---
title: "Max Cleanup: Why the Messenger Deleted Car Owners' Chats and How It Relates to the Law"
description: "The Max messenger deleted popular car owners' chats in Vladimir, Tver and other regions. 🛑 The official reason is the fight against fraudsters and fake QR codes, but experts also point to a violation of the blogger law. ⚖️"
date: 2026-06-26T18:07:13.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/max-cleanup-why-the-messenger-deleted-car-owners-chats-and-how-it-relates-to-the-law
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Max Cleanup: Why the Messenger Deleted Car Owners' Chats and How It Relates to the Law

![Motorists at a gas station discuss the deletion of chats in the Max messenger due to the law](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/26/blokirovka-chatov-avtomobilistov-v-max-prichiny-i-posledstviya/blokirovka-chatov-avtomobilistov-v-max-prichiny-i-posledstviya-1.webp)

In the third decade of June, the Russian messenger Max carried out a large-scale cleanup affecting local car owners' communities. The platform blocked and deleted a number of chats created by users to coordinate fuel searches and exchange information about queues at gas stations. The event caused a wide resonance in regions where there was a fuel shortage and raised questions about the boundaries of content moderation in times of crisis.

### Geography of blocks: who was hit

Restrictive measures affected groups that recorded a sharp influx of audience against the backdrop of the fuel crisis. According to monitoring channels and regional media, the most affected were communities in Vladimir, Tver and Ivanovo regions, as well as in Zabaikalsky Krai.

In particular, in the Vladimir region, the "Gasoline 33" chat was blocked. Three days before the block, the community gained an audience of about 15 thousand people. In the Tver and Ivanovo regions, local groups with about 9 thousand and 8 thousand users respectively were restricted. In the Zabaikalsky Krai, coordination resources of Chita and Krasnokamensk residents were deleted.

### Two versions of reasons: fraud or bureaucracy?

The situation around the blocks received two official explanations, which complement each other, revealing the complex legal and technical background of the events.

On June 25, the press service of the Max messenger published an explanation, where the emphasis was on user safety. According to representatives of the service, the block was due to the detection of signs of fraud. In the deleted groups, according to the company's statement, fake QR codes for buying fuel were distributed, as well as illegal schemes for reselling oil products from hand were offered. Such actions violate the platform's terms of use.

However, in addition to the internal rules of the service, external regulatory requirements also influenced the situation. According to an analysis by specialized publications, large regional chats whose audience exceeded the threshold of 10 thousand subscribers fall under the norms on de-anonymization of blog owners. The lack of timely registration of the resource in the special registry of Roskomnadzor is a legal basis for the application of automatic restrictions. Thus, popular chats that grew in the midst of the crisis could be deleted simply due to formal non-compliance with legal requirements.

### Economic background and regulators' reaction

Citizens' attempts to self-organize through messengers took place against the backdrop of real logistical problems. Fuel market experts link the imbalance of supply and demand to scheduled and unscheduled repairs at oil refineries, as well as to changes in railway transport schedules.

The authorities and antimonopoly bodies are reacting harshly to the situation. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has tightened control over the sale of fuel through digital platforms. Commercial offers for the resale of gasoline on marketplaces (Ozon, Wildberries) and classifieds (Avito) are blocked at the pre-moderation stage. The goal of such measures is to prevent speculative pricing.

Against the backdrop of blocks in Max, users record a partial transition to coordinating actions on alternative communication platforms, trying to find ways around to get up-to-date information on fuel availability.