State Duma to Ban Blocking of WhatsApp and Telegram

The blocking of social networks and messengers for a wide range of users is to be prohibited in Russia. The corresponding initiative is planned to be submitted to the State Duma on January 30. The proposal concerns services including Telegram and WhatsApp (owned by Meta corporation — an extremist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation).

The authors of the document are 17 deputies led by Sergei Obukhov, Nikolai Kolomeitsev, and Nina Ostanina. They propose to amend the laws «On Information...» and «On Communications.»

The goal of the bill, as Sergei Obukhov told RTVI, is to reduce public irritation due to the restriction of citizens« digital rights and prevent »digital lockdowns.« According to the authors, the blocking of social networks and the slowing down of their work are justly perceived by citizens as a restriction of rights guaranteed by Article 29 of the Constitution (which guarantees freedom of thought and speech).

In the explanatory note, the deputies point to the lack of official explanations and decisions from relevant authorities when restricting the work of services. As examples, they cite the slowing down of Telegram and the restriction of WhatsApp* functions. At the same time, it is noted that the Prosecutor General«s Office recognized the messenger»s owner — Meta company (an extremist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) — as an extremist organization, but not the service itself.

The bill proposes to legally regulate the actions of technical executors by prohibiting the blocking of the platforms themselves, but preserving the right of supervisory bodies to restrict access to specific prohibited information within them. This, according to the authors« design, will ensure a balance between information security and citizens» rights.

WhatsApp* began to be blocked in November 2025 due to violations of Russian legislation. Roskomnadzor stated that the messenger is used to organize and carry out terrorist actions. In the State Duma, it was not ruled out that the service could be completely blocked as early as 2026. Against the backdrop of the messenger«s unstable operation, questions about its security arise quite often. Find out how protected your correspondence is today in this article.

There is an opinion that Telegram will become the next platform after WhatsApp* to be blocked in Russia. Fuel is added to the fire by the fact that since August 2025, it has not been possible to make calls through the messenger.

* Owned by Meta corporation — an extremist organization whose activities are banned in the territory of the Russian Federation.