The head of the IT Committee of the State Duma called information about the blocking of WhatsApp as rumors

“These are rumors, we cannot comment on them. At the moment there is no more information,” Sergei Boyarsky said in an interview with the agency.

The deputy added that the only official information about WhatsApp refers to the inclusion of the messenger on December 19 in the register of organizers of information dissemination (ORI) of Roskomnadzor.

• Companies included in the register must provide the FSB and other government agencies of the Russian Federation with data on the actions of users, including the content of correspondence. These companies must store data on users’ calls and messages for six months. It is not yet known whether the courier will meet these requirements.

On December 23, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Information Policy Committee Andrei Svintsov told Parliamentary Gazeta that the probability of WhatsApp being blocked in Russia is quite high. His colleague Oleg Matveychev added that WhatsApp in Russia is used by extremist and terrorist organizations.

“Whatsapp has no contact with our law enforcement agencies. They regularly create extremist chats and recruit people. That is why it is necessary to do something about it,” said deputy Matveychev.

He added that authorities want to understand “how prepared this service will be for cooperation.” “We have taken our step, now the ball is in WhatsApp’s court,” Matveychev concluded.

Previously, WhatsApp was repeatedly fined in Russia, including for refusing to localize Russians’ data and not removing information that was recognized as prohibited in the country.

WhatsApp ranked third in Russia in November 2024 in terms of monthly audience reach, according to Mediascope data (Russia 0+, ages 12+). The monthly audience reach was estimated at 95.8 million people, or 78.7% of the country’s population.