Russia restricts WhatsApp, Telegram calls, alleging criminal, terrorist activity | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Russia is restricting calls on the WhatsApp and Telegram messaging apps in what it says is a bid to counter criminal activity, but that WhatsApp contends is a response to its defiance of government efforts to violate user communication rights.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Russia restricts WhatsApp, Telegram calls, alleging criminal, terrorist activity\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Russia is restricting calls on the WhatsApp and Telegram messaging apps in what it says is a bid to counter criminal activity, but that WhatsApp contends is a response to its defiance of government efforts to 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<\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, 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https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> This photo taken on March 23, 2022 shows the mobile messaging and call service Telegram logo and U.S. instant messaging software Whatsapp logo on a smartphone screen in Moscow. (Photo by AFP) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"25.798742138365\"><body readability=\"52.684942391736\"><\/p>\n<p>Russia is restricting calls on the WhatsApp and Telegram messaging apps in what it says is a bid to counter criminal activity, but that WhatsApp contends is a response to its defiance of government efforts to violate user communication rights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to law enforcement agencies\u2019 information and numerous reports from citizens, the foreign messengers Telegram and WhatsApp have become the main voice services used for deceit and extortion and involvement of Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities,\u201d Russian telecommunications agency Roskomnadzor said Wednesday, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/interfax.com\/newsroom\/top-stories\/113244\/\">the Russian news outlet Interfax<\/a>. \u201cThe repeated demands for countermeasures to be taken have been ignored by the owners of the messengers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>WhatsApp and Telegram responded separately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatsApp is private, end-to-end encrypted, and defies government attempts to violate people\u2019s right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people,\u201d a spokesperson said in a statement to CyberScoop. WhatsApp said it intends to keep doing what it can to make end-to-end encrypted communications available everywhere, including Russia, and would continue to add layers of protection against scams.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Telegram\u2019s press team offered a statement to CyberScoop via its app.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTelegram actively combats harmful use of its platform including calls for sabotage or violence and fraud,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cModerators empowered with custom AI and machine learning tools proactively monitor public parts of the platform and accept reports in order to remove millions of pieces of harmful content each day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs well, Telegram pioneered granular privacy settings for calls, so every Telegram user can define who to accept calls from or to switch off calls completely,\u201d the statement concludes.<\/p>\n<p>The Roskomnadzor statement follows days of reports of problems making calls via the two apps, and as Russia seeks to introduce its own national messaging app, Max, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2025\/08\/11\/suspected-government-tests-disrupt-whatsapp-and-telegram-calls-in-russia-a90163\">raising surveillance concerns<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A top Russian lawmaker recently urged WhatsApp to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/russian-lawmakers-say-security-threat-whatsapp-should-prepare-leave-russia-2025-07-18\/\">get out of the Russian market<\/a> to make way for Max. Facebook and Instagram, which share the parent company Meta with WhatsApp, have been banned in Russia since 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>WhatsApp recently announced that it had <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/whatsapp-scams-accounts-deleted-meta-platforms-49c5e8e530c1976b98f3d022f1c6ab8a\">taken down 6.8 million accounts<\/a> in the first half of 2025 as part of a crackdown on scams. Telegram has long garnered attention as a hub <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/09\/07\/technology\/telegram-crime-terrorism.html\">for criminals and extremists<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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{"id":7896,"date":"2025-08-13T16:33:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T21:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=85573"},"modified":"2025-08-13T16:33:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T21:33:16","slug":"russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/russia-restricts-whatsapp-telegram-calls-alleging-criminal-terrorist-activity\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia restricts WhatsApp, Telegram calls, alleging criminal, terrorist activity"},"content":{"rendered":"