Zelenskyy on new Kremlin messaging app where Russians are being pushed: We will get to Max as well

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia's restrictions on Telegram will make it harder to send messages to Russian society, but hinted that Ukrainian specialists are also working to gain access to Max, the Kremlin's new messaging app.

Source: Zelenskyy during an online briefing with journalists on 20 March

Details: In light of the recent story involving a pro-Kremlin Russian blogger and the Kremlin regime's plans to restrict Russians' access to the internet, the president was asked whether he believes there is currently potential for protest inside Russia, who could lead it, and what the consequences of social media bans might be.

Zelenskyy noted that if the Telegram messaging app is banned, it will become more difficult for Ukrainian cyber specialists to influence public sentiment in Russia. However, he said that work is also under way to gain access to Max, a new messaging app controlled by the Russian authorities.

Quote: "Without a doubt, Russia and its secret services have been working through Telegram in Ukraine, and they continue to do so. We know this, we have detected it, and we are countering it. As for us, frankly speaking, we also work via Telegram in Russia. Now, with Telegram being restricted in Russia, it will of course become more difficult to send messages to the Russian public, but nevertheless I have received a report regarding their new network – Max. We will get into Max as well.

The steps they are taking – restricting social media, restricting mobile communications – are all about total control. We understand what Putin is building in Russia, or has almost already built. But this is, you know, a step backwards – a step a hundred years backwards. In principle, they may soon move on to paper mail, telegraphs and horses.

That is the kind of civilisation it is. Perhaps Putin even likes it this way; perhaps it makes him feel young again."

Background:

• Putin's regime plans to block the Telegram messaging app in Russia starting from 1 April 2026, and it has already begun slowing it down.
• Russians are being prepared to switch to services controlled by the authorities, in particular the Max messaging app.
• Schoolchildren, students and employees of state institutions are being transferred en masse to Max. There have been reports of people in the occupied territories being forced to download the app under threat of dismissal or expulsion. Since 1 September 2025, Max has been included in the list of mandatory applications that must be pre-installed on smartphones sold in Russia, including those in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

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