We're loading the full news article for you. This includes the article content, images, author information, and related articles.
Meta confirms the Kremlin is throttling the messaging giant to force 100 million users onto a state-surveilled platform.

The digital walls are closing in on Russian citizens as the Kremlin initiates a "full block" of WhatsApp, the country's most popular messaging tool, in a brazen bid to control information flow.
This draconian measure represents the final severance of private, encrypted communication in Russia, forcing the population onto "Max," a state-controlled super-app designed for total surveillance. The move is a desperate attempt to hermetically seal the Russian information space, isolating its citizens from the outside world and from each other.
Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, confirmed the blockage, calling it a "backwards step" that endangers the safety of over 100 million users. The Kremlin's strategy is blunt: degrade the user experience of western apps until they are unusable, then present the state-approved alternative as the only viable option. Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom watchdog, has justified the move by labeling Meta an "extremist organization," a legal pretext for digital authoritarianism.
The replacement, "Max," is modeled after China's WeChat. It promises convenience—combining messaging, payments, and government services—but at the cost of total transparency to the FSB. Unlike WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, "Max" is an open book for the state security apparatus.
“Trying to isolate over 100 million users is a dark turn,” a WhatsApp spokesperson stated. But for Putin’s regime, isolation is the goal. By forcing communication onto state servers, dissent becomes impossible to organize, and private thought becomes a matter of public record.
The Iron Curtain has fallen again, but this time it is made of code, and it is shutting down the last lines of communication to the free world.
Keep the conversation in one place—threads here stay linked to the story and in the forums.
Sign in to start a discussion
Start a conversation about this story and keep it linked here.
Other hot threads
E-sports and Gaming Community in Kenya
Active 9 months ago
The Role of Technology in Modern Agriculture (AgriTech)
Active 9 months ago
Popular Recreational Activities Across Counties
Active 9 months ago
Investing in Youth Sports Development Programs
Active 9 months ago