Students in Russia are forced to use Putin's national messaging app Max
Russian universities are transferring communication related educational processes to the new state-controlled messaging system Max, effectively forcing students to install the app. The ones who refuse face pressure and sanctions.
A student from the Northern (Arctic) Federal University in Arkhangelsk told the Barents Observer that the university administration now requires students to install the Max messaging app as a mandatory condition for continuing their studies.
According to the student, everyone has been warned that the university system Modius, developed by Microsoft and used for organising the educational process, will cease to function in only few weeks. All the main functions — class schedules, group chats, communication with teachers and administration — will be available only in Max. The student has not seen any official documents, but group leaders were told that this was not the university's initiative, but an order from 'above'.
Back in November 2025, the Government of the Arkhangelsk region announced that all educational institutions were switching to the 'national messenger':
There is a concept of digital sovereignty. It is very important to understand that MAX is our Russian development, which, in my opinion, is safer than foreign messengers. Our key task is to ensure the safety of participants in the educational process
Pressure practice: from Arkhangelsk to Irkutsk
According to the publication 'Groza', coercion to install Max has been recorded in at least 23 Russian universities.
At the Kuban State Technological University, curators wrote to students that the administration was 'controlling the connection' to Max, and registration was mandatory. Group leaders were informed that the Ministry of Education and Science had sent the university the results of a 'connection monitoring', and now students were expected to 'actively register'.
At the St. Petersburg State University, access to the university Wi-Fi can now only be accessed through a bot in Max. Previously, this could be done via the university website. The new password is generated in the messaging app and is valid for six months.
At the Chemical Institute of Kazan Federal University, students were informed that from 2026, entry passes, electronic student cards, and report cards will be available through Max. The system is currently being introduced in "test mode," but group leaders have already been required to join chats in the new messenger.
At Baikal State University in Irkutsk, students report that without Max installed, they are not allowed to take tests and exams. According to them, teachers outright refuse to give credits, and information about studies is published only in the new application. Group leaders are asked to report daily on how many students have registered.
At Kursk Medical University, students are threatened with denial of exemption from making up missed classes and problems with retaking exams if they do not install Max. Complaints about the administration's actions have been sent to the rector and Rosobrnadzor.
In one of the faculties of Kuban State University, students were threatened with disciplinary measures and required to write explanatory notes in case of refusal to comply with the order to switch to Max. At the same time, the use of other messengers in educational communication was effectively banned.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Digital Development, in response to an appeal by Communist Party MP Oleg Mikhailov, previously stated that coercion to install Max is illegal. However, in practice, no alternatives are offered to students.
"Thus, no one has the right to force you to install the MAX messenger and use it, as it is completely voluntary. Use it," wrote the MP.
Neighbourhood chats, alcohol sales and surveillance
Max is a messenger developed by a subsidiary of the VK holding. The application was launched in beta version in the spring of 2025, and by June, Vladimir Putin signed a law on the creation of a "national messenger." Later, the authorities explicitly stated that Max would become a multifunctional information exchange service. The state constantly orders advertising of the messenger from popular bloggers and influencers, such as the singer Instasamka and rapper Yegor Kreed.
Max is promoted as a safe domestic alternative to foreign messengers, amidst the blocking of WhatsApp, Telegram, and other popular services by Russian authorities. However, experts and human rights activists have repeatedly pointed out that Max lacks end-to-end encryption, and the app's architecture makes user data vulnerable to surveillance. Correspondence in such a messenger could potentially be accessible to law enforcement agencies in real-time. In Russian courts, messages and online publications have long been used as key evidence in politically motivated criminal cases.
Meanwhile, Max's functions are gradually expanding beyond ordinary communication. On 18 December, the State Duma passed a law allowing age verification for purchasing alcohol and tobacco products through this messenger. Another step is the transfer of residential chats to Max. In December, the State Duma passed a law requiring management and utility companies to interact with residents of apartment buildings through this service.
