Max messenger stays forever: Ministry drops own chat for new Gosuslugi concept

The national messenger Max will keep operating in Russia indefinitely. This was announced by Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev at the Digital Evolution forum held in Kaluga on August 7.

The official also outlined plans for the Gosuslugi portal. The ministry intends to turn it into a large-scale social media platform. A new product concept for the service will be presented in Kaluga behind closed doors.

Shadayev stressed that the concept does not include building a proprietary messenger — that role will continue to be filled by Max. The minister stated plainly that no messenger is planned within it. On Friday, the ministry will discuss the new Gosuslugi development concept with regional representatives.

Earlier, the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko said authorities were considering creating a universal digital ecosystem based on Gosuslugi. The platform's key advantage was cited as its verified user base, since every account undergoes screening.

In early August, the portal also launched a service for obtaining benefits via Mir cards. The pilot project is already underway.