- Category
- Latest news
Russia to Shut Down WhatsApp in 2026 Over Meta’s “Extremist” Designation
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
WhatsApp, the US-based messaging platform, is set to cease operations in Russia in 2026, according to Andrei Svintsov, deputy head of the State Duma’s committee on information policy, as reported by Russian media outlet TASS on January 15.
“By the end of the year, Roskomnadzor will adopt a set of measures for the final blocking of WhatsApp. This is due to the fact that WhatsApp belongs to Meta, a company recognized as extremist in Russia,” Svintsov told TASS.
Every article pushes back against disinformation. Your support keeps our team in the field.
He described the move as “absolutely justified,” citing the upcoming State Duma elections scheduled for 2026.
Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor said on January 15 that it sees no reason to lift the existing restrictions on the service.
According to The Moscow Times, the regulator blocked WhatsApp’s calling function in August 2025, officially framing the decision as an anti-fraud measure, and later began throttling the messenger in the autumn.
In December of that year, WhatsApp criticized the latest restrictions imposed on its service in Russia, saying the measures were aimed at depriving more than 100 million users of secure, private communication on the eve of the holiday season.
The statement followed renewed warnings from Roskomnadzor, which said the messaging platform could face a complete shutdown if it fails to comply with Russian legislation.
Russian state media quoted the regulator as saying: “WhatsApp continues to violate Russian law. The messenger is used to organise and carry out terrorist acts on the territory of the country, to recruit their perpetrators and to commit fraud and other crimes against our citizens.”
-50c64d019d3899de5677f8b898913418.jpg)
Despite the absence of a formal nationwide ban so far, WhatsApp is already largely inaccessible in Russia, The Moscow Times reported. By the end of 2025, more than 90% of connection attempts to the app’s servers from within the country failed.
Earlier, Roskomnadzor said the US-based gaming platform Roblox has signaled readiness to work with authorities in an effort to restore access in Russia.
The regulator said Roblox’s management had agreed to implement steps it described as “necessary to eliminate destructive and dangerous content” and to “halt criminal activity and user communications” on the platform.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
