By Murad Rakhimov | 2025-09-05

Every new phone and tablet sold in Russia now comes with Max, a state-built messaging app that critics warn is less about convenience than about putting citizens' conversations under government watch.

Since September 1, Max has been mandatory on all electronic devices under a directive signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. It replaces VK Messenger, which had been required since 2023.

The Kremlin says the change will protect users from fraud and bolster "digital sovereignty" against the West. But experts argue the real purpose is sweeping surveillance.

Essential self-reporting

"Digital sovereignty is really the framework in which Russia is using the digital ecosystem to tighten censorship and control. There's no either-or here," Dmitry Dubrovsky, a lecturer at Charles University in Prague, told Kontur.

Dubrovsky said the mandatory pre-installation of Max has nothing to do with user convenience. He warned the app can secretly take photos, record audio and track location without permission.

"This is essentially self-reporting to the relevant agencies, while these agencies are not accountable for storing your personal data," he explained.

Ulugbek Khaidarov, a Canada-based YouTube blogger and former journalist, added that although officials market Max as "convenience for users," its real purpose is to edge out private services.

"Russians will basically have no choice," he told Kontur. "They'll have to use the state app, even if it's worse than foreign competitors. That will stagnate the IT industry and erode trust in domestic products."

What is Max?

Instant messaging came to Russia later than in the West but quickly became more popular than texts or email. Apps such as Skype, Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram gave Russians space to criticize the government, organize protests and share investigative reporting, a trend that grew into what liberals called "digital opposition."

After the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, activity on these platforms surged. Telegram news channels alone added 19.5 million subscribers in a week, according to Kommersant.

Authorities faced mounting challenges with controlling that flow of information. Russians turned to VPNs to skirt restrictions, and the Kremlin responded by blocking foreign apps and promoting its own.

On June 4, the Digital Development Ministry introduced Max, the state-backed messenger designed to replace paper IDs and handle everyday transactions. Three weeks later, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree merging state, financial and commercial services into the app.

Billed as a multifunctional platform, Max lets users make calls, chat, share files, transfer money and sign documents with an "advanced electronic signature." It links to the Gosuslugi public services portal, integrates with Gosklyuch for digital signatures and includes a neural network and channel-creation tools.

Authorities also plan to fold in business services. In late August, the Digital Development Ministry urged major companies to integrate their internal systems with Max's chatbot. Russians have already nicknamed Max "the tsar of messengers."

On September 4, developers said it now has more than 30 million users, processing 8 million calls daily and more than 1 billion messages. It also hosts over 500 channels with a combined audience of 3 million.

Alisher Ilkhamov, director of the London-based Central Asia Due Diligence, said Russia's recent moves to tighten control over the information sphere should not be seen as efforts to defend sovereignty.

"Free competition between data communication providers is being eliminated," he told Kontur. "We're seeing the spread of a monopoly of a homegrown messaging app that is completely controlled by the authorities and consequently is becoming the latest instrument of the police state. In that regard Russia and China are undoubtedly similar."

Mandate for schools

On August 18, Russia's Education Ministry said its Sferum platform would be folded into Max. Sferum hosts class schedules, electronic journals, online lessons, parent meetings and teacher conferences and will add ministry channels, chatbots and a tool for filing anonymous complaints.

By November 1, all schools, universities and official education channels must switch to Max, according to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti. Teachers will be required to maintain activity levels at least as high as they were on WhatsApp or Telegram.

Khaidarov said the shift of universities, schools and kindergartens to Max represents the government's drive to monitor communication among students and teachers.

"In wartime the government is eager to minimize access to alternative information sources," he said. "This means that the messaging app in schools becomes an instrument of censorship and monitoring, not a way to develop digital independence."

Copying China

Khaidarov suggested that Russia is copying China's model of a closed digital ecosystem but lacks China's advantages.

"Unlike China, where large national IT companies have developed, Russia is following this path while it's under sanctions, there's a brain drain of specialists, and the investment climate is weak," he said, noting that the result is likely to be digital isolation, fewer rights for citizens and greater dependence on the state.

Dubrovsky agreed Russia is mirroring China but noted an even sharper contrast.

"Russia is copying China, but even in China there are several messaging apps so users have a choice. In Russia this will be the only messaging app. The consequences will be obvious: people will be monitored constantly," he told Kontur.

Dubrovsky added that some Russians may try to blunt the impact by buying second phones for the state app.

"Even people who completely support the Russian government are unlikely to want to be spied on from morning till night," he said.

Max launched in March, but WhatsApp and Telegram remained the most popular apps in July, with 96.2 million and 89.8 million users respectively, according to RBC.

As authorities moved to limit foreign platforms, Roskomnadzor announced on August 13 that it had begun "partially restricting calls" on them, claiming they were used for fraud and to involve citizens in sabotage and terrorism.