Russia may block WhatsApp in 2025 if the messenger's management does not comply with Russian laws, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported on Dec. 23, citing Senator Artem Sheykin.
Russia declared Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, an "extremist organization" in 2022.
WhatsApp is the only company's service that has not yet been blocked in Russia. However, on Dec. 19, the app was added to the register of information distributors, which requires it to store user data and hand it over at the request of Russian law enforcement agencies.
"If the messenger fails to fulfill certain requirements and obligations, the probability of blocking may increase," Sheykin said.
"The development of the situation with WhatsApp in Russia in 2025 will depend on the position of the messenger's management on storing information about users and correspondence and providing it at the request of the FSB (Russia's Federal Security Service)," Sheykin added.
The Russian independent publication Verstka reported this summer, citing sources at Russian IT company VK, that WhatsApp could already be blocked in the fall, and VK was developing an application to replace it.
In March 2022, the Russian government blocked Facebook and Instagram. Two years later, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced blocking Viber and Signal messengers.
Roskomnadzor also began throttling YouTube speeds in July, initially blaming technical issues caused by wear and tear on Google's servers. Google dismissed the claim, while Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein later confirmed the slowdowns were intentional.
In December, traffic to the platform has plummeted to 20% of normal levels, according to the Moscow Times.
Katie Marie Davies
(Updated: )
