Russia reportedly bans Snapchat and FaceTime<p>Roskomnadzor, Russia's federal agency for monitoring and censoring mass media, has blocked access to Snapchat and FaceTime in the country, <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-04/russia-expands-limits-with-snapchat-facetime-ban-interfax-says?embedded-checkout=true" data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1">
Bloomberg reports[/url], citing Russian news service Interfax. The bans were reportedly put in place because the platforms were used "to organize and carry out terrorist acts,” and commit fraud.</p><p>It's not clear if either service is still accessible by using a VPN, but banning Snapchat and FaceTime fits with Russia’s crackdown on communication and social platforms that started after the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/russia-blocks-facebook-183925073.html" data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1">Facebook[/url] and <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/twitter-block-russia-210603308.html" data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1">X[/url] were blocked in March of that year, and <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/russia-bans-instagram-130215448.html" data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1">Instagram[/url] was added to the ban list not long after. In 2024, the encrypted messaging app <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/russia-and-venezuela-have-blocked-encrypted-messaging-app-signal-221433099.html" data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1">Signal[/url] was also banned, and more recently in July 2025, Russia threatened to block access to <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/whatsapp-should-prepare-to-stop-operating-in-russia-official-says-140044721.html" data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1">WhatsApp[/url].</p><p>Engadget has contacted both Apple and Snap to comment on the Russian bans. We'll update this article if we hear back.</p><p>Banning or restricting these platforms is a way to exert control over where and how conversation happens in Russia — and prevent the spread of "LGBT propaganda," if you believe Roskomnadzor's reasoning for <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/russia-blocks-roblox-citing-lgbt-propaganda-as-a-reason-180757267.html" data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1">banning Roblox[/url] — but it might also be an attempt to drive people to use "MAX," a state-run super app that offers services like communication, banking and document storage. The app is part of a long-standing push to rely on Russia's tech industry rather than foreign companies, and could potentially give the Russian government an easier method for surveilling its citizens, <a target="_blank" class="link rapid-with-clickid" href="
https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=c813ae39-7d58-41cb-ac66-ad830606ceef&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&contentUuid=049b4de6-a4d2-41d0-a481-88bad77c8e72&featureId=text-link&merchantName=The+New+York+Times&linkText=The+New+York+Times+reports&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS8yMDI1LzEwLzIxL3dvcmxkL2V1cm9wZS9ydXNzaWEtbWF4LWFwcC5odG1sIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiIwNDliNGRlNi1hNGQyLTQxZDAtYTQ4MS04OGJhZDc3YzhlNzIiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMjUvMTAvMjEvd29ybGQvZXVyb3BlL3J1c3NpYS1tYXgtYXBwLmh0bWwifQ&signature=AQAAAbzLCtIuNKEr1p8cy3cofFGnXh28XDxoHiiSjIPMMcH4&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F10%2F21%2Fworld%2Feurope%2Frussia-max-app.html" data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:The New York Times;elmt:;cpos:8;pos:1" data-original-link="
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/world/europe/russia-max-app.html">
The New York Times reports[/url].</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/apps/russia-reportedly-bans-snapchat-and-facetime-194906404.html?src=rssSource:
Russia reportedly bans Snapchat and FaceTime
