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The State Duma Urged To Prepare For The Disconnection Of WhatsApp

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The State Duma Urged To Prepare For The Disconnection Of WhatsApp

The list is being prepared on Putin's instructions.

Russia's most popular messenger WhatsApp should prepare to leave the country, said the first deputy chairman of the IT Committee of the Russian State Duma Anton Gorelkin.

He said that the messenger owned by Meta Corporation, whose activities in Russia are recognized as extremist and banned, "with a very high probability" will be included in the list of software from "unfriendly" countries, the work of which will be restricted by the Russian authorities.

The government is to prepare the relevant list on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin by September 1.

Gorelkin cited statistics according to which WhatsApp is used daily by 68% of Russians, while Telegram is used by 55%. In his opinion, Telegram will not be banned by the authorities because the messenger's main office is in the "friendly" United Arab Emirates, and its management is potentially ready to comply with the Russian Federation's demands. "Who will become a contender for a share of WhatsApp, I think it is clear to everyone - it is a national messenger," the MP noted. He reminded that the latter will have "unique functions": verification of users through "Gosuservices", support for digital ID and electronic signature.

In late June, Putin signed the law on the creation of a national messenger. Before that, the State Duma passed in the second and third readings a bill on the creation of a national digital platform. The centerpiece of the new system will be the Russian messenger MAX. It will be integrated with existing state digital platforms and will allow not only to confirm identity and age, but also the right to social benefits.

The introduction of such a system, however, raises concerns among human rights activists. The head of the "Society for the Protection of the Internet" Mikhail Klimarev called the MAX project a tool for tracking citizens. According to him, the new platform's privacy policy explicitly states that all user information can be transferred to state authorities upon request. "The FSB, the Interior Ministry, the Central Bank, the Tax Service and even Rosalkoregulation will have access to the data," Klimarev noted.

According to research company Mediascope, in April 2025 (the latest period available), WhatsApp's monthly reach in Russia was 97.4 million people, or 79.2% of the population over the age of 12. By this indicator, the messenger ranks first in Russia among all Internet services. WhatsApp's average daily reach in the same period among the Russian audience reached 84.4 million, or 68.6%. By comparison, the second-ranked social network VKontakte had a monthly reach of 93.8 million and an average daily reach of 59.2 million in April. The third-ranked Telegram had a monthly reach of 90.5 million and an average daily reach of 68.3 million.

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