Russian telecom operators block new users from registering with Telegram and WhatsApp

The Russian authorities have instructed mobile telecom operators to block the SMS messages or calls that new users are required to receive to sign up to foreign messenger services Telegram and WhatsApp, the Russian IT publication Durov Code said on Thursday, citing a source in the telecom market.

According to Durov Code, some Russian phone numbers, though not all, can still receive the SMS from Telegram. They tested three SIM cards, with the message coming through on two.

Though other sources are yet to confirm this information, Novaya Europe conducted its own test and was able to change the phone number on one existing Telegram account, though not a second. The second number also failed to receive a call from Telegram with an audio code.

Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor began “partially blocking” Telegram and WhatsApp in Russia in August. Last week, the regulator said the messenger services had become “the main services used to scam and extort money, and to get Russian citizens involved in sabotage and terrorist activities”, while its owners ignored Russia’s demands to “take measures against criminals”. It is now virtually impossible to make or receive audio and video calls via the messengers in the country.

Both WhatsApp and Telegram have a significant user base in Russia, with around 97 and 90 million users respectively in a country of 143 million people. This is likely part of the reason why the messaging apps have avoided mass blockings amid the widespread censorship campaign that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which led to major social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (now X) being blocked.