Moscow, Sept. 6 -- Millions of Russians are facing new restrictions imposed in mid-August by Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, on calls made through the two platforms - WhatsApp and Telegram, the most popular messaging apps in Russia.
The timing coincides with the rollout of a new "national messenger" app known as Max and created by a Russian firm closely controlled by the Kremlin, reports BBC.
Monthly user numbers of WhatsApp and Telegram are estimated to be 97 and 90 million respectively - in a country of 143 million people.
From parents' chats to tenants' groups, much of daily life runs through them.
WhatsApp - whose owner, Meta, is designated an extremist organisation in Russia - is especially popular with older people because...