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The Kremlin on Thursday confirmed it has blocked Meta

’s WhatsApp messaging service and said Russians should use a new state-backed platform called Max instead.

“Max is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger. And it is available on the market for citizens,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday, news agency Ria Novosti reported.

WhatsApp issued a statement earlier in the day saying Russia had attempted to “fully block” its messaging service in the country in order to force people toward Max, which it described as a “surveillance app.”