Russia Passes Bill To Create All-In-One Digital ID Identical To China's Surveillance State App WeChat
Elon Musk is currently transforming X into the same thing as well.
Ahead of the recent BRICS summit in Brazil this weekend, the Russian State Duma passed a law that seeks to create an all-in-one digital ID messenger app that is explicitly designed to imitate China’s WeChat - an app that has been criticized for the Chinese Communist Party using the app to surveil everything citizens do and enforce the country’s social credit score. WeChat is something Elon Musk has said he wants to turn X into as well.
In late-May, the Kremlin publicly revealed it has aspirations to create a homegrown messenger app that competes with other global giants. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS at the time:
"The emergence of a national messenger is great, provided that it will be a competitive messenger that is on par, as they say, with foreign alternatives. Because there are many of them out there, and anyone can use them.
"Of course, a national messenger - and not just a single one - should appear in our country.
"There should also be a competitive environment in this field, because worldwide, messengers thrive only in conditions of very, very tough competition.”
As noted by TASS, previous amendments were introduced that would allow for the creation of a “multifunctional digital service in Russia.” The report added that “it involves combining several functions at once in one application - state, financial and commercial - using a digital ID. The service is expected to free Russians from the need to carry around a bunch of different documents and certificates, and will also combine on one platform all the useful opportunities for interaction both with the government and with each other.”
Not long thereafter, the Duma gave the greenlight to develop such a super-app.
Reported by Interfax on June 10th, the bill which passed the State Duma will allow the creation of "a national multifunctional service in Russia, State Duma Information Policy Committee Chairman Sergei Boyarsky said. Boyarsky explained how the app will incorporate both public, financial and commercial, digital services into a single app. This would mean a digital ID, banking and commerce, medical records, social media and texting and video chats, and many other important services.
"It will be more than a national messenger with numerous interesting and unique functions. A trusted and secure environment will be created for communication and telephone calls with simultaneous access to public and commercial services.
“The application can be used to confirm one's age to a supermarket cashier or check in a hotel without presenting paper documents. We have clearly defined its characteristics and security requirements. I have no doubt this is the right step towards strengthening our digital sovereignty.
“The mandatory condition of the service is that it is a domestic product listed on the register of Russian software. This means it will meet the highest security standards.
Boyarsky added that it will allow “verifying identity with a digital ID, such as virtual discount cards, instead of using paper documents,” Interfax reports. “There will also be a legal opportunity for citizens to use the national service for communicating with public and municipal authorities, and educational chats and services will also move to the national platform.”
"Connecting the service to the Gosklyuch (state key) system will allow using an enhanced digital signature for signing agreements in transactions with other people or companies. On the one hand, this will make the process convenient, and on the other, will allow maintaining security.”
He clarified that traditional paper documents are still permitted (for now), while the app would provide an alternative.
There are some requirements for the app’s development. Interfax notes that it must be a Russian legal entity operating a website with a daily Russian audience surpassing 500,000 users. The website must permit advertising and work through installed applications on devices. The other requirement is to have exclusive rights to the program included in the register of Russian software.
“The bill will take effect on the day of official publishing, except for the provision on the service's inclusion in the list of mandatory installed programs. That provision will take effect on September 1, 2025,” Interfax added.
Putin also provided a timeline and expects a progress report by August 15th, TASS reported. Putin had earlier directed the Kremlin to “coordinate efforts to support the Russian messaging platform” by “migrating services currently offered by governmental agencies and financial institutions.”
Per the Kremlin’s website:
"The Government of Russia, along with the Bank of Russia, in accordance with previous instructions given, shall organize work to support the development of a Russian instant information exchange service (messenger), including ensuring the citizens’ access through its use to the most in-demand public services and services, provided by credit and other organizations.”
According to Russian outlet Meduzza, national social media giant VKontakte (VK) was selected for the project. Statista says the app is “often referred to as the Russian Facebook, VKontakte stands out as a titan in the Russian social media market. With a staggering 89 million monthly users and 378 million monthly publications, VKontakte has solidified its position as the country's dominant social network.”
WeChat, State Surveillance, And Musk
Prior to the State Duma’s vote, Russian Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev said VK had already developed a “fully Russian messenger” that rivals foreign applications. Shadaev informed President Vladimir Putin that VK built its messenger to integrate with external services, such as encrypted bank-client communications, the outlet explained.
Meduzza added: VK presented a beta version of this new messenger, “Max,” in late March 2025. The platform’s specifications align with the criteria proposed in the State Duma’s legislation, and Max’s developers indicate that they intend to integrate it with government services. The app offers text messaging, voice calls, and video calls. It also has an integrated mini-application platform, chatbot constructors, and a payment system.
“Max” is similar to China’s WeChat, Meduzza points out - something Russian officials have explicitly stated they want to do, by creating an app that mimics WeChat.
First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Information Policy Committee Anton Gorelkin commented on the bill’s passage, saying,
"Any ban on foreign messengers is not on the table. The closest analogy, which does not fully coincide with our vision, is WeChat.”
But the similarities to and ambitions to create a domestic version of WeChat have some Russians concerned. As Meduzza points out:
VK’s Max project has drawn comparisons to WeChat, China’s “super-app,” which combines a messenger, social network, search engine, payment system, and many other functions. For example, you can use WeChat to order food, book tickets, make a doctor’s appointment, or even file for divorce. Most of these functions are implemented through mini-programs, of which there were more than a million by 2018. WeChat’s monthly global user base is estimated at 1.3 billion people. Most users reside in China, where WeChat dominates the market, as no other platform can offer as many integrated services.
