Kremlin Prepares to Replace Telegram with a Clone App Designed for Total Surveillance
Russia is on the verge of banning Telegram, one of the last relatively free communication platforms in the country. In its place, the Kremlin is aggressively pushing MAX, a state-controlled clone developed by VK (VKontakte)—a company notorious for surrendering user data to Russian authorities. But this isn’t just about digital sovereignty. It’s about surveillance, control, and forcing every Russian citizen into a panopticon.
At a recent government meeting, Vladimir Putin ordered all state institutions and financial services to fully migrate to MAX, which is deliberately designed to look and feel identical to Telegram. The new app is tightly integrated with Gosuslugi, Russia’s digital public services portal, and features built-in digital ID support. MAX won’t just be a messenger — it will be a mandatory gateway in Russia.
“Services offered by state bodies and financial institutions must be moved to this platform,” Putin said. “Please organize support for the domestic messenger.”
But the motive behind MAX isn’t just “domestic development.” It’s total control.
Telegram, Rebranded and State-Controlled
Multiple analysts and a Trashbox review pointed out the MAX app shamelessly replicates Telegram’s interface while quietly giving Russian authorities full visibility into user activity.
With a single tap, most users unknowingly grant the app access to their entire media library, camera, microphone, and location. The Kremlin will be able to track, listen, and watch in real time.
This shift is a calculated plan. After introducing MAX, Telegram and WhatsApp will be squeezed out. Legislation is already in the works to restrict or outright ban foreign messengers unless they submit to full compliance with Russian law—which effectively means handing over encryption keys and user data.
Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Society for the Protection of the Internet, warned:
“They’ve copied Telegram’s interface deliberately. The goal is to corral users into MAX—and to do that, they’ll eliminate the competition.”
The irony is bitter. Telegram’s creator, Pavel Durov, is the same person who had originally founded VKontakte. He was forced to leave the company and sell it after refusing to give the Kremlin access to people’s private information. After the Kremlin’s failure to gain control of Telegram, they decided to replace it with a Frankenstein copy under government control. Telegram has over 60 million users in Russia and has been instrumental in spreading uncensored news, mobilizing protests, and connecting independent media.
China’s WeChat — The Authoritarian Blueprint
To understand where Russia is headed with MAX, look to China’s WeChat—a platform that has become the template for digital authoritarianism.
In China, WeChat isn’t just a messenger. It’s how people pay rent, access government services, manage bank accounts, communicate with employers, and even report to police. The app is fully integrated into every part of life, and by extension, into every part of state control.
There’s no opting out. Foreign alternatives are banned, and without WeChat, daily life becomes almost impossible. It’s not just a communication tool—it’s a digital ID, a wallet, a government portal, and a surveillance device wrapped into one.
This is exactly what Russia plans to do with MAX. MAX is built to replicate this model: one app, total dependency. Integrated with Gosuslugi, digital ID, banking, healthcare, education, and government services, it will become unavoidable.
With Telegram and WhatsApp being pushed out by law, Russians are about to be forced into a single state-run app where every message, photo, and voice note is subject to surveillance. This isn’t about national security—it’s about fear.
Putin is terrified of losing informational control over the population, and MAX is his attempt to lock the digital doors before dissent spreads too far.
Soon, the Kremlin won’t just know what you say—they’ll know where you are, who you talk to, what you photograph, and what you hear. Russia’s future is one where every citizen lives under a digital microscope, and MAX is the lens.
