Russian Disruptions: Government Tests Impact WhatsApp and Telegram Calls

On Sunday, users throughout Russia began reporting issues with voice and video calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, as noted by online services that track the operational status of various platforms.

An unnamed source within the telecommunications sector informed the Kommersant business journal that these issues may stem from a «selective blocking» of calls on the two messaging services, a measure that Russian authorities purportedly began testing as of August 1.

According to Vyorstka, a media outlet operating from abroad, WhatsApp and Telegram have faced at least four brief outages across different regions in Russia since early July.

These interruptions occur against a backdrop of discussions among officials about potentially blocking access to WhatsApp, which could compel users in Russia to transition to a domestic messaging application called Max.

Currently undergoing testing, Max aims to serve as Russia’s national messaging platform, akin to China’s WeChat. However, it has been criticized for allegedly surveilling users and sharing information with the government.

Max has also been accused of gathering user information, including IP addresses and activity logs, while claiming the right to disclose data to third parties and government entities.

In December, Kommersant reported that Russia’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, and the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media were mulling over the idea of blocking voice calls on messaging applications such as Telegram and WhatsApp as a means to combat fraud.

At the end of May, Russia’s four main mobile network operators requested that the government block calls on foreign messaging services, arguing that such a move would shift traffic back to conventional voice calls, help mitigate scams, and prevent an outright ban on those apps. Journalist Ksenia Sobchak later cited sources in the telecommunications industry suggesting that Roskomnadzor might be behind the ongoing disruptions.

Neither Roskomnadzor nor the major mobile carriers have issued public statements regarding the calling issues on WhatsApp and Telegram.

In 2022, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, was classified as an «extremist organization» and banned in Russia, although WhatsApp itself remained operational.

Russian authorities attempted—and failed—to block Telegram in 2018 due to its refusal to provide the Federal Security Service (FSB) with the encryption keys needed to access private messages.