WhatsApp on Friday received a stern warning from Russian authorities to comply with local legal requirements or risk a complete nationwide ban.
In August, Russia began limiting some calls on WhatsApp and on Telegram, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of refusing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases.
On Friday, Roskomnadzor, Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, again accused the Meta platform of failing to comply with the requirements designed to prevent and combat crime.
"If the messaging service continues to fail to meet the demands of Russian legislation, it will be completely blocked," Interfax news agency quoted the state communications watchdog as saying.
WhatsApp has accused Moscow of trying to block millions of Russians from accessing secure communication.
Russian authorities are pushing a state-backed rival app called MAX, which critics claim could be used to track users. State media have dismissed those accusations as false.
