Roskomnadzor does not restrict operation of WhatsApp messenger in Russia

Access to the WhatsApp messenger is not limited on the territory of the Russian Federation, failures in its operation are not related to the blocking of the Facebook and Instagram social networks (owned by Meta), the regulator’s press service reported on Thursday.

"The operation of the WhatsApp messenger on the territory of Russia is not limited. Roskomnadzor does not attribute the service failures with limitations of other Meta Platforms resources (Facebook and Instagram)," the agency says.

The regulator stressed that interruptions in the work of the messenger are also observed in other countries and resemble the situation with the failure of Meta's services in early October 2021. Then the company itself took responsibility for the disruptions.

Earlier, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office demanded to ban Meta Platforms Inc., which includes the social networks Facebook, Instagram and the WhatsApp messenger, in the Russian Federation.