'.”