The shares in the Max messenger are owned through the company "Akcept" by Putin's cousin Mikhail Shelomov, who is referred to as the Russian president's "nominal," journalist Andrei Zakharov has found out.
According to the results of a journalistic investigation, Russian President Vladimir Putin owns shares in the Max service through relatives, which is actively promoted by the Russian authorities as a "national messenger" and an alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram. The shares in Max are owned in Putin's interests by his cousin Mikhail Shelomov, as stated in the investigation by journalist Andrei Zakharov, published on Wednesday, February 18.
Share in the VK holding through the companies "Sogaz" and "Akcept"
In his conclusions, he relies on the financial reports of the VK holding, which owns the state messenger Max. The holding has a complex ownership structure, and one of its key shareholders is the insurance company "Sogaz," in which Mikhail Shelomov owns shares through the company "Akcept."
Before the start of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, Shelomov had a 12% stake in "Sogaz," which was subsequently hidden from the public due to Western sanctions. However, the stake in "Sogaz" was reflected in the reports of "Akcept" in the following years, particularly for 2024, from which Zakharov concludes about Shelomov's stake in the Max messenger.
Zakharov managed to reach the son of Putin's cousin on his mother's side, who is referred to in the media as the Russian president's "nominal". When asked about Max, Shelomov replied that he had "no relation" to it and hung up the call. The author of the investigation describes the messenger as a tool for enrichment and control, through which users are turned into "digital serfs."
Campaign to switch to Max and block WhatsApp and Telegram
The Russian authorities are conducting a large-scale campaign to force citizens to switch to Max. Among other things, officials are required to switch to this messenger, and school and housing chats are being transferred to it. Putin called the creation of Max an achievement of "full digital sovereignty."
At the same time, Roskomnadzor is restricting and blocking the most popular messengers among Russians, WhatsApp and Telegram. In August 2025, calls through these messengers were blocked in the Russian Federation. In February 2026, Roskomnadzor announced further restrictions on Telegram in Russia.
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