An administrative lawsuit has been filed in the Tagansky Court of Moscow by a group of Russians against Roskomnadzor and the Ministry of Digital Development demanding the cancellation of the blocking of calls in the messengers WhatsApp and Telegram.
A lawsuit from 42 individuals was submitted to the court on December 23, and the case card has not yet been published on the court's website, as reported by "Meduza".
According to the agency, which reviewed the text of the statement, the plaintiffs demand that the actions of the Roskomnadzor (RKN) to restrict calls in messengers be declared illegal, as this violates the constitutional rights of citizens — including the freedom to receive and transmit information, the secrecy of communication and private life, the principle of direct action of human rights, the inadmissibility of arbitrary restrictions on rights, and the priority of human rights.
The lawsuit also cites data from the Central Bank of Russia indicating that the main channels for committing fraud are not messengers, but mobile phone calls and SMS. The plaintiffs argue that there are alternative ways to protect against fraud that do not require restricting citizens' rights. In particular, they point to the possibility of optional blocking of internet traffic in the messenger by users who wish to enable it themselves.
Roskomnadzor and the Ministry of Digital Development have not yet commented on the lawsuit.
Roskomnadzor has been blocking calls through WhatsApp and Telegram since August 2025. The agency claims that these messengers are used for organizing terrorist acts and recruiting terrorists, as well as for fraudulent and other crimes against Russians.
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