The Meta-owned app wrote that WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted such that it "defies government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication, which is why Russia is trying to block it from over 100 million Russian people."

"We will keep doing all we can" to keep the service available around the world, including in Russia, the company added.

Russia banned Meta's Facebook indefinitely in 2022, after the tech giant blocked access to state-backed media. The platform said it was a censorship move from Moscow.

Telegram, founded by Russian-born entrepreneur Pavel Durov, highlighted its existing measures to fight harmful content, fraud, and calls for sabotage and violence in responses given to Russian media.

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