Russia Bans Human Rights Watch and Threatens WhatsApp Block

The Federal Government of Russia launched a coordinated crackdown on foreign organizations and digital platforms on November 28, 2025. The prosecutor general's office designated Human Rights Watch as an undesirable organization, effectively banning its operations and criminalizing any financial support or cooperation with the group. Executive director Philippe Bolopion stated the move reflects the government's "full-throttled embrace of dictatorial policies."

Simultaneously, the Supreme Court of Russia designated the U.S.-registered entity of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation as a terrorist group, while the prosecutor general's office opened a case to label the punk band Pussy Riot as an extremist organization. The Anti-Corruption Foundation described this as a political strategy to label anyone interfering with state theft and war as an enemy of the state.

In the digital sphere, the state communications regulator Roskomnadzor threatened to completely block WhatsApp if the service continues to fail to meet Russian legislative requirements. Officials accused the platform of facilitating fraud and terrorism and refusing to share user data with law enforcement. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, responded that the Russian government is attempting to block citizens from accessing secure communication. To replace foreign services, authorities are promoting a state-backed alternative app called MAX, which lacks end-to-end encryption and is viewed by critics as a tool for state surveillance.