Russia blocks Apple’s FaceTime after targeting WhatsApp and Telegram

Russia has expanded its crackdown on foreign digital platforms by blocking Apple’s FaceTime video-calling service, according to Reuters. The move was announced by Roskomnadzor, the state communications regulator, which stated that the platform was being used for criminal activity — the latest in a series of escalating restrictions on Western tech services.

Roskomnadzor informed that the decision was based on information from law-enforcement agencies alleging that FaceTime had been used to organise and execute terrorist activities, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other offences against Russian citizens. The regulator, however, did not provide evidence to substantiate these claims.

The latest block follows earlier curbs on Google’s YouTube, Meta’s WhatsApp, and the Telegram messaging service, forming part of what critics describe as a steady tightening of state control over private communications and a widening campaign of censorship. Critics reiterated that such measures are aimed less at combating crime and more at consolidating government oversight of digital platforms.

The FaceTime restriction marks yet another escalation in the Kremlin’s effort to limit access to foreign technology as geopolitical tensions and domestic information controls deepen.