WhatsApp Ban in Russia: In a decisive move toward internet sovereignty, the Russian government has officially transitioned from throttling to a total nationwide block of WhatsApp as of February 2026, and it is going to impact an estimated 100 million Russian users who now find themselves cut off from the world’s most popular encrypted messaging service. So what is the actual case and what is happening now? I have discussed it in detail. Along with that, I have mentioned other social media platforms like YouTube and Telegram, which are also in the dark and have been targeted by the Russian government.
What’s the Recent Update?
As of now, reports emerging this week confirm that Roskomnadzor, which is Russia’s federal communications watchdog, has removed WhatsApp’s domains, including WhatsApp.com and web.whatsapp.com, from the national domain name system. This makes the service effectively invisible to Russian internet service providers, and without an active VPN, the app can no longer resolve IP addresses, rendering it non-functional for the vast majority of the population.
Why Is This Happening Now?
The timing of the WhatsApp ban in Russia is no coincidence. Moscow is aggressively pushing its state-sponsored super app called Max, which was modelled after China’s WeChat. The Max platform is designed to be an all-in-one ecosystem for messaging and social networking, banking and digital payments, government services, and document storage.
Impact on 100 Million Users
As you know, for years WhatsApp remained the last major Western social platform standing in Russia, even after the 2022 bans on Facebook and Instagram. Its deep integration into daily life- used for everything from school parent groups to small business coordination- makes this total block a significant cultural and economic disruption.
WhatsApp has also given an official statement on this matter, saying:
“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia.”
YouTube & Instagram Also Targeted
The worst part is that WhatsApp is not alone in the dark. The recent escalation has also targeted other major platforms such as YouTube and Telegram, and YouTube domains have also been scrubbed from the national DNS. While Telegram is still operational, it has faced renewed pressure and intermittent restrictions as the government seeks to consolidate all traffic under the state-monitored Max umbrella.
How Can You Bypass?
If you still want to use WhatsApp in Russia then you’ll need to connect with a vpn to access the platform only then you can bypass the ban.