In Russia, amid attempts by the authorities to block Telegram, the state messaging app Max has also ceased to function.
Complaints about service issues began to appear after 12:00, their number reaching hundreds, according to Downdetector data. Users report that the application does not open, does not allow sending or receiving messages, nor the uploading of media files. In some cases, all conversations have disappeared, and personal accounts have become inaccessible.
The majority of complaints were recorded in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, as well as in the regions of Khakassia, Udmurtia, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, and Chelyabinsk.
This is already the second major malfunction of the Max application within three days. A similar incident occurred on the morning of March 30th. At the same time, the application is promoted by authorities as “reliable” and “safe” and is included in the so-called “white list” of services that should remain functional under internet restrictions.
On April 1st, Roskomnadzor would have planned to block Telegram, according to some media sources, which indicated that the decision would have come from the security structures. In the last 24 hours, over 6,600 complaints regarding the functioning of the application created by Pavel Durov have been registered.
According to Mihail Klimarev, the head of the “Internet Protection Society” organization, Telegram “was not completely blocked”, however, in practice, its accessibility has dropped to about 30%, which is almost equivalent to a blockage.