Russian citizens are being forced to use MAX

Russia has been taking measures to get citizens to use the MAX messenger service, including the facilities to upload documents for age verification.

Now Russia are preparing to adopt a new decree that would allow Russians to present their driver’s licences via the MAX messenger too.

Citizens will be provided with a two-dimensional barcode that can be checked against the information in the State Services registry.

Putin signed the law in December 2025 that allowed the purchase of alcohol and cigarettes via MAX alongside the user’s passport.

In addition, local housing management companies and housing services were told they must interact with residents of apartment buildings via home chats in the State messenger.

Russia is slowly aiming to move almost all of Russia to the MAX service instead of using other services such as WhatsApp, FaceTime and SnapChat.