WhatsApp records massive outages in Russia
By ForGeeks
People in major cities across the country are reporting widespread messenger malfunctions: the service has stopped delivering and receiving messages.
Most complaints about WhatsApp malfunctions are coming from the Moscow region and St. Petersburg. Users note that the app is unable to establish a connection. Instead of the usual chat interface, a loading icon is constantly hanging on the screen, and sending and receiving messages has become impossible.
The current problems correlate with recent statements from authorities. In November, Roskomnadzor officially announced that it was imposing restrictions on WhatsApp. The agency emphasized at the time that it would continue to apply restrictive measures to the messenger. In August 2025, Roskomnadzor announced the blocking of calls in WhatsApp and Telegram.
At the same time, Roskomnadzor announced the blocking of calls in WhatsApp and Telegram.
Update: according to information from RBC’s telecom market source, WhatsApp in Russia has been slowed by 70-80% as of today. Telecom operators have nothing to do with it.
Downdetector recorded that most of the complaints are about notifications not working correctly, inability to send messages, mobile app, website crashing. According to the platform, complaints come from all regions, including Khakassia (16%), Yaroslavl region (14%) and Murmansk region (12%).
