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WhatsApp can't operate in Russia if it doesn't comply with law — former PM

Sergey Stepashin also called for the development of alternative social networks and messengers, including national messenger Max

MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. In a talk with TASS, Russia’s former prime minister and current president of the Russian Association of Lawyers Sergey Stepashin called for a complete blockage of WhatsApp (owned by Meta, recognized as extremist in Russia and banned by court order) in the country if its owners ignore demands from the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor).

"As for WhatsApp, some of its information chats, which were clearly extremist and terrorist in nature, have been blocked several times. As far as I know, terrorist attacks that occur in our country are also coordinated via WhatsApp," Stepashin said. "Roskomnadzor, to my knowledge, has issued another official warning to the owners of this messenger. If the comments that were made are not acted upon, WhatsApp will have to be shut down. I see no other option."

He also called for the development of alternative social networks and messengers, including national messenger Max.

"We started developing it in 2025. It will include the same services as foreign messengers: instant chats, photo sharing - everything that Meta messengers have, and even more, such as government services," Stepashin said.

He added that Max must be accessible, technologically advanced, modern and secure in order to become widely used in Russia. According to him, people need to be informed about the domestic messenger so that they can learn more about it and start using the app.

During a recent press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that there is only one problem with foreign messaging apps - compliance with Russian law.

"This is what prompted the relevant measures to slow down certain services," he explained.

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