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TechRadar
TechRadar
Chiara Castro

'Switch to MAX, by any means necessary' — Inside Russia’s great internet crackdown

Max Telegram Russia Internet Kremlin Sarkis Darbinyan Vladimir Putin TechRadar Apple Roskomnadzor
In this photo illustration, a MAX messenger app logo is seen displayed on a smartphone with a flag of Russia in the background.

Internet throttled. Popular applications blocked. VPN connections targeted. What's been labelled Russia's "great crackdown" seems to have one clear wannabe winner — the state-controlled app MAX.

Echoing the Chinese WeChat, MAX is a messaging app that not only seeks to replace the now-restricted WhatsApp and Telegram, but also integrates government services. Since September, MAX must be pre-installed on every new smartphone and tablet sold in Russia.

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