Washington, DC: Meta-owned WhatsApp on Thursday issued a statement alleging that the Russian Government attempted to block the messaging application in the country. WhatsApp's statement comes shortly after Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused Russia of restricting access to the application.
In a post on X, WhatsApp said, "Today the Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app. Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia. We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected."
Dmitry Peskov, Russian Presidential Press Secretary, told TASS that WhatsApp would be unblocked in Russia if Meta complies with Russian laws and demonstrates readiness for dialogue. "This is a matter of compliance with Russian laws. If Meta complies, it will enter into dialogue with the Russian authorities, and then there will be an opportunity to reach an agreement," he said. (ANI)
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