Russia signals possible ban of WhatsApp

Tengrinews.kz – WhatsApp may soon exit the Russian market, according to a statement by Anton Gorelkin, First Deputy Head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy.
In a Telegram post, Gorelkin said the messaging app — owned by Meta, which is designated as an extremist organization in Russia — is likely to be included in a government blacklist of software from "unfriendly countries."

“WhatsApp should start preparing to leave the Russian market. It will very likely be added to the list of restricted software being developed by the government as per the president’s directive,” Gorelkin wrote.

According to Gorelkin, 68% of Russians use WhatsApp daily, followed by Telegram with 55% daily reach. However, he suggested that Telegram might avoid restrictions if it complies with Russian law and demonstrates a commitment to remaining on the market.
He added that WhatsApp’s potential exit could benefit MAX, a national messenger app developed by VK and launched in 2025.
MAX is designed to function as a "super app", integrating messaging, video calls, government services, money transfers, and AI-powered features. Modeled after China’s WeChat, it supports channels, bots, and mini-apps, and will become pre-installed by default on Russian devices starting September 2025.
WhatsApp, used by more than 2 billion people worldwide, supports messaging, file sharing, voice and video calls, group chats, and recently, channels.