St. Petersburg State University has mandated the use of the Max messenger as its primary platform for internal communications and information sharing, according to reports from the independent Russian news outlet T-invariant. This directive, signed by Vladimir Starostenko, the university’s vice rector for digital transformation and information security, stipulates that the human resources department must inform all new employees about these updated communication protocols upon their hiring.
Sources within the university, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the directive has been disseminated across all departments. One staff member expressed the general discontent among colleagues, stating, “Of course everyone is unhappy — before this, people mostly refused. Now everyone is doing what they advise online: installing Max on a second phone. I just installed the desktop version on my work computer. I haven’t installed it on my personal phone, and I’m not going to.” This sentiment reflects a broader reluctance to adopt the new platform, as many staff members have yet to engage in any meaningful communication or information sharing via Max.
Background on Max Messenger
The Max messenger, developed by VK, was introduced in the spring of 2025. Since its launch, Russian authorities have actively encouraged citizens to transition to this platform, effectively integrating it into various aspects of daily life. This includes migrating building and school chats to Max, utilizing it for logging into the Gosuslugi government services portal, and even for age verification when purchasing alcohol at select retail chains. In contrast, popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram have faced restrictions and are currently blocked in Russia.
