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Following numerous restrictions on foreign-owned platforms since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Google and YouTube are set to be blocked in a new wave of internet blackouts.
According to Reuters, various regional authorities have attributed these blackouts to plans to disrupt Ukrainian drone strikes by blocking mobile internet. Meanwhile, domestically owned services such as the Mir electronic payment system and the recently introduced state-backed messenger MAX are set to be protected from the shutdowns by “a special technical solution” to let local apps keep going, according to the country’s Digital Development Ministry. MAX, launched in August of this year, will soon come pre-installed on all smartphones sold in the country thanks to new laws.
Protests against state-backed restrictions on foreign messaging apps have been ramping up in recent months. Earlier this month, groups in several Russian cities held protests against new government restrictions on voice and video calls made via WhatsApp and Telegram. According to reports by The Moscow Times, members of the local Communist Party are arguing that the restrictions violate their constitutional rights to freedom of communication. Companies like Meta have claimed these restrictions are part of plans to push people toward less secure state-backed platforms, which may lack the end-to-end encryption offered by apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram, making government surveillance easier.
Heavy-duty internet blackouts have already been tested in many parts of the country, including the Muslim-majority areas of Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia. As these types of blackouts cut off access to the internet entirely, normal workarounds such as VPNs, which are extremely common in the country, are unlikely to work.
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Though efforts to block non-Russian apps seem to be ramping up of late, the government blocking foreign-owned apps is nothing new. Omnipresent services such as Facebook and Instagram have been officially blocked in the country since March 2022, with Russia citing its extremism laws.
Clampdowns like these seem to only be partially working. Earlier this year Bloomberg cited figures from Sensor Tower, which found that Russia still had 33 million active Instagram users in mid-2025, one of the largest user bases of any country, though active users have dropped just over 20 million since 2021.
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About Will McCurdy
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