Telegram and WhatsApp messaging services experienced a significant outage in Russia on Wednesday, according to the country’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, attributing it to a cyberattack.
Users of both platforms reported increased server connection issues starting at 2 pm Moscow time (1100 GMT), as indicated by monitoring websites.
Roskomnadzor stated that the “attack” causing “widespread disruption” to the apps was successfully thwarted within an hour, and service resumed to normal.
The regulator attributed the outage to a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) cyberattack aimed at Russia’s telecom operators.
DDoS attacks are intended to overwhelm a website with malicious internet traffic, leading to its shutdown.
These outages coincide with accusations from rights groups against Moscow for escalating internet censorship, including bans on websites that provide independent coverage of the conflict in Ukraine.
In 2022, Russia branded WhatsApp’s parent company Meta as “extremist” and subsequently blocked access to Meta platforms like Instagram and Facebook as part of its efforts to tighten control over social media.
The authorities also issued warnings about potentially banning YouTube, with reports of users encountering difficulties accessing the site in Russia earlier this month.
