Russia Pushes a State-Controlled ‘Super App’ by Sabotaging Its Rivals NYT | Top Stories By: Paul Sonne and Alina Lobzina 21 October 2025 at 17:06 As the Kremlin throttles WhatsApp and Telegram, the new MAX messaging app is moving Russia closer to a restricted internet without foreign technology. © Alexander Nemenov/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesAn employee checking her phone at a currency exchange in Moscow in February. For years, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has railed against foreign tech companies for their unwillingness to bend fully to Kremlin rules.
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