Russia finds way to impose total control in occupied territories
Photo: Russians force workers in occupation to use MAX messenger (Getty Images)
Employees in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine have been ordered to use the Russian messenger Max to enable total control, according to the Telegram channel of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security SPRAVDI.
Mandatory transition to Max
According to the report, heads of institutions and municipal enterprises have been instructed to ensure 100% installation of the Max messenger among staff and to transfer all official communication to the platform.
Orders, schedules, lists, and reports must now be shared exclusively via the messenger. Refusal is treated as a disciplinary violation, and management is already required to report the percentage of connected employees.
The application is being integrated with Russian accounting and identification services, creating a centralized system of digital control over public sector employees in the temporarily occupied territories.
Messenger Max
In September last year, Russia launched its first "national" messenger, Max. It is pre-installed on all phones sold in stores, and Russians are being urged to switch to it from other platforms.
Within months, users reported dozens of issues with the app, beyond the most obvious concern — that it is censored and fully controlled by the state.
Among other complaints, users noted the absence of end-to-end encryption. Messages are stored on VK servers, which are accessible to Russian security services. Digital rights experts describe the messenger as a surveillance tool.
According to users, Max constantly requests access to nearly all smartphone functions — camera, microphone, geolocation, contacts, biometric data, Bluetooth, and messages — while also collecting IP addresses and usage history.
Unlike other applications, where users can limit tracking, Max reportedly makes such permissions mandatory. The app is also said to be difficult to delete, potentially operating with root-level access, a feature typically associated with malicious software.
After analyzing the application, GitHub experts reported that Max activates the smartphone camera every 5–10 minutes to take photos. The app can also record ambient audio, collect contact data, and even log text typed but not sent.
The strongest criticism concerns the messenger’s state-controlled nature. Users fear that all personal data will be transferred to the FSB and potentially used against them. In response to such concerns, the Kremlin has made little effort to deny that monitoring through the Max app would take place.
