The State Duma passed a law on transferring house chats to Max
The State Duma has approved, in its second and third readings, a law requiring all apartment building chats to be transferred to the Max messenger. The document has been published on the official website of the State Duma, but it will only come into force after approval by the Federation Council and signature by Vladimir Putin.
According to the amendments, property management companies and service providers are now required to communicate with residents via building chats hosted on the Max messenger. This follows from an amendment to Article 165, which states: “Utility service providers … are required to ensure information interaction with owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential houses using an information system and multifunctional information exchange service created in accordance with Federal Law No. 156-FZ of June 24, 2025.”
Law No. 156, signed by Vladimir Putin, did not explicitly designate Max as a state messenger, but it created the legal framework for doing so.
It became officially known that Max would serve as the national messenger after Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order in July on the development of a multifunctional information exchange service. At that time, the Ministry of Digital Development directly stated that this role would be fulfilled by Max, developed by Communication Platform, a subsidiary of the VK holding.
At the end of November, it became known that the authorities in Russia were recommended to switch to domestic communication services. Information also emerged that the Ministry of Education of Russia had instructed all universities and secondary vocational institutions to register in the state messenger. However, the Ministry of Digital Development later circulated a clarification that the use of Max in educational institutions is voluntary.
As part of the broader rollout of Max, Roskomnadzor has also been seeking to restrict access to other messengers in Russia, including WhatsApp, FaceTime, Snapchat and even the gaming platform Roblox, where users create groups and virtual worlds to communicate with each other.
On December 17, Roskomnadzor announced that Roblox had stated its readiness to comply with Russian laws in order to have the gaming platform unblocked. Among the conditions for unblocking, it was specified that the platform’s management would remove chat and user communication features for users in Russia.
On December 10, independent politician Konstantin Larionov announced
that a collective lawsuit had been filed against Roskomnadzor. According to him, in August 2025 users across the country experienced restrictions on voice calls in WhatsApp and Telegram. A common means of communication for millions of people effectively became unavailable, prompting preparations for legal action.
The plaintiffs are now challenging the blocking of voice calls in messengers, which was introduced by Roskomnadzor without notifying citizens or providing legal justification. Their main arguments are that the decision was made covertly, no official documents or explanations were issued, and the restrictions violate constitutional rights, including freedom of information, the secrecy of correspondence, and the right to privacy.
It is also noted that the wording used by Roskomnadzor to justify the restrictions—citing measures to combat fraud—does not address the real risks involved.
Konstantin Larionov has called on all interested parties to join the class action lawsuit.
