WhatsApp poses a threat to Russia’s national security and its fate has already been decided, Anton Nemkin, a member of the lower house of parliament's IT committee said on Friday, the state-run TASS news agency reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month signed a law authorizing the development of a state-backed messaging app integrated with government services, as Moscow strives to reduce its dependence on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of the lower house of parliament's information technology committee, said earlier on Friday that WhatsApp should prepare to leave the Russian market.