Multifunctional information exchange service

History

2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on the launch of a single state messenger

The Law^[1]" on the creation of a single state messenger, providing for the integration^[2] the functionality^[3] state, financial and commercial digital services in one application, the president Russia Vladimir Putin signed on June 24, 2025.

According to the document, the Russian government will determine the organization that will be responsible for the launch and operation of a multifunctional information exchange service and the development of a program for its use. The future operator must meet two main criteria for obtaining the right to manage the national platform.

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Фото: Kremlin website

The first requirement provides that the organization should be a Russian legal entity, which includes a website, service or program with an audience of more than 500 thousand Russian users per day. Such a resource should allow advertising and work through pre-installed applications on devices.

The second condition is to have the exclusive right to the program, which is entered in the register of Russian software. This requirement is aimed at ensuring the technological independence and security of the service being created.

The head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Sergei Boyarsky noted that the adoption of the law will create a new national multifunctional service in Russia. According to him, the platform will be more than a national messenger and will receive many unique functions.

Boyarsky explained that a trusted and safe environment will be formed for communication, communication, telephone calls and at the same time receiving government and commercial services. The parliamentarian gave specific examples of using the application in everyday life.

With the help of this application, citizens will be able to confirm their age at the supermarket checkout or check into a hotel without presenting paper documents. The service will allow you to verify your identity using a digital identifier and use virtual discount cards.^[4]

According to the Ministry of Digital Development^[5] messenger, registration^[6] service will be organized by phone number. With its help, citizens will be able to receive the following public services:

• Digital ID. If desired, it can be used as a student card, as well as to confirm identity, age or preferential status in simple everyday situations - both online and in person, showing it on the phone screen. Electronic documents are equated with paper documents, but do not cancel them.
• Electronic signature. It will allow to translate the main part of the document flow of citizens with organizations into electronic form. It will be possible to sign in the messenger "Gosklyuchoy," for example, lease agreements, purchase and sale of cars or with telecom operators.
• School chats. Now parents use separate applications to communicate and get information about assessments and homework. In the messenger, they will be able to communicate, use educational services and receive all the information, which will greatly simplify communication.

The adopted law does not restrict citizens from using foreign messengers, however, it seems that communication with state bodies and the provision of some services will be organized using a special program - a national messenger, which will have to be developed by an operator appointed by the Government.

At the moment, we are not talking about the fact that the use of the national messenger will be mandatory for citizens or for companies, "Natalia Spitsyna, senior lawyer at Seven Hills Legal, explained for TAdviser. - It is assumed that registration in the application will be exclusively voluntary and citizens will have the opportunity to use foreign analogues. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that over time, the use of at least part of the functionality will become mandatory, which will lead to an increase in the share of the national messenger in the market.

There are examples of local messengers in the world, for example, such as WeChat in China, KakaoTalk in South Korea or Zalo in Vietnam, which were able to take dominant positions thanks to early market entry.

The development of a competitive domestic messenger is a long-term task, - said Mikhail Kopnin, director of the IT DCLogic department. - It will take at least 3-5 years to achieve popularity of the new platform, while the deadlines will be even more significant for full competition with WhatsApp and Telegram. In addition, it is important to attract content creators, information partners, sponsors to the platform. In terms of functionality, the solution should at least correspond to existing analogues, including news feeds, channels, chats, group calls.

However, the competitive advantage of the new service will be its exclusive access rights to digital state services, which can force Russian citizens to use it to solve everyday tasks of communicating with state services.

The exclusive rights that the state plans to provide to the national messenger can provide the application with a significant number of downloads, "Viktor Sizov, co-founder of the digital logistics operator, told TAdviser versta.io. - However, to achieve truly high user engagement, you will need to offer more than just access to "Public services." For example, convenient financial services, services for corporate communication. We in the company use WhatsApp and Telegram for text communication with customers, but both messengers have certain restrictions.

Adoption of the law on the creation of a national messenger

On June 10, 2025, the State Duma adopted in the second and third final reading a bill on combining the functionality of domestic digital services in a single application. The law provides for the creation of a national multifunctional information exchange service, which will include government, financial and commercial functions.

According to Interfax, the Russian government will determine the organization that will be responsible for the launch and operation of the multifunctional service. The organization must meet two key requirements: be a Russian legal entity with a site or service with an audience of more than 500 thousand Russian users per day, and have the exclusive right to a program entered in the register of Russian software.

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Фото: Freepik

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Sergei Boyarsky noted that the service being created will be more than a national messenger and will receive many unique functions. It is planned to form a trusted and secure environment for communication, communication, telephone calls and simultaneous receipt of government and commercial services.

The application will allow you to confirm your age at the supermarket checkout or check into a hotel without presenting paper documents. Sergei Boyarsky stressed that the law clearly spells out the characteristics and requirements for the safety of the service, which is the right step towards strengthening the country's digital sovereignty.

First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy Anton Gorelkin explained that a single state platform is being created that unites business, the state and users. The deputy stressed that we are not talking about the ban on foreign messengers, and international experience shows the success of such projects.^[7]

Service development

A bill on the creation of a national multifunctional digital service has been submitted to the State Duma of Russia, which will combine the functions of a messenger and public services. The application will allow users to communicate with government agencies, book hotels, buy tickets and sign up for doctors through a single platform. The initiative was prepared by the deputy and head of the information policy committee Sergei Boyarsky on May 30, 2025.

The new platform under the working name "Multifunctional Information Exchange Service" will continue the logic of the development of the national digital system of Russia. Domestic development is planned to be included in the register of Russian software.

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Фото: Freepik

One of the key features of the platform will be the ability to authenticate using a digital ID. At the first stage, it can be used to check into hotels and when shopping to confirm age. In the future, the service will add information about a driver's license, a diploma of education and a compulsory health insurance policy.

The application will ensure the interaction of citizens with state and municipal authorities. Educational chats and various government services will be moved to the platform. Users will be able to receive help, submit applications and track the status of cases through a single interface.

The program is planned to be connected to the State Key system, which will allow using an enhanced digital signature to conclude contracts with individuals and companies. This will make the process of signing documents safer and more convenient for all participants in the transactions.

Sergei Boyarsky noted that the innovations will reduce the need to use paper documents. At the same time, the digital system does not completely cancel them - classic documents will continue to operate, and the service will provide a modern alternative to traditional document management.^[8]

Notes