Technology & Science
Russia Moves to Fully Block WhatsApp, Forcing Users Toward State-Run Messenger
On 12 Feb 2026, WhatsApp announced that the Russian government attempted a nationwide shutdown of the service, jeopardizing access for around 100 million Russian users.
Focusing Facts
- In a post on X, WhatsApp said the block aimed to funnel citizens to a Kremlin-controlled alternative messaging app.
- Russia’s communications watchdog had already declared “phased restrictions” against Telegram on 11 Feb 2026 for non-compliance with data-localization laws.
- Russian legislation obliges foreign platforms to store Russian user data on domestic servers or face throttling and bans.
Context
Moscow’s bid recalls the USSR’s Glavlit directives of 1932 and the 1980s jamming of Voice of America—state efforts to monopolize information. It also mirrors China’s 2003–06 rollout of the Great Firewall, which sidelined foreign platforms in favor of WeChat and Weibo. The move sits within the 2010s-2020s wave of “digital sovereignty,” where governments from India to Turkey seek local control over data and encryption after the Snowden disclosures and amid geopolitical conflicts. Whether Russia can sustain a block on an end-to-end-encrypted app will influence the century-long tug-of-war between centralized state power and decentralized private communication; success could legitimize similar crackdowns elsewhere, while failure would underscore the limits of territorial control in a borderless internet.
Perspectives
European public broadcaster
France 24 — Portrays the WhatsApp block as another symptom of the Kremlin’s tightening information clamp-down tied to its Ukraine war and wider confrontation with Europe. Coverage is steeped in a pro-Kyiv, pro-EU framing, so it highlights Russian repression while downplaying any security rationale Moscow might cite.
Gulf-based English-language outlets
Arab News, Al Arabiya — Depict Moscow’s move as an assault on privacy meant to herd Russians onto a state-run surveillance app, echoing digital-rights activists’ language. By stressing civil-liberties rhetoric, these Saudi-owned publications burnish a reformist image abroad even as their home governments maintain strong security controls at home.
Southeast Asian regional press
Daily Express Sabah — Reports the block primarily as a tech-policy story, emphasising the scale (100 million users) and quoting WhatsApp’s condemnation but avoiding broader geopolitical context. Its business-focused slant and heavy sponsored content placement suggest a commercial incentive to keep tone factual and non-confrontational toward either WhatsApp’s U.S. owner or Russia.