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As part of a sustained crackdown to increase oversight over internet access, Russian regulators have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on the Apple FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Block

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor alleged that both applications were utilized to organize and conduct acts of terrorism on Russian soil, to enlist people and commit fraud as well as various crimes against citizens.

Officials said it initiated the block against Snapchat in early October, though the decision was only made public more recently.

Broader Campaign of Internet Control

These new restrictions follow comparable blocks against popular services like Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. The campaign of bans began in earnest following the 2022 military action of Ukraine by Russia.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, the government have pursued systematic and multi-pronged strategies to curtail the internet. Measures have included:

• Adopting restrictive laws.
• Outlawing online services that fail to comply with Russian regulations.
• Advancing technical capabilities to monitor and manipulate digital communications.

Other Examples of Blocks

Access to YouTube was disrupted last year in what experts called intentional slowing by officials. The Kremlin blamed YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its servers in Russia.

This summer, authorities tightened connectivity with extensive outages of mobile internet connections. The government stated this was necessary to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts contended an additional move to increase control over the internet.

Targeting Communication Apps

The government has also acted against widely-used messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in 2024. Furthermore, officials banned calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, explaining the action by claiming the platforms were being used for criminal activities.

Simultaneously, authorities have championed a dubbed "domestic" messenger app called Max. Experts see it as a potential monitoring instrument. The app admits it will share user data with the government if demanded, and analysts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

Per lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law defines any platform where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This designation requires that such services have an account with Roskomnadzor and allow the FSB with the ability to monitor user data. Those failing to do so are in violation and face blocking.

Seleznev estimated that perhaps tens of millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the service as "predictable" and warned that further services refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – that is clear."

Gaming Sites Too Affected

In a related development, the government reported it was banning the online game platform Roblox, claiming it aimed at safeguarding minors from illicit content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest gaming site in Russia recently, with nearly 8 million active users.

Although it is still possible to circumvent some of these restrictions by utilizing VPN services, VPNs themselves are routinely blocked by the regulator as well.