Russian authorities have blocked Viber because the social network allegedly violated domestic law, Russian telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor announced on Saturday.
The regulator has said that the app, owned by Japanese company Rakuten, "has been used for terrorist and extremist purposes, to sell drugs and to spread disinformation", reports Reuters.
Prosecutors have put Viber under investigation for spreading "information aimed at destabilizing the political and social order in Russia," reported the state news agency TASS. Viber has not commented on the case.
Since 2018, operators of communication platforms in Russia have been required to store private user data such as calls, messages, photos and videos and provide it to intelligence services upon request.
Russian authorities have tightened censorship in the country since the start of the war against Ukraine in February 2022.
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Viber was fined last year for allegedly discrediting the Russian armed forces by failing to delete information related to the war as ordered by the Kremlin.
Russia has already blocked a number of popular messaging and social networking apps. LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Signal cannot be used in Russia without a VPN (virtual private network).
