In August 2025, the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) introduced partial restrictions on voice calls in these messaging services, citing the need to combat fraud and to prevent citizens from being drawn into unlawful, including sabotage and terrorist, activities. In the autumn, the regulator further throttled the services’ performance and subsequently warned that WhatsApp might face a complete blocking if it failed to comply with Russian legislation. WhatsApp representatives, in turn, stressed that regulatory pressure aimed at pushing users towards less secure, government‑controlled alternatives undermines the overall level of protection of Russian users’ personal data.

On 23 December 2025, a group of users filed an administrative claim with the Tagansky District Court of Moscow seeking judicial review of, and a declaration of invalidity for, the above‑mentioned restrictions on voice communications in Telegram and WhatsApp as unlawful and lacking proper justification.

The proceedings currently involve 42 co‑plaintiffs, who contend that the partial disabling of call functionality in the relevant messengers infringes their constitutional rights, in particular the right to freely receive and disseminate information, as well as the right to the secrecy of communications and to respect for private life.

In support of their position, the claimants rely on data published by the Bank of Russia, which indicate that the majority of fraud cases occur not via messengers but through traditional phone calls and SMS messages. In their view, there are alternative, less restrictive means of protecting citizens that would be capable of achieving the stated aims without disproportionately interfering with users’ rights.