The launch of Max and the forced use
Reports regarding the testing of the Russian messaging application, Max, first surfaced in March 2025. At that time, media outlets indicated that VK, the app’s developer, was busy working on a beta version. The messenger was quickly branded as a multifunctional platform, boasting features such as chats, mini-apps, chatbots, and an integrated payment system.
The formal developer of Max is Communication Platform LLC, a subsidiary of VK, which was previously known as Mail.Ru Group. VK itself is a prominent tech holding that encompasses a variety of digital services, including Russia’s largest social network, VKontakte.
From the outset, Max was marketed as a “national” and “unified” messenger. The Kremlin actively promoted the app through pro-government bloggers and artists, who extolled its virtues throughout the summer months. Enthusiastic endorsements claimed, “It works where other messengers don’t — in an elevator, in a parking lot, even at sea.” Many Russians shared videos on social media showcasing the app’s promotion via loudspeakers on the streets.
By late June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law establishing a “national messenger” in Russia. The State Duma had previously supported the draft law aimed at creating the national digital platform Max, solidifying its status as a state-owned entity.
The Kremlin has plans to compel Russians to adopt this messenger, effectively eliminating alternatives. Starting September 1, 2025, all school chats in Moscow will transition to Max under federal law. Similar mandates are being implemented in Tatarstan, Altai, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District, as well as the Vladimir and Tver regions.
Furthermore, the messenger is mandated to be pre-installed on all smartphones and tablets sold in stores. Mobile operators are required to offer Max without consuming data traffic, providing an additional incentive for users to make the switch. Several Russian officials have already announced their transition to Max, having deleted other messaging applications from their devices.
Moscow residents (photo: Getty Images)
The requirement for Max extends to residents of occupied Ukrainian territories as well. The monitoring group Crimean Wind reported that individuals traveling from occupied areas of the Kherson region to annexed Crimea are being instructed to install the app.
“Drivers and passengers are now being persuaded to install the app. Elderly people are offered assistance in the installation process. At checkpoints, they are warned that starting next month, the absence of the Max messenger on a phone will result in additional inspections using a special detector that analyzes device content,” the report detailed.
In a bid to promote this new messenger, Russia is imposing restrictions on others. While there is no official ban on WhatsApp or Telegram, security services have significantly curtailed their key functionalities. Authorities justify these limitations as measures against extremism and terrorism, yet the underlying motive appears to be a desire for greater control over communications.
In the occupied territories, other messaging platforms have also faced restrictions. Viber was completely blocked for “failure to comply with legal requirements.”
Criticism of Max
By mid-August, approximately 18 million users had registered on the Max messenger. During this period, a significant volume of traffic traversed the platform, leading users to uncover numerous issues beyond the primary concern of its censorship and control.
Complaints from users highlighted that Max lacks end-to-end encryption, with messages stored on VK servers accessible to Russian security services. Digital rights experts have labeled the messenger a surveillance tool.
Users have also noted that Max persistently requests access to various smartphone features, including the camera, microphone, geolocation, contacts, and biometrics, while also collecting IP addresses and usage history. Unlike other applications, where tracking can be disabled, Max mandates this function. Reports suggest that the app is challenging to delete, operating at root-access levels typically associated with malware.
Analysis by GitHub experts revealed that Max activates the smartphone camera every 5 to 10 minutes to take photos. The app can also listen and record ambient sounds, gather data about user contacts, and capture text that was typed but not sent.
Additionally, users have reported that Max frequently freezes, struggles with message delivery, and features an inconvenient interface. Initially, the app maintained a rating of 4.6 out of 5 on Google Play, but as users began to test its functionalities, the rating plummeted, with many leaving one-star reviews. Over time, however, the rating rebounded to 4.6.
The most significant wave of criticism stems from the app’s state-owned nature. Users express concerns that their personal information may be handed over to the FSB and used against them. In response to these fears, the Kremlin has not shied away from acknowledging that monitoring will occur through Max.
“In corporate matters, state matters, secret issues, we must understand that any messengers are absolutely transparent systems. People who use them should understand that they are all transparent. For the security services,” stated Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Putin.
The situation surrounding the Kremlin’s explicit stance on the messenger, which facilitates surveillance, has reached a level of absurdity, with media outlets assuring the public that Max will not report users.
Max bears a striking resemblance to China’s WeChat platform, with both being labeled as “national” and integrating access to various state services. However, unlike Max, WeChat is not imposed upon society with such force and operates under commercial regulations.
“The creation of Max is an attempt to replicate China’s model — to limit external influence, prevent hacking, and monitor Russian elites by Western intelligence services and others. Ultimately, it is an effort to surveil all Russians. However, this endeavor is likely to fail — and Max will fail too,” remarked Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, in a statement to RBC-Ukraine.
It appears unlikely that the Kremlin will succeed in completely “switching off” all messaging platforms, just as it has struggled with social networks and the video-sharing platform YouTube.
“Based on the YouTube experience, they are compelled to soften their approach. However, technically blocking everything proves to be very challenging in today’s Russia,” Kovalenko added.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered increased control over foreign messaging applications, specifically targeting WhatsApp and Telegram, despite the latter being developed in Russia.
Putin has instructed the government to devise measures by September 1, 2025, to restrict the use of foreign software, including messengers originating from so-called “unfriendly countries.”
