Ukraine has been added to the list of “unfriendly” states from which Russia plans to block phone calls under the pretext of combating telephone fraud. In total, the list published by the Russian authorities includes 47 countries and territories, among them EU countries, the USA, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.
This was reported by DW.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, blocking calls from “unfriendly states” that are allegedly used for criminal purposes, as well as labeling such calls, are part of measures to protect citizens in the digital environment. The first package of these measures has already been adopted, the second is under discussion, and the third is being prepared for implementation.
Head of the Russian government apparatus Dmytro Hryhorenko added that among the 20 initiatives of the second package there is a provision for banning international incoming calls without the subscriber’s consent and for their mandatory labeling.
Previously, Russia has consistently introduced restrictions for messengers and online services: in August it limited calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, at the beginning of December it blocked FaceTime, and for citizens returning from abroad, mobile internet and SMS are blocked for a day.