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Amid a continued campaign to increase oversight over online communications, state regulators have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Restrictions

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor claimed that these services were being used to plan and execute terrorist activities on Russian soil, for recruiting individuals and carry out fraud as well as various crimes aimed at the populace.

Roskomnadzor said it enforced the restriction on Snapchat on October 10, even though the announcement was only made public on Thursday.

Broader Context of Digital Crackdown

These new restrictions follow comparable limitations targeting key apps like Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. The campaign of bans began in earnest after the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in systematic and comprehensive initiatives to rein in the open internet. Measures have included:

• Enacting tough new laws.
• Banning digital platforms that do not comply with local rules.
• Developing systems to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Recent Examples of Restrictions

Access to YouTube was throttled last year in a case of deliberate throttling by officials. Authorities attributed the issue to Google for failing to maintain its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, authorities further restricted online access with widespread shutdowns of cellular data connections. Officials claimed this was necessary to prevent drone strikes, but critics contended another step to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Platforms

Authorities has also targeted widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in 2024. Additionally, officials banned voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, explaining the ban by saying the two apps were being involved in crime.

Concurrently, authorities have championed a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Experts view it as a possible surveillance tool. The service explicitly states it will provide user information with officials upon request, and experts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Analysis

Per lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations defines any service where people can communicate as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This classification mandates that platforms establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and grant Russia's security service with the ability to monitor communications. Platforms that fail to do so are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that perhaps a large number of Russians had been using FaceTime, particularly after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the restrictions against the Apple service as "expected" and cautioned that other platforms failing to cooperate with authorities "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Sites Also Targeted

As another move, the government also said it was blocking Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from harmful content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second-largest gaming site in Russia recently, with nearly 8 million monthly users.

While it is still feasible to get around a few of these blocks by employing virtual private network services, such tools are frequently targeted by officials as well.