Investigation: Max messenger linked to Putin's family
According to an investigation by journalist Andrey Zakharov, Russian President Vladimir Putin may own a stake in the Max messenger app through his relatives. This refers to Putin's cousin Mikhail Shelomov, who has previously been named in the media as the nominal owner of assets linked to the Kremlin leader.
Max is owned by the VK holding company, which has a complex shareholder structure. One of the key owners of VK is the insurance company Sogaz. Shelomov owns a stake in Sogaz through the company Accept. Before the start of the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, he owned 12 per cent of Sogaz. After the introduction of Western sanctions, the shareholder structure became closed, but data on the stake in Sogaz continued to be reflected in Accept's reports, in particular for 2024.
Based on these financial documents, the journalist concludes that Shelomov is indirectly linked to the Max messenger. During a telephone conversation with Zakharov, Putin's relative stated that he had no connection to the service, after which he ended the call.
Max is actively promoted by the Russian authorities as a state messenger and an alternative to Western platforms. Officials have been obliged to switch to the new service, and school and home chats are being transferred to it. Putin himself called the launch of Max an achievement of complete digital sovereignty.
At the same time, Roskomnadzor is tightening restrictions on popular messengers. In August 2025, voice calls via WhatsApp and Telegram were blocked in Russia. In February 2026, the regulator announced further restrictions on Telegram in the country.
The author of the investigation believes that Max can be used not only as a commercial project, but also as a tool for controlling users in the context of the Kremlin's increasingly harsh digital policy.
