Russia has introduced new restrictions affecting registration of new users in Telegram and WhatsApp. Problems with receiving authorization codes were first reported by the outlet Kod Durova, citing telecom market sources, and later confirmed by an RBC source in the industry. According to those reports, mobile operators were instructed to stop transmitting SMS messages and voice calls containing verification codes for new accounts.
Journalists and industry projects say the restrictions are unevenly enforced. In some cases, Telegram SMS messages still reach MTS and MegaFon numbers, but do not arrive on Beeline and some other networks. At the same time, existing users can in some cases still change their number or receive codes through alternative methods.
How it may work
Cybersecurity experts told the publication that the exact technical mechanism remains unclear. IT specialist Mikhail Klimarev suggested that operators may be blocking messages from specific sender numbers used by the messengers to distribute login codes. He said this method has long been used against spam and had previously been applied to Signal.
A VPN does not help in this situation because SMS messages and phone calls depend on the phone number and carrier, not on the IP address, experts explained.
For new users, workarounds remain difficult. Sources mentioned a foreign SIM card, paid anonymous numbers via the Fragment platform, and Telegram’s peer-to-peer login program, in which codes are relayed through other users’ numbers. However, since September 1, 2025, Russia has imposed fines for organizing the transfer of information needed for online registration or authorization, which may create additional risks.
Klimarev described the move as another stage in a gradual campaign against foreign messengers: authorities had already limited calls via Telegram and WhatsApp, and are now making new registrations harder. Lawmakers Alexander Yushchenko and Oleg Matveychev publicly supported the restrictions in full or in part, linking them to support for Russian services and compliance with domestic law.