MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. WhatsApp will finally be blocked in Russia in 2026, a decision that is completely justified given the elections coming up next year, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Information Policy, IT and Communications Andrey Svintsov told TASS.

"I believe that indeed, Roskomnadzor [the Russian telecom regulator - TASS] will adopt a package of measures for final blocking of WhatsApp by the end of the year. This is because WhatsApp is owned by Meta, recognized as the extremist company in Russia and such tough measures, particularly in a pre-election year, are absolutely justified," the lawmaker said.

The majority of his friends and acquaintances have long ago moved from WhatsApp to Telegram or national messenger Max, Svintsov added.

On August 13, the Russian telecom watchdog informed about measures taken to partly limit calls in Telegram and WhatsApp messengers in Russia since they turned into main voice services used for fraud and money extortion, and for bringing Russian nationals into sabotage and terrorist activities. Measures against WhatsApp continue to be taken because the messenger breaches Russian laws.