Telegram traffic 'dying' in Russia as Rostelecom reports WhatsApp already dead

Telegram traffic is collapsing in Russia as state telecommunications operator Rostelecom registers a near-total disappearance of WhatsApp usage following a prolonged series of regulatory restrictions, the company's president has said.

Mikhail Oseyevsky, president of PAO Rostelecom, told journalists on the sidelines of the RSPP congress in Moscow on March 26 that WhatsApp had effectively ceased to function in the country, Interfax reported.

"WhatsApp traffic is absent altogether. Something may pass through in the course of X hours or days, but traffic effectively does not exist. So WhatsApp is dead, Telegram is dying right now," Oseyevsky said.

Rostelecom said it was recording rapid growth in traffic on Max, Russia's state-backed national messaging platform, alongside an increase in voice traffic across mobile networks.

Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor began partially restricting calls on Telegram and WhatsApp in August 2025, citing law enforcement requirements. A broader partial block on both platforms followed in October 2025.

WhatsApp users across the Urals, Siberia and European Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg, began reporting widespread outages from November 24, 2025.

Roskomnadzor confirmed it was introducing progressive restrictions against WhatsApp on November 28, warning the service could be fully blocked.

Telegram users in the Moscow region reported deteriorating service from January 16, with slow media loading times. Roskomnadzor confirmed on February 10 that restrictions on Telegram would continue as the platform had not complied with Russian legislation.