A news report by RBC reported that Russian authorities moved to block WhatsApp across the country on Thursday, excluding the domains whatsapp.com and web.whatsapp.com from the national DNS and making the service accessible only via VPNs or external resolvers.
KEY FACTS
- Domain removal whatsapp.com and web.whatsapp.com excluded from the national DNS
- Access Standard connections work only with VPNs or external DNS resolvers
- Legal context Meta has been designated an extremist organization since 2022
- Related action Telegram faced aggressive throttling earlier this week
The change follows earlier restrictions that began in August 2025 when voice and video calls were throttled and an October 2025 attempt to block new user registrations.
Excluding service domains from the national DNS prevents standard name resolution inside Russia and forces desktop and web clients to use external resolvers or VPNs to reach WhatsApp servers.
The government has promoted a domestic messenger called MAX that is mandatory on devices sold in the country, and independent reviewers have raised concerns about encryption weaknesses and data access.
WhatsApp on X: “a backwards step” that “can only lead to less safety for people in Russia” and an assurance it will continue doing everything it can to keep users connected.
WHY IT MATTERS
Blocking major global messaging services reduces private communication options for users and may divert traffic to state promoted alternatives. Reliance on VPNs or external resolvers can affect performance and introduce additional privacy and security risks.