The Russian authorities have reportedly decided to ban the calling feature on WhatsApp and Telegram, well-connected media figure Ksenia Sobchak reported on Tuesday, citing sources in the telecommunications industry.
The decision “has already been made at the very top,” the sources reportedly said.
“They’ve banned calls ‘under the guise of fighting terrorists,’” one source told Sobchak’s Telegram channel. Final consultations on the issue are expected to wrap up this evening, according to a government source she cited.
Sobchak noted that the apps’ messaging and channel features will still remain accessible.
So… how should we read this? Did whatsapp made an agreement with russia and is now reading messages?
It means that making phone calls with either will likely soon become impossible for those with a Russian Internet connection.