Russian officials, including government representatives, deputies, and heads of state companies, are actively acquiring separate mobile phones and SIM cards. The reason for this is the fear that they may be monitored by security services, particularly the FSB, if they use the ‘national messenger Max,’ which is promoted by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
This is reported by Finway
Distrust in the National Messenger Max
Journalists, citing sources within the Russian government, report that most officials in the Kremlin avoid installing the Max messenger on their personal devices. Instead, they are purchasing special phones, which have been dubbed ‘maxophones’ among officials. These devices are used exclusively for work purposes to avoid potential surveillance by Russian security services.
“Everyone believes that if you install Max on your phone, it’s the same as taking it to the FSB,” noted a government insider.
Some officials still register on the Max messenger using their main numbers, but they also have additional ‘secret’ devices. The most cautious users do not synchronize contacts between their personal phones and the smartphones on which Max is installed.
Telegram Remains the Primary Messenger for Officials
Despite the promotion of the official messenger, a significant portion of Russian officials are not ready to give up using Telegram. They hope that the issue of blocking this service in Russia will be resolved. According to one representative of federal agencies, even official working meetings are still held in Telegram.
It is worth noting that on March 16, there were widespread complaints from users in Russia about disruptions in Telegram’s service. Russian experts believe this could be a sign of the beginning of a blockade of the popular messenger. According to the publication ‘Kommersant,’ the total number of complaints approached 20,000.