Black Friday Exclusive: Free eSIM
Get a free eSIM with any VPN subscription.
Stay connected, secure, and worry-free wherever you go.
Russia began blocking WhatsApp and Telegram messaging services starting October 20, 2025, with restrictions spreading nationwide over several days. While initially affecting southern regions like Sochi and Rostov-on-Don, the "partial blocks" expanded to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and 34 other regions by October 22, affecting millions of users.
Russia began blocking WhatsApp and Telegram messaging services starting October 20, 2025, with restrictions spreading nationwide over several days. While initially affecting southern regions like Sochi and Rostov-on-Don, the "partial blocks" expanded to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and 34 other regions by October 22, affecting millions of users.
Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor cited the need to combat "criminal activity," claiming both platforms were used for fraud and recruiting Russians into "sabotage and terrorist activities", a justification disputed by independent analysts.
To understand how people in Russia responded to the October 20 WhatsApp and Telegram restrictions, VPN usage data and network monitoring were tracked from multiple sources.
Connection data from the VPN app in Russia was monitored between September 15 and October 31, 2025. The data reveals a dramatic surge once messaging service restrictions expanded nationwide.
VPN connections maintained relatively stable patterns with typical daily fluctuations between 50-120% of baseline, showing normal weekend/weekday variation as Russians accessed previously blocked platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter.
When WhatsApp and Telegram restrictions began on October 20 and spread to major cities by October 21-22, VPN connections surged dramatically. Daily usage jumped from baseline levels to sustained peaks exceeding 200-230% of normal, more than doubling, as Russians sought ways to maintain access to their primary communication platforms.
The pattern shows sustained elevated usage throughout late October and early November, indicating the restrictions remained in effect and users continued relying on VPNs to bypass the blocks.
All data was anonymous and grouped by country only. No personal details or browsing history were collected.
Independent monitoring project "Na Svyazi" ("Connected") confirmed WhatsApp and Telegram disruptions across 34 Russian regions (40% of Russia's 85 regions) by October 22, 2025.
By combining these approaches, it became possible to measure how quickly Russian users adapted to the restrictions and document the government's phased approach to censorship.
App store ranking trends from providers like AppFollow and Sensor Tower were also analyzed. These services track which apps rise or fall in the iOS App Store and Google Play.
By combining these approaches, it became possible to measure how quickly Russian users adapted to the restrictions and which tools they used to maintain connectivity during this unprecedented digital isolation.
Public conversations on Twitter/X, Reddit, and Facebook between October 20 and November 20, 2025 were reviewed. Posts mentioned access issues, workarounds, and impacts of Russia’s WhatsApp and Telegram restrictions. Personal details were removed, keeping only country-level insights from 50 posts across all three platforms.
Each post should be sorted into themes:
"WhatsApp and Telegram have been blocked in Russia! Now it's very difficult to contact relatives!" - Facebook
"I’m trying to stay in touch with family in Russia, but Telegram has become really slow and glitchy lately. Video calls keep freezing or dropping, and it’s becoming almost impossible to communicate properly." - Reddit
"Mobile internet does not work with any operator, Wi-Fi is turned on according to a schedule, access to foreign messengers, including Telegram, is restricted."- Twitter
PRIVACY NOTE: Only publicly available posts were analyzed. Private messages, account details, or exact locations were not collected. Quotes are anonymized and reworded when needed.
Following the October 20 restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram, Russians turned to VPNs in unprecedented numbers. VPN connection rates surged from baseline levels to sustained peaks exceeding 200% of normal usage, more than doubling, as users sought ways to maintain access to their primary communication platforms affecting nearly 100 million Russians.
The restrictions affected Russia's two most popular messaging apps:
Together, these platforms serve as the primary communication tools for most Russians, making the restrictions particularly disruptive to daily life.
When governments restrict access to messaging platforms, you're suddenly:
Your right to private communication shouldn't disappear because the government demands control.
