Russian mobile carriers to make access to Kremlin-backed Max messenger free

Russia’s four major mobile carriers — MTS, Beeline, MegaFon, and T2 — will stop charging for data used by the Max messenger starting August 1, letting subscribers use the app without restrictions.Access to Max will no longer draw from subscribers’ mobile data packages. “It can be used even if you run out of gigabytes,” the Digital Development Ministry declared in a statement announcing the changes.VK, which owns the messenger, confirmed through its press service that carriers and Max had agreed to zero-rate its traffic.Max CEO Farit Khusnoyarov said “tens of millions of users” of the app “won’t have to worry about rates and limits” and will retain access to the messenger “regardless of their plan status or balance.”The arrangement applies only when a subscriber is using their carrier’s home network.In early June, the Max messenger was removed from the App Store. Apple attributed the decision to international sanctions but did not specify which ones. Soon after, the European Union imposed sanctions on VK and its subsidiary, Communication Platform, which developed the messenger. Google removed Max from its app store shortly afterward.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.