WhatsApp is generally inaccessible in North Korea which has blocked Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other platforms since 2016. North Korea has one of the world's most strictly controlled internet systems. Russia started restricting WhatsApp from Wednesday. It had clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage.

WhatsApp said Russia was trying to block its services because the social media messaging app owned by Meta Platforms offered people's right to secure communication, and vowed to continue trying to make encrypted services available in Russia.

Russia announced curbs on calls on the WhatsApp and Telegram messenger apps on Wednesday, saying that this was necessary to fight criminality, state media reported. “In order to combat criminals, measures are being taken to partially restrict calls on these foreign messaging apps (WhatsApp and Telegram),