‘They’re just happy that something can be banned’ Russian officials are discussing ways to block messenger app calls from unknown numbers
Russian officials are weighing new restrictions on calls made through messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp. Mobile operators have reportedly pushed for the measures in government meetings, citing the growing threat posed by phone scammers (though financial motives likely play a role too). It’s still unclear how these restrictions would work — or if they’re even technically feasible. Here’s what government sources told The Bell and Meduza about the ongoing discussions.
Russian officials are considering restricting calls on messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp from numbers not saved in a user’s contact list. According to sources who spoke to The Bell and Meduza, the proposal is being pushed by mobile operators during government meetings. However, exactly how such measures would be implemented remains unclear.
Discussions among Russian officials about limiting calls on messenger apps have been ongoing for months. In October 2024, Andrey Lipov, the head of Russia’s federal censorship agency (Roskomnadzor), proposed blocking all calls on specific platforms unless developers provided tools for user control, such as the ability to block calls from abroad or from unknown numbers. Lipov argued that these measures are necessary to protect Russians from phone scammers. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, such scammers have not only stolen money from bank accounts but also coerced Russians into committing arson at military enlistment offices and pouring green dye into ballot boxes, among other offenses. Mediazona has reported 187 such incidents since the full-scale war began.
The issue resurfaced in late December, when Kommersant reported that the Digital Development Ministry and Roskomnadzor were debating two options: a complete ban on messenger-based calls or a ban on such calls originating from abroad. The first approach resembles restrictions in the United Arab Emirates, where services like FaceTime are effectively blocked. However, officials are now discussing a softer alternative: banning calls from all unknown numbers and allowing only those from a user’s contact list. A source at a major telecom company told Meduza and The Bell that this idea was presented at a December meeting at the Digital Development Ministry but has not yet been approved. If adopted, implementation would reportedly take several months, but the source did not provide technical details on how it would work.
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The proposal stems from mobile operators, who, like Lipov, cite fraud prevention as the primary motivation. “There’s a massive volume of scam calls through VoIP and messenger apps, but operators have limited tools to combat this,” a source explained. While some government officials reportedly view the proposal as excessive, law enforcement agencies have shown interest. “They’re just happy that something can be banned and that the initiative comes from businesses. But they haven’t offered concrete suggestions yet,” the source added. A government insider described the partial ban as “overkill” in comments to The Bell and noted that no decision has been made yet.
Financial concerns are also driving telecom operators’ push. One market source told The Bell that operators are worried about the growing volume of WhatsApp calls, which are encrypted and difficult to monitor. These calls generate minimal revenue since they use Internet traffic, which is cheaper than traditional voice calls. Over the past three years, voice call volumes for operators have dropped by about 5 percent annually.
“Operators need to recoup the costs of base stations, so they’re lobbying for this,” a source explained. IT expert Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society, noted that telecom companies face financial strain due to capped tariffs, reliance on “parallel imports” for equipment, and a labor shortage in the industry.
Telecom operators estimate that 40 percent of calls made over messenger apps are from scammers, with roughly 70 percent originating from abroad. A source told The Bell that operators tried addressing the issue with Meta, WhatsApp’s owner, but the company refused to cooperate. While Russian authorities have labeled Meta an “extremist organization” and blocked Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp has so far been left untouched.
Reporting by Valeria Pozychanyuk (The Bell) and Svetlana Reiter (Meduza)