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Russian Messenger Max Tied To Putin’s Family Business Empire, Investigation Shows
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russia’s newly promoted messaging platform Max is linked to ownership structures connected to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s relatives, according to The Insider on February 18.
The outlet reports that journalist Andrey Zakharov traced the messenger’s corporate ownership to VK, the technology holding company that operates Max. A key shareholder of VK is the insurance group Sogaz.
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Through a St. Petersburg-based company called Akcept, Mikhail Shelomov—identified as Putin’s cousin’s son—holds a stake in Sogaz. Financial disclosures for 2024 indicate that Shelomov continues to retain shares in VK, according to The Insider.
Shelomov previously worked as a photographer in the early 2000s, but after Putin came to power, major assets were registered in his name, including stakes in Bank Rossiya and Sogaz, the report states. During a phone conversation with Zakharov, Shelomov said he has “no connection” to the Max messenger before ending the call.
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The report also outlines changes in VK’s ownership structure. In 2021, billionaire Alisher Usmanov sold a controlling stake in USM, the holding company that owned VK shares, to Sogaz. At that time, longtime Putin associate Yuri Kovalchuk and Shelomov were already among the largest beneficiaries connected to Sogaz, according to The Insider.
Russian authorities are actively promoting Max as a domestic alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram. School chat groups and government communications are reportedly being transferred to the platform, and it is being integrated with the state services portal Gosuslugi.
At the same time, Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor has slowed or restricted access to competing foreign messengers.
Putin has described the launch of Max as an achievement of “full digital sovereignty.” The investigation concludes that dividends from VK-linked structures flow to business entities connected to Kovalchuk and to members of the president’s family through Shelomov, positioning Max within a broader consolidation of Russia’s technology sector under groups tied to the Kremlin.
Earlier, agents of the ATESH partisan movement reported that Russian servicemen in the Donetsk region were resisting orders to install the state-controlled messaging app “MAX.” Command within the 27th and 144th motorized rifle divisions of Russia’s 2nd Combined Arms Army instructed personnel to switch exclusively to the platform by February 18, prompting dissatisfaction among soldiers and officers amid broader communication difficulties on the front line.
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-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")