MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday it was considering banning popular messaging service WhatsApp, accusing it of failing to prevent and suppress crime, as Moscow pushes Rus­sians to switch to state-backed digital services.

Russia had blocked users from making calls on the platform in August, part of a broader crackdown on Western-owned social media that critics say is designed to force Russians onto domestic platforms.

In a statement, Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said WhatsApp was being used to “organise and carry out terrorist acts in the country, to recruit perpetrators, and for fraud and other crimes against our citizens.”

“If the messenger fails to comply with Russian legislation, it will be completely blo­cked,” it said.

US technology giant Meta, which owns the messaging service, did not immediately comment.

WhatsApp is one of the two most popular messaging services in Russia, alongside Telegram.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2025