WhatsApp services

On February 11, WhatsApp announced that the Russian government has taken steps to "fully block" its services in the country as part of a strategy to promote a state-sponsored “super” app called Max. Max is a state-run “super-app” developed by VKontakte that integrates messaging, government services, document storage, banking, and other applications. The Russian government has mandated that smartphone manufacturers pre-install Max on all devices sold in the country. In addition to WhatsApp, Telegram has also faced restrictions, with plans to impose limitations due to its failure to block certain content. The Russian communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, is set to impose restrictions on Telegram, and the platform is facing a fine of 64 million rubles for not removing restricted content. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that WhatsApp's return to Russia depends on Meta's compliance with local regulations.