Russia restricts calls from 'unfriendly' countries – intelligence

16.12.2025 00:32

Ukrinform

In Russia, a ban is being introduced on incoming international calls from 47 so-called "unfriendly" countries without the prior consent of the subscriber, citing the fight against telephone and internet fraud.

According to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service reported this on its website.

In the list compiled by the Russian authorities, the 47 "unfriendly" countries and territories currently include EU states, the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Ukraine.

The plan is not only to restrict international incoming calls but also to introduce mandatory labeling of such calls.

In addition to restrictions on international calls, the government plans to introduce "children's SIM cards," which will allow parents to control content without additional applications.

The Kremlin is steadily tightening control over digital services. In the past two weeks, Roskomnadzor announced the blocking of four popular internet services in Russia – the game Roblox, video call apps FaceTime, and the messaging apps Snapchat and WhatsApp.

Earlier, the State Duma stated the need to block international telephone communications on landlines. The Russian Ministry of Digital Development has also begun temporarily disconnecting mobile internet and SMS for citizens returning from abroad.

Against this backdrop, there is a continued return to the past – the company Melodiya has resumed the production of vinyl records.

As Ukrinform reported, in August Roskomnadzor confirmed the blocking of voice calls in WhatsApp and Telegram in Russia. Since September 1, Russia's "national" spy messenger Max has become mandatory for pre-installation on smartphones and tablets.