Russia launching digital ID ‘super-app’ inspired by Chinese WeChat

Russia is introducing a new digital identity “super-app” that will combine messaging, government and private services, e-signatures and digital IDs. What’s more, the multifunctional app will have to come pre-installed on smartphones, tablets and other devices sold in Russia as of September 1st, 2025.

A law on combining functionalities of state, financial and commercial digital services in a single application was adopted by the State Duma on Tuesday, news agency Interfax reports.

The app will be more than a national messenger, allowing users to confirm their age at the supermarket cashier or check into a hotel without presenting paper documents, according to State Duma Information Policy Committee Chairman Sergei Boyarsky.

“We have clearly defined its characteristics and security requirements,” he says. “I have no doubt this is the right step towards strengthening our digital sovereignty.”

The newly adopted bill states that the government will select the organization in charge of the project. The company will need to be a Russian legal entity, with an online platform of more than 500,000 daily users inside the country. Platforms such as these are required by law to monitor and censor content.

The main contender for building the app is VKontakte, the company behind Russia’s most popular social platform, according to Maksut Shadayev, Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.

In March, the company presented a beta version of a new messenger called Max, integrating messaging, calls, a mini-application platform and a payment system. Its developers have indicated that they intend to integrate it with government services.

Russia adopts China’s approach to digital services

The closest analogy to the platform is China’s “everything app” WeChat,” First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Information Policy Committee Anton Gorelkin has confirmed. Thanks to its mini-apps, the Tencent platform offers everything from messaging and mobile payments to utilities and taxi-hailing.

Comparisons to WeChat, however, are also instilling fears that the Russian government plans to conduct user surveillance and censorship through the new app, according to independent news outlet Meduza. VKontakte has an extensive history of collaboration with the Russian authorities.

For Russian officials, however, the app is supposed to solve communication between citizens with state services by integrating the national public services platform Gosuslugi, allowing “enhanced” digital signatures.

The digital ID will be able to replace passports not just for confirming one’s age but also for proving benefit rights or student status. Money transfers, vehicle purchases, real estate payments and other banking operations are also on the table.

Article Topics

age verification  |  China  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  mobile app  |  Russia  |  super app