Russia Restricts Calls on Telegram and WhatsApp: What’s Happening?

Roskomnadzor has introduced partial restrictions on voice and video calls in Telegram and WhatsApp, RBC reports. Officials justify the move as a way to protect citizens, who are often deceived via online services. However, according to the Central Bank, fraudsters mainly operate via traditional phone calls, with messenger-based scams accounting for no more than 15%.

Mobile Operators: Revenues Are Growing

Discussions about limiting voice services began back in the spring. Russia’s largest telecom operators – MTS, MegaFon, Beeline, and Tele2 – had proposed blocking calls in foreign messengers. The initiative initially failed to gain support. Anton Tkachev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy (New People), noted that a total ban would cause public discontent and lead to mass attempts to bypass the restrictions, undermining anti-cybercrime efforts. Meanwhile, operators reported a decline in interest in regular phone calls, which reduced revenues for companies in this business.

In July, Anton Gorelkin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma IT Committee, stated that WhatsApp would likely be added to the list of software from “unfriendly countries” subject to restrictions and “should prepare to leave the Russian market.” He said it would be replaced by the national messenger Max.

Service disruptions in messengers began on August 11, and two days later Roskomnadzor officially announced the restrictions. While it’s still possible to make calls, image quality is poor and sound issues are common. Text messaging remains unaffected.

Following the restrictions, mobile operator traffic increased, Kommersant reports. On the first day alone, the volume of voice traffic grew by an average of 9% nationwide, and by 25% in some regions. In recent years, however, the volume of mobile voice calls in Russia had been declining by about 6% annually.

Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily, said about a quarter of subscribers switched to fixed-line voice calls, but most opted for alternative apps. He predicts that by the end of August, up to 50% of users may return to traditional phone calls without internet. Konstantin Ankilov, Managing Partner of TMT Consulting, believes that even with a 20–25% increase, voice traffic will barely surpass pandemic-era 2020 levels, and VoLTE technology allows operators to handle the load easily. The Association of Tour Operators of Russia has advised travelers to top up mobile balances in advance and be ready to activate roaming if needed.

Fraudsters Already in Max

Scammers have already begun using the state messenger Max to call Russians, according to “Defender,” a service specializing in blocking dangerous calls. Company Director Andrey Biychuk noted that such cases remain rare, but indicate testing of new fraud schemes.

In the first half of 2025, “Defender” blocked 1.5 billion fraudulent calls – 6% more than in the same period of 2024. The most targeted regions were Moscow (16.9%), Krasnodar (7%), St. Petersburg (6.5%), Novosibirsk (3.4%), and Rostov-on-Don (3.1%). The most common scams involved fake investments (30%), fake calls from “mobile operators” offering to “extend your number” (17%), and impersonation of tax authorities (13%) and utility providers (13%). A new tactic involved calls about “updating school online diaries.”

According to a Central Bank report , in 2024, fraudsters used phone calls and SMS in 45% of cases, with messengers accounting for just 15%. Between April and July 2025, the regulator initiated the blocking of 20,200 phone numbers linked to scams. These statistics call into question the official justification for blocking Telegram and WhatsApp calls.

Leaders in Online Communication and Alternatives

According to Mediascope (April 2025), WhatsApp [leech=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/13/russia-clamps-down-on-whatsapp-and-telegram-over-data-sharing]leads all online services in Russia, with 97.4 million monthly users (79.2% of the population aged 12+) and 84.4 million daily users (68.6%). Telegram ranks third with 90.5 million and 68.3 million respectively, accounting for 10% of total online time in April–June.

The Guardian writes that WhatsApp’s owner intends to resist restrictions, stressing the service’s commitment to privacy, end-to-end encryption, and protection against government attempts to undermine secure communication. Russia’s actions are aimed at blocking access for over 100 million residents. “We will do everything possible to ensure end-to-end encryption for people worldwide, including in Russia,” the company said. Telegram representatives stated they actively combat unlawful use of their platform, including calls for sabotage or violence, as well as fraud, and remove “millions of pieces of harmful content” daily.

According to TASS , as of August 13, 2025, the Russian messenger Max topped the App Store ranking of free communication apps in Russia, followed by Google Meet. The full list of alternative services is below.

Russian Messengers

VK Messenger – text and voice messages, video calls, self-destructing messages, media sharing, contact sync, and desktop file transfers up to 4 GB.

TamTam – a VK messenger available on Android, iOS, and the web. Supports private and group chats, public and private channels, media and file sharing, voice/video calls, and voice messages.

Yandex.Messenger – corporate app with chat, calls (including group and recorded), threaded discussions, secure data transfer, optimized for business use.

Max – developed by VK, pre-installed on new smartphones, integrated with the Gosuslugi government portal, and vetted by the FSB. Reports [leech=https://24tv.ua/tech/ru/rossijskih-chinovnikov-zastavljajut-perejti-prilozhenie-max-pod_n2874347]claim it has access to the camera, microphone, geolocation, and files, with state-controlled oversight. IT publications note the lack of end-to-end encryption, allowing authorized agencies to view stored data – a common feature among Russian communication apps.

International Solutions

Signal – free, open-source messenger with end-to-end encryption.
Threema – Swiss paid app, no mandatory phone/email link, high data protection.
Wire – secure corporate and personal messenger.
Olvid – French app with no personal data collection.
Session – anonymous, phone-free registration, decentralized network routing.
SimpleX – complete anonymity with end-to-end encryption.
Zangi – VoIP – works well even at low internet speeds.

Hybrid and Corporate Platforms

Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Jitsi, Jami, qTox – for video conferencing and messaging.
BiP – Turkish messenger supporting all major communication formats.
WeChat – Chinese platform combining messaging, social media, and payments.
eXpress – Russian secure messaging and calling platform for personal and business use.

By Tatyana Borodina