As Russian authorities
tighten the screw
on
popular messaging app Telegram
and promote a state-backed “
super app
” that
observers say
could act as a surveillance tool, independent journalists and media outlets inside and outside Russia say it will become more difficult to report stories securely and stay connected to audiences.
President Vladimir Putin is
pushing
for
“digital sovereignty”
and more control over Russia’s online infrastructure, including through the promotion of the
MAX
app, which some journalists and experts have compared to China’s
WeChat
– a powerful surveillance tool for the state.
MAX was released by Russian technology giant VK
in March 2025
and is intended as a domestic alternative to Telegram, a critical platform for independent and exiled media that the Kremlin wants to curtail because it offers an
alternative source of information
, notably since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Amid
growing censorship
, Telegram allows opposition figures, journalists, human rights defenders, activists and digital influencers to reach large audiences outside traditional state-controlled media channels. Its relative independence makes it harder for the authorities to control the flow of information.
But since February, state media regulator Roskomnadzor has
introduced restrictions
on Telegram over what it says is failure to combat fraud, delete extremist content and protect user data.
Observers,
including
Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov, say the throttling of the app
is designed
to push people into embracing MAX, allowing authorities to more easily control news and information and making it specifically harder for journalists, inside and outside the country, to communicate securely with potential sources or receive tip-offs.
The Telegram crackdown comes on top of widespread internet shutdowns, which have cut off many Russians from reliable information as Putin’s
popularity declines
and tensions grow
… [more]
