Cellphone Outages Fuel Frustration in Russia as Government Tightens Control
MOSCOW – Growing restrictions on popular messaging apps and intermittent internet disruptions are sparking frustration among Russians, impacting daily life and raising concerns about increasing government control over online dialog. Authorities have been throttling access to whatsapp and Telegram, used by 96 million and 91 million monthly users respectively as of October, according to media monitoring group Mediascope, ostensibly to combat phone scams.
Restrictions on calls via these apps began in August, with some users, like Yelena in Krasnodar, reporting complete outages.”In October, Telegram wasn’t available at all, affecting the work of her and her colleagues,” she recalled.Neither WhatsApp nor telegram are included on the government’s approved “white list” of services.
The government is actively promoting and mandating the pre-installation of Russian messaging service MAX on all smartphones sold in Russia since September. Critics view MAX as a potential surveillance tool, noting its stated willingness to share user data with authorities upon request and its lack of end-to-end encryption. State institutions and businesses are being encouraged to adopt MAX, tho uptake appears limited. Marina, a resident of Vladivostok, said her employer is pushing MAX usage, “to little enthusiasm,” and she has no plans to install it, a sentiment echoed by others contacted by the Associated Press.
MAX developers claim 50 million registered users, but Mediascope data shows a smaller active user base: 48 million monthly users in October, with an average of 18.9 million daily users – significantly less than WhatsApp’s 81 million and Telegram’s 68 million daily users.
Many Russians appear resigned to the restrictions, viewing them as unavoidable, according to denis Volkov, director of the Levada Center, Russia’s leading autonomous pollster. “The authorities’ strategy appears to be to make it difficult for average users to access ‘choice content’ so that they eventually stop seeking it,” Volkov said. “Those ‘who are not that interested will pick simpler channels and ways’ to navigate the internet.”
Some users are attempting to circumvent the blocks using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), but these are also frequently blocked, requiring constant updates.One Ulyanovsk resident described a cycle of finding and replacing VPNs every few months, relying on recommendations from a small circle of friends.
Despite the tightening control, Mikhail Klimarev, executive director of the Internet Protection Society, believes a complete internet shutdown is unlikely due to its importance to the Russian economy. “Groceries are being shipped to stores – this is being done via internet, the ordering, the processing, and so on,” he explained. “A truck is on the road, it is indeed connected to an details system, maps, navigation, all of it.”
However, Klimarev anticipates further restrictions on websites, VPNs, and messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp, and also possibly unforeseen measures. “Honestly, I’m watching it all with raised eyebrows. They seem to have come up with everything already, and they’re still coming up with something more,” he said.
copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
