Russia has attempted to fully block access to WhatsApp, the Meta-owned messaging app, as the Kremlin seeks tighter control over its internet space. WhatsApp described the move as an effort to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication, calling it a “backwards step” that could reduce safety for people in Russia.

The push for greater control comes amid a broader crackdown on dissent during the ongoing war in Ukraine. Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, have been officially banned in Russia, accessible only through virtual private networks (VPNs). Reports about the Kremlin targeting WhatsApp have circulated for years, with speculation dating back to the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Russian government has also promoted its own messaging app, Max, which WhatsApp called “a state-owned surveillance app.” Moscow has mandated that Max be pre-installed on all new devices sold in the country since 2025, and public sector employees, teachers, and students are required to use the platform.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told state-controlled media that Meta is being blamed for failing to comply with Russian regulations governing WhatsApp. He said the company could reach an agreement by negotiating with authorities, but added that if it refuses to comply, access to its services would remain blocked.

Earlier this week, Russia also began restricting Telegram, another popular messaging service. Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder, said the restrictions are intended to push users toward a state-controlled platform designed for surveillance and political censorship. Durov compared Russia’s approach to Iran’s attempt eight years ago to ban Telegram, which ultimately failed.

Durov, who left Russia for Dubai in 2014 after refusing Kremlin demands to close opposition groups on his VK platform, has a complicated relationship with the Russian government. Investigations show he visited Russia more than 50 times between 2015 and 2021, and he was detained in France in August 2024 over a probe into criminal activity on Telegram, raising questions about his neutrality.

Moscow has cited foreign tech firms’ refusal to store Russian users’ data domestically as a key concern. The country’s Data Localisation Law, introduced in 2015, requires all personal data of Russian users to be stored on servers within Russia. Regulations tightened after the invasion of Ukraine, and from 1 January 2026, all internet services operating in Russia must store user messages—including audio, video, text, and metadata—for three years and provide them to security agencies upon request, even if users have deleted them.

Critics and rights groups argue that these measures are part of a broader effort to expand surveillance and control over internet use, suppress dissent, and monitor public communications. They warn that forcing millions of users onto state-controlled platforms will erode digital privacy and limit access to independent channels of information.

The attempt to block WhatsApp and restrict Telegram marks the latest step in Russia’s increasingly stringent regulation of online communications, raising concerns about the future of digital freedom in the country.

French prosecutors have issued a public appeal for potential victims to come forward in a sweeping abuse investigation involving a 79-year-old former teacher accused of raping and sexually assaulting 89 minors over several decades.

Speaking in Grenoble on Tuesday, Prosecutor Etienne Manteaux outlined the case against Jacques Leveugle, who has been in custody since being charged in 2024. In a rare step, authorities disclosed the suspect’s identity, saying the decision was intended to encourage other possible victims to testify.

“This name must be known because the aim is to enable potential victims to come forward,” Manteaux said.

Leveugle, born in 1946 in Annecy, is accused of abusing teenage boys between the ages of 13 and 17 from 1967 to 2022 in multiple countries, including Germany, India and Colombia. According to prosecutors, he described himself as a “gentleman boy-lover” and portrayed his actions as mentorship. Manteaux said the suspect presented himself as cultured and charismatic, using intellectual influence to gain the trust of adolescents.

Investigators were alerted in 2022 when Leveugle’s nephew handed over USB drives containing extensive personal writings. Authorities said the material spans 15 dense volumes and documents encounters across several countries where Leveugle worked as a freelance teacher and instructor, including in speleology and French language studies.

Serge Procedes, who heads the Grenoble investigation unit, said the case involves what he described as moral coercion rather than physical violence. Around 150 individuals have been interviewed so far, and investigators have formally identified 89 victims. However, only two have filed civil actions.

The inquiry is constrained by time limits under French law. Procedes said the judicial investigation is expected to close in 2026, making the search for additional testimony urgent. Some individuals mentioned in the seized writings are identified only by nicknames or first names, complicating efforts to locate them.

Prosecutors also disclosed that Leveugle confessed to suffocating his terminally ill mother in the 1970s and his 92-year-old aunt in the 1990s, describing the acts as mercy killings. He allegedly told investigators he would wish the same for himself under similar circumstances.

Leveugle had no prior criminal record. Authorities said they delayed public disclosure of his identity until they had verified key elements of the case.

The appeal for witnesses comes amid broader scrutiny of institutional responses to sexual abuse in France, following other high-profile cases that exposed systemic failures. Prosecutors are urging anyone with information related to Leveugle’s activities, whether in France or abroad, to contact investigators.

Spain and Portugal endured fresh storms and torrential rain on Saturday, claiming another life just days after Storm Leonardo caused deadly flooding and widespread damage.

One person was killed in Portugal as heavy rainfall from Storm Marta swept across the Iberian Peninsula. Authorities reported that a 46-year-old member of the emergency services drowned in a river at Campo Maior, in the central Portalegre district, while attempting to cross a flooded area.

The extreme weather forced three municipalities in Portugal to postpone a presidential vote scheduled for Sunday by a week. Storms in recent weeks have already taken a heavy toll: Storm Kristin killed at least five people in Portugal last week, while Storm Leonardo claimed another victim on Wednesday.

Officials warned that the risk of flooding from the Tagus River in the central Santarém region remained at its highest level. Further south, in Alcácer do Sal, floodwaters from the Sado River had receded to the banks, though the city had previously been submerged, forcing residents to evacuate. Alcácer do Sal lies about 90 kilometres south of Lisbon.

In Spain, Storm Marta prompted the closure of dozens of roads as it moved northeast. In Ávila, a snow plough driver died on Saturday after the vehicle plunged down a 20-metre slope at the El Pico pass. According to the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT), more than 100 roads were closed in the early morning, mostly due to flooding, snow, or ice.

The province of Cadiz was the hardest hit, with several roads rendered impassable, followed by Cordoba and Seville. Snowstorms in mountainous regions led to road closures in Granada, Asturias, Salamanca, and Navarre.

Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) said rainfall would ease on Sunday in many areas but persist in some regions, including the Strait of Gibraltar, the Alboran Sea, Andalusian mountain ranges, the Balearic Islands, northeastern Catalonia, and the Cantabrian Sea. Locally heavy showers are expected, with thunderstorms and hail reported in some areas.

Authorities in both countries continue to urge residents to exercise caution, avoid flooded zones, and stay updated on weather alerts. Emergency services have been deployed to assist those affected by rising waters and to prevent further casualties.

The repeated storms across the Iberian Peninsula highlight the ongoing vulnerability of the region to severe weather events in recent weeks, with communities struggling to recover from back-to-back floods and heavy rains.

Spain and Portugal’s governments have stressed the importance of preparedness, especially in flood-prone regions, as meteorologists warn that unsettled weather may continue to affect the peninsula over the coming days.