Bold claim: Russia is tightening its grip on the internet by blocking Snapchat and curtailing Apple’s FaceTime, a clear move to control online communication. That’s the gist of the latest actions cited by state media and Russia’s communications regulator.
Roskomnadzor, the state internet watchdog, said both apps are being used to organize terrorist activities, recruit perpetrators, and commit fraud against Russian citizens. Apple and Snap Inc. did not respond to requests for comment.
The regulator indicated Snapchat was targeted on October 10, with the public report emerging only recently. These measures follow a pattern of restrictions against Google’s YouTube, Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram, and Telegram—a platform founded by a Russian-born entrepreneur—that arose after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Under Vladimir Putin, the government has pursued a multi-faceted strategy to tighten internet control. This includes restrictive laws, blocking noncompliant sites, and deploying surveillance-oriented technologies to monitor and influence online traffic.
Last year, experts described an intentional throttling of YouTube, which the Kremlin attributed to Google’s maintenance issues. Circumvention through VPNs remains possible but is itself often blocked.
The crackdown extended in summer with widespread cellphone network outages, officially framed as防 keeping Ukrainian drone attacks at bay. Critics argue the goal is broader online control. Some regions have introduced government-approved white lists to keep essential sites accessible during outages.
Blocking has also hit popular messaging platforms. In 2024, both Signal and Viber faced blocks, and this year WhatsApp calls and Telegram were banned, with Roskomnadzor citing criminal use as justification.
Paralleling these moves, authorities have promoted a homegrown messenger, Max. Promoted as a single hub for messaging, government services, and payments, Max openly states it will share user data with authorities on request and reportedly does not rely on end-to-end encryption.
Earlier this week, the government announced another restriction: Roblox, a widely used online gaming platform, was blocked to shield children from potentially harmful content and predatory behavior in chats. Roblox was Russia’s second-most popular game platform in October, with roughly 8 million monthly users, according to Mediascope.
Stanislav Seleznev, a cybersecurity expert and lawyer with Net Freedom, explained that Russian law treats any platform enabling user-to-user messaging as a potential distributor of information. In practice, that means such platforms must register with Roskomnadzor, enabling state demands and giving the FSB access to user accounts for monitoring. Noncompliance can lead to blocks, he said.
Seleznev noted that tens of millions of Russians likely use FaceTime, especially after WhatsApp and Telegram bans. He described the FaceTime restrictions as predictable and warned that any platforms which refuse to cooperate with Roskomnadzor are effectively under threat of being blocked.
If this shift persists, many users could face ongoing limitations on familiar ways to communicate, raise questions about the balance between security and personal freedoms, and spark disagreement over how open the internet should remain in Russia.
