Скачать или смотреть Russia Blocks Major Social Media Platforms Due To Non-Compliance With Data Laws And Censorship Rules

Russia Has Escalated Its Digital Crackdown

Russia has escalated from partial restrictions to full blocking of Western digital platforms via its National Domain Name System (NSDS) as of February 12–13, 2026.

WhatsApp is fully blocked since February 12, 2026, following Kremlin confirmation. The ban comes after Meta refused to comply with Russian data-storage and censorship laws, affecting approximately 100 million users.

YouTube is also fully blocked after years of throttling, with its domain removed from the national registry, making it unreachable without a VPN.

Instagram and Facebook remain officially banned since 2022 as “extremist organizations,” with the recent DNS removals tightening enforcement.

Telegram is heavily restricted, though not completely banned, with strong throttling intended to push users toward state-sanctioned alternatives.

The Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, cited non-compliance with Russian law as justification for WhatsApp’s ban. Technical enforcement by Roskomnadzor removed platform domains from the NSDS, blocking normal access without VPNs.

The Russian government is promoting a state-backed super-app, MAX, developed by VK, which is now mandatory on new devices and intended to replace Western platforms.

Source: Times of India

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