RKN officially confirmed the restriction of calls in Telegram and WhatsApp.
'According to law enforcement agencies and numerous citizen appeals, foreign messengers Telegram and WhatsApp have become the main voice services used for fraud and extortion of money, as well as involving Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities', the press service of the agency stated as the reasons for the ban.
Roskomnadzor does not disclose the criteria for 'partial restriction' of calls in messengers, but emphasizes that 'no other functional restrictions are being introduced'.
Since the end of last week, voice calls for Russian users of Telegram and WhatsApp have been experiencing significant disruptions. Meanwhile, communication problems in messengers were observed at the end of June and the beginning of July.
* The company Meta, which owns WhatsApp, is recognized as 'extremist' in Russia.