MOSCOW: Russia has blocked the popular messaging service WhatsApp over its failure to comply with local legislation, the Kremlin said Thursday, urging its 100 million Russian users to switch to a domestic alternative. Moscow has for months been trying to shift Russian users onto Max, a domestic messaging service that lacks end-to-end encryption and that activists have called a potential tool for surveillance. "As for the blocking of WhatsApp ... such a decision was indeed made and implemented," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Peskov said the decision was due to WhatsApp's "reluctance to comply with the norms and letter of Russian law". WhatsApp, owned by US social media giant Meta, said Wednesday that it believed Russia was attempting to fully block the service in a bid to force users onto Max.

Source: Indian Express February 12, 2026 08:44 UTC