Russian president Vladimir Putin holds an indirect stake in Max, the state-promoted “national messenger” pitched as an alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram, through relatives, according to a journalistic investigation published Wednesday, Feb. 18, by reporter Andrei Zakharov.
Zakharov’s findings draw on financial statements from VK, the holding company behind the government messenger Max.
VK’s ownership structure is complex, and one of its key shareholders is the insurance firm Sogaz, in which a stake is held via the company Accept by Mikhail Shelomov, the son of Putin’s maternal cousin.
Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Shelomov held a 12% stake in Sogaz; after Western sanctions, the shareholder list was concealed. However, Accept’s reports continued to reflect the Sogaz stake in subsequent years, including 2024, leading Zakharov to conclude that Shelomov’s interest extends to the Max messenger.
Zakharov says he reached Shelomov by phone. Asked about Max, Shelomov replied he had “nothing to do with it” and ended the call. The reporter characterizes Max as a tool of enrichment and control that turns users into “digital serfs.”
Russian authorities are carrying out a broad campaign to compel citizens to switch to Max.
Officials have been ordered onto the platform, and school and neighborhood chats are being moved there.
Putin has called Max’s creation an achievement of “full digital sovereignty.”
At the same time, Russia’s telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor is restricting and blocking WhatsApp and Telegram, the country’s most popular messengers.
In August 2025, voice calls on those apps were blocked nationwide.
In February 2026, the Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor announced further curbs on Telegram in Russia.
