Russia restricts the voice call functions of Telegram and WhatsApp, strongly promoting domestic communication platforms, raising concerns about digital sovereignty and surveillance.
Russia's communication regulator has imposed voice call restrictions on Telegram and WhatsApp since August 11, citing "failure to comply with law enforcement requirements." Users have reported that the call function on Telegram is largely incapacitated, while WhatsApp calls are unusable due to severe distortion and metallic noise, although text communication has not yet been restricted. This move is the latest in Russia's push for a "digital sovereignty" strategy, with authorities demanding that foreign communication platforms establish a physical presence in Russia and cooperate with censorship, while also accelerating the development of domestic communication applications that integrate government services, raising concerns about citizen privacy and increased surveillance.
Voice calls are subject to technical restrictions
The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media of the Russian Federation (Roskomnadzor) has confirmed to the International News Agency that, in order to "combat criminal activities," it has imposed restrictions on the voice call features of the foreign communication platforms Telegram and WhatsApp. Since August 11, users have reported that the call function on Telegram has "almost failed," while WhatsApp calls are unusable due to sound distortion and continuous metallic noise. Currently, the text message transmission and other functions of both applications have not been affected.
Compliance Game under the Digital Sovereignty Strategy
This restriction is the latest development in the long-standing conflict between Moscow and foreign technology companies. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, the Kremlin has continued to tighten internet controls, forcing global platforms to localize data storage in Russia, remove "illegal content," and establish domestic legal entities. Anton Gorelkin, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Technology, stated that if Telegram and WhatsApp establish offices in Russia, unconditionally comply with Russian laws, and cooperate with law enforcement agencies, the call restrictions may be lifted.
Domestic communication platforms raise monitoring concerns
President Putin has authorized the development of a national communication platform that integrates government services, as a core initiative of the "digital sovereignty" strategy, aimed at reducing dependence on Western services and promoting users to shift to domestic alternatives. However, human rights organizations warn that the platform could become a tool for reinforcing state surveillance. The human rights watchdog reported last month that Russia is continuing to expand its capabilities in online surveillance and censorship technologies, including blocking unwanted websites and circumvention tools.
The survival space of Meta applications continues to shrink
Since Meta allowed anti-Russian government political statements on its platform in 2022, the company has been classified as an "extremist organization" in Russia, leading to a ban on Facebook and Instagram, with only WhatsApp surviving. However, Gorelkin warned in July that if WhatsApp continues to refuse to cooperate with Russian demands, it should "be prepared to exit the Russian market."
Internet regulation extends to grassroots
In recent months, Russian authorities have restricted or cut off mobile internet in certain areas under the pretext of preventing Ukrainian drone attacks. Critics point out that these measures effectively hinder citizens' ability to organize protests or access independent information. Digital rights organizations are concerned that the deep integration of new communication platforms with existing government service portals may lead to comprehensive access to citizens' communication behavior data by national surveillance systems.
Conclusion: Russia's restriction of mainstream communication applications under the guise of anti-terrorism marks a strong push phase in its "digital sovereignty" strategy. Under the combination of forced data localization and content censorship, foreign technology companies face the ultimate choice of "complete compliance or total exit." The development plan for domestic communication platforms that integrate government services may place citizens' digital privacy within the national surveillance network. As internet regulation descends from the application layer to infrastructure, the information freedom and digital rights of the Russian people are undergoing systematic compression, and this trend serves as a warning for the global digital governance landscape.
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Russia restricts the voice call functions of Telegram and WhatsApp, strongly promoting domestic communication platforms, raising concerns about digital sovereignty and surveillance.
Russia's communication regulator has imposed voice call restrictions on Telegram and WhatsApp since August 11, citing "failure to comply with law enforcement requirements." Users have reported that the call function on Telegram is largely incapacitated, while WhatsApp calls are unusable due to severe distortion and metallic noise, although text communication has not yet been restricted. This move is the latest in Russia's push for a "digital sovereignty" strategy, with authorities demanding that foreign communication platforms establish a physical presence in Russia and cooperate with censorship, while also accelerating the development of domestic communication applications that integrate government services, raising concerns about citizen privacy and increased surveillance.
Voice calls are subject to technical restrictions The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media of the Russian Federation (Roskomnadzor) has confirmed to the International News Agency that, in order to "combat criminal activities," it has imposed restrictions on the voice call features of the foreign communication platforms Telegram and WhatsApp. Since August 11, users have reported that the call function on Telegram has "almost failed," while WhatsApp calls are unusable due to sound distortion and continuous metallic noise. Currently, the text message transmission and other functions of both applications have not been affected.
Compliance Game under the Digital Sovereignty Strategy This restriction is the latest development in the long-standing conflict between Moscow and foreign technology companies. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, the Kremlin has continued to tighten internet controls, forcing global platforms to localize data storage in Russia, remove "illegal content," and establish domestic legal entities. Anton Gorelkin, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Technology, stated that if Telegram and WhatsApp establish offices in Russia, unconditionally comply with Russian laws, and cooperate with law enforcement agencies, the call restrictions may be lifted.
Domestic communication platforms raise monitoring concerns President Putin has authorized the development of a national communication platform that integrates government services, as a core initiative of the "digital sovereignty" strategy, aimed at reducing dependence on Western services and promoting users to shift to domestic alternatives. However, human rights organizations warn that the platform could become a tool for reinforcing state surveillance. The human rights watchdog reported last month that Russia is continuing to expand its capabilities in online surveillance and censorship technologies, including blocking unwanted websites and circumvention tools.
The survival space of Meta applications continues to shrink Since Meta allowed anti-Russian government political statements on its platform in 2022, the company has been classified as an "extremist organization" in Russia, leading to a ban on Facebook and Instagram, with only WhatsApp surviving. However, Gorelkin warned in July that if WhatsApp continues to refuse to cooperate with Russian demands, it should "be prepared to exit the Russian market."
Internet regulation extends to grassroots In recent months, Russian authorities have restricted or cut off mobile internet in certain areas under the pretext of preventing Ukrainian drone attacks. Critics point out that these measures effectively hinder citizens' ability to organize protests or access independent information. Digital rights organizations are concerned that the deep integration of new communication platforms with existing government service portals may lead to comprehensive access to citizens' communication behavior data by national surveillance systems.
Conclusion: Russia's restriction of mainstream communication applications under the guise of anti-terrorism marks a strong push phase in its "digital sovereignty" strategy. Under the combination of forced data localization and content censorship, foreign technology companies face the ultimate choice of "complete compliance or total exit." The development plan for domestic communication platforms that integrate government services may place citizens' digital privacy within the national surveillance network. As internet regulation descends from the application layer to infrastructure, the information freedom and digital rights of the Russian people are undergoing systematic compression, and this trend serves as a warning for the global digital governance landscape.