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As part of a ongoing effort to exert greater control over online communications, state officials have cut off access to Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Ban

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor alleged that these services were employed to plan and execute terrorist acts on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud as well as various crimes targeting Russian citizens.

The regulator reported it enforced the restriction against Snapchat in early October, even though the move was only made public later.

Wider Context of Online Restrictions

This recent action are part of previous blocks targeting popular services including YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. The campaign of censorship began in earnest following the onset of the conflict of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, authorities have engaged in deliberate and comprehensive efforts to control the open internet. This has included:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Banning online services that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Advancing systems to observe and control online traffic.

Recent Instances of Restrictions

Access to the YouTube platform was throttled previously in an incident described as targeted interference by officials. Authorities blamed YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its infrastructure in Russia.

Recently, officials further restricted online access with widespread disruptions of cellular data connections. The government claimed this was required to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts argued a further measure to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Targeting Messaging Apps

The government has also moved against widely-used messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were restricted in 2024. Furthermore, authorities prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the action by saying the services were being facilitating criminal activities.

Concurrently, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "national" messenger app called Max. Observers see it as a possible monitoring instrument. The platform explicitly states it will hand over data with officials when asked, and analysts note it is not equipped with strong encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

According to cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations defines any service where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation mandates that platforms have an account with Roskomnadzor and allow the FSB with entry to user accounts. Those failing to do so are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev pointed out that perhaps tens of millions of users in Russia had been relying on FaceTime, particularly after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He described the restrictions against the Apple service as "expected" and stated that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "will be blocked – that is clear."

Gaming Platforms Too Targeted

In a related move, the authorities announced it was blocking Roblox, claiming it aimed at child protection from inappropriate material. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the number two game platform in Russia recently, with close to eight million players.

While it remains possible to get around a few of these restrictions by using VPN services, VPNs themselves are routinely blocked by the regulator as well.