Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a law authorising the creation of a state-supported messaging app integrated with government services, as Russia looks to reduce its reliance on foreign platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Moscow has long promoted “digital sovereignty,” encouraging home-grown services to decrease dependence on Western apps. That effort gained momentum after many Western tech companies left the Russian market following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russian lawmakers say the new state app will offer features that platforms like Telegram and Meta’s WhatsApp do not.
Earlier this month, Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society — a Russian digital rights group — warned that Russia could deliberately slow down WhatsApp and Telegram to push users toward the new domestic app.