I am hearing that whatsapp no longer works in Russia.
Does anyone know of the messenger apps that still work in Russia?
I know of only Telegram. I’m asking if there are any others that we know of.
?
@Cal Whats App works as normal except if you need to make a call which you then need to switch on your VPN. The same applies to Telegram.
FaceTime and Snapchat are now gone.
@Cal Russia launched a messenger in March 2025 called MAX. Don’t know anything about it but it should be available on rustore (Android apps.) I would assume if other apps are on their rustore app gallery they should work. Viber maybe? Whatsapp works fine for me but I dont do video calls. WeChat is the Chinese app and I dont know if that works but alot of Chinese travelers in Russia currently.
https://www.rt.com/russia/624535-russian-messenger-max-digital-security
You’re going to need a RU or Belarus phone number to use Max.
A few people are telling me don’t use MAX as it was created by the government itself. I’m seeking alternatives to Telegram, in case that suddenly goes away. While we are on the subject, I could use suggestions for VPN as I’m hearing that most of them don’t work inside Russia. I didn’t realize Whatsapp works except for the phone, thank you for that.
Does Zoom work in Russia?
@Cal To be honest all the messenger apps are under the control of governments. TG might be the only one supposedly not. China monitors WeChat, Whatsapp and Meta (Facebook) work directly with the US government, and yes, MAX is under the control of Russia. And the future is going to be even more controlled everywhere. For me, I’m just using Whatsapp and TG for casual chat with friends so its not a big deal if they want to spy on me. I’ve had no issues with Whatsapp or TG for the past 3 months inside Russia. Ive never used any other social media.
@Cal Just be careful in asking / giving information about VPNs on Russian sites - its now against the law to disseminate information that circumvent restrictions. Not only the person asking, but also the site where it occurs.
I know Discord still works for video calls for now.
@Cal Yes, Zoom works. Microsoft Teams too.
One can still use Telegram calls - both people need to be “within” 
Russia virtually to make it happen. I was finally able to talk to friends on Telegram this way.
I Let Putin read my message. The main thing is the NSA doesn’t read them.