Russia Imposes Network-Level Blockade on Apple’s End-to-End Encrypted FaceTime

Russia has imposed a network-level blockade on Apple’s FaceTime, which provides end-to-end encrypted audio and video communication, the Daily CyberSecurity site reports on 5 December 2025. According to the country’s federal communications watchdog, the move is part of a broader crackdown on foreign technology platforms allegedly used for criminal activity.

Law-enforcement officials claim that FaceTime has been used within Russia to coordinate terrorist attacks, recruit criminals, and perpetrate fraud and other offences against Russian citizens; however, neither the regulator nor the authorities have presented concrete evidence to substantiate these accusations.

Following the enforcement of the ban, Russian users trying to place FaceTime calls are met with an “unavailable” notification, and while some users still receive incoming calls, answering them fails to transmit audio or video. FaceTime is not the only platform targeted in Russia’s restrictions, with blocked services including YouTube, WhatsApp and Telegram, as well as the recently banned Roblox for purported extremist materials and LGBT-content promotion.