On December 4, 2025, Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) made public its decision to block Apple's video - calling application, FaceTime, across the entire country. The agency emphasized that this measure was taken with the specific intention of curbing crimes and terrorist activities that are often enabled through encrypted communication channels. The regulatory authority pointed out that FaceTime had been misused in a variety of criminal undertakings. For instance, it had served as a tool for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks, for recruiting individuals to carry out such heinous acts, and for perpetrating fraud against Russian citizens. Given these serious concerns, the agency deemed the ban to be a legitimate and necessary law - enforcement action. It's worth noting that this is not the first time Russia has taken such steps. Previously, the country had already placed restrictions on the voice - calling features of popular apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, as part of its broader efforts to regulate encrypted communication services.