Russia Tries to Cut Off WhatsApp and Telegram

[harlan4096]

The Russian government is intensifying its actions on foreign communication platforms, with fresh efforts to block WhatsApp and restrict Telegram across the country.

The move marks another escalation in Moscow’s long-running attempt to tighten control over digital communications and reduce reliance on services it does not directly regulate.

WhatsApp Domains Removed From Russian DNS

According to reports from Russian media, the country’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, recently removed whatsapp.com and web.whatsapp.com from Russia’s National Domain Name System.

Officials claim the action is aimed at combating crime and fraud. In practice, however, removing the domains from domestic DNS routing makes WhatsApp accessible only through:

• VPN services
  
• External DNS resolvers
  
• Other circumvention tools
  

WhatsApp publicly responded on X, calling the move “a backwards step” that would reduce safety for people in Russia. The company said it would continue doing everything possible to keep Russian users connected.



WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, has been labeled an “extremist” organization in Russia since 2022, which has complicated its operations in the country.

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