Integration of Government Services with VKs Max Messenger Under Consideration After Telegram Project Rejection

At the TAdviser Summit, Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadaev shared that his department had considered integrating the «Gosuslugi» portal with the Telegram messenger. However, they ultimately decided against it due to uncertainties regarding certain aspects of the project. Currently, the Ministry is exploring integration with VK’s Max messenger.

Shadaev noted that the potential integration of «Gosuslugi» is being considered exclusively with Russian services. He clarified that no decision has yet been made concerning the integration with the Max messenger.

VK launched Max—a beta version of the messenger featuring mini-apps, bots, and calling capabilities—on March 27, 2025. The app’s interface and functionalities resemble a blend of Telegram and the closed platform ICQ. The service is available on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS, along with a web version and an API for developers to create chatbots and mini-apps. Users can engage in personal and group chats, share voice messages, stickers, and files up to 4 GB, as well as express reactions with emojis. It also includes built-in calling options, both video and audio.

In April 2025, the Max messenger from VK introduced the AI service GigaChat 2.0, which offers a range of features including text and image generation, transcription of voice messages, and summarization of articles, videos, and other types of content.