The digital habits of millions across Russia are on the cusp of a profound transformation, as WhatsApp, currently the country's most popular messaging application, faces an impending ban. This critical development was underscored on Friday, July 18, 2025, when Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Head of the Russian parliament's Information Technology Committee, told Reuters that "it's time for WhatsApp to prepare to leave the Russian market". The rationale behind this directive is rooted in the designation of Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, as an "extremist organization" in Russia, a status that has already seen its other prominent platforms, Facebook and Instagram, banned since 2022.
While Russian authorities have yet to disclose precise details on how or when the WhatsApp ban will be enforced, the likelihood of its implementation appears high. Two independent government sources, speaking to Meduza, a Russian Independent media outlet, have indicated a "99-percent chance" that the WhatsApp block will indeed occur. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has also reiterated, as reported by Interfax, that WhatsApp "has certain duties under laws of the Russian Federation" that must be fulfilled, signaling the government's firm stance.
This looming ban is not an isolated incident but forms part of a broader strategy by the Kremlin to assert greater control over the digital sphere. Concurrent with these restrictive measures, the government is actively developing its own messaging application, integrated with state services. This alternative, named Max, is reportedly set for mandatory installation on every device sold in Russia starting from September 2025, according to The Independent.
The impending WhatsApp ban significantly complicates the landscape for users relying on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to circumvent online restrictions. A VPN typically encrypts a user's internet connection and spoofs their real IP address, a technique commonly employed to bypass internet geo-blocking. Russian authorities have long engaged in sophisticated efforts to prevent the use of VPN services, leading to many such services becoming non-functional. The Kremlin even went as far as criminalizing the spread of information about methods to circumvent internet restrictions in March 2024, compelling platforms like Apple to remove certain VPN apps from its official App Store.
Further tightening this digital net, a new law was passed on Tuesday, July 22. This legislation introduces new penalties for individuals searching for and accessing "knowingly extremist materials," explicitly including instances where these actions are performed while connected to a VPN. Moreover, lawmakers have reportedly adopted an alarming provision that designates using a VPN to access content deemed "extremist" – a category WhatsApp may soon fall into – as "a crime as an aggravating factor".