WeChat has faced numerous allegations of censorship and user surveillance, and the push for a Russian equivalent has raised concerns that Max will adopt the same practices. VK’s role in the project exacerbates these concerns, given the company’s extensive history of collaboration with the Russian authorities.
In July the Indian-based outlet Wion did a succinct story on how the Chinese government weaponizes this app against its people.
“Authorities are increasingly using the app to justify arrests or issue threats,” the host said.
The government-funded parent company Tencent designed and implemented a health rating system for the app. This same tool was heavily used as a contact tracing app for Covid-19 cases and recovery. It also doubled as a vaccine passport, where Chinese would have to scan a unique QR code to enter venues and locations wherever they went.
Not surprisingly, the government heavily censored what the people could view on the app, namely concerning Covid, and the government regularly bans accounts for discussing what is going on with lockdowns, vaccines, cases, and so on. Wion noted:
“After their accounts are [blocked], user’s say the police come and question them.
“The problem is the app is so crucial for existence in China, that users cannot even give it up.”
Nations like the United States and India have already banned the use of the app, reportedly because of the censorship and encryption concerns.
The WinePress has covered previous remarks by Elon Musk who has praised WeChat and said he wants to transform then Twitter (now X) into a copycat of WeChat.
That same week, Musk Watcher.Guru reported that X would become more like China’s WeChat, and that “X would become half of the global financial system,” he said, “if done right,” he clarified. Musk also noted that it will be done in a way that most people do not think of when it comes to banking, but as the “most efficient database for thing that is money,” he explained.
The same day, the new X CEO Linda Yaccarino also posted:
“X is the future state of unlimited interactivity – centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. Powered by AI, X will connect us all in ways we’re just beginning to imagine.
“For years, fans and critics alike have pushed Twitter to dream bigger, to innovate faster, and to fulfill our great potential. X will do that and more. We’ve already started to see X take shape over the past 8 months through our rapid feature launches, but we’re just getting started.
“There’s absolutely no limit to this transformation. X will be the platform that can deliver, well….everything. Elon Musk and I are looking forward to working with our teams and every single one of our partners to bring X to the world.”
On May 16th, 2022, Musk was a guest on the All-In Podcast where the hosts discussed a variety of topics, though mostly centered on technology, including his thoughts on Twitter – well before his recent purchase of the company.
During the podcast, Musk was asked about his thoughts on the Chinese-based app WeChat, and if Musk would consider making Twitter more like WeChat. He had this to say:
“For those that have used WeChat – WeChat’s actually a good model. If you’re in China you kind of live on WeChat: it does everything.
“It’s sorta like Twitter, plus PayPal, plus a whole bunch of other things, and all roll into one with actually a great interface, and it’s really an excellent app.
“And we don’t have anything like that outside of China.
“Such an app would be really useful.[…] But I think this thing really needs to exist whether it is converting Twitter to be [like] an all-encompassing app, […] or start something new […], but it does need to happen somehow.”
This was not the last time, however, Musk considered overhauling Twitter and making it more like WeChat.
One month ago he appeared in another interview, courtesy of The Kilowatts, where Musk joked about how he would literally just copy and paste the WeChat framework, and then sit back and watch the profits roll in.
“We don’t even have an app that’s as good as WeChat in China – you can live on WeChat, basically.
“WeChat is kickass, and we don’t have anything like WeChat outside of China.
“My idea would be like: ‘how about if we just copy WeChat?’ Copy them!”
Musk’s goal to transform X into an everything app is coming along swiftly. Earlier this year Musk and Yaccarino introduced “X Money” after partnering with VISA, facilitating money transfers from debit cards and bank accounts to "X Money" accounts, and will allow X users to pay each other on the platform.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
It is worth noting that Russia was supposed to have already debuted its digital Ruble, a retail CBDC, on July 1st but its implementation was delayed, with large commercial banks and big business offering concerns last year. The Bank of Russia is looking at September 2026. Ledger Insights reports:
That’s a compromise given the largest retailers requested an extension of up to two years. The first rollout date applies to the biggest banks and retailers. But the categorization of the largest retailers has been narrowed to those with revenues of more than 120 million rubles ($1.5m), compared to 30 million ($380,000) under the previous plan.
The next tier of banks and merchants get an extra year to launch, and includes banks with a universal license and traders with more than 30 million rubles in revenues. For the smaller ones, the launch deadline is 1 September 2028. However, it seems that small merchants with revenues of under 5 million are no longer compelled to accept the CBDC.
In the announcement, the central bank also emphasized that at checkout the digital ruble will use its universal QR code, which already supports its faster payment system. Late last year the bank said it had piloted the universal QR with 22 banks.
The biggest reason for its delay is because the digital ID, in this case the Russian version of WeChat, needs to be created and forced onto the public first. Without digital ID, the accessibility of CBDCs and tokenized assets are limited; and in order for central banks to exact absolute control over the people this must be in place. This was discussed in this report (and others I have done) here:
You must not lose sight of the fact that Russia is just as big of part of the “Great Reset” as everyone else. Ignore what the gatekeepers online are telling you: the whole world is working towards this new financial system, one of digital IDs, CBDCs, all assets and information and people to be tokenized and put on a unified ledger, which is all then connected to a grid and AI surveillance.
I have said it before and I will say it again: these wars right now are (pun intended) designed to “kill time” so the world can be reshaped and rebuilt; this new multipolar world order with a new financial system to be presented when world economies collapse and the masses beg for a solution. Again, be cautious of these multipolarity apologists online who continue to celebrate multipolarity as a step towards world cooperation and equity. They are either deceived or being deceived.
Ultimately, we are getting closer towards the mark of the beast system.
Revelation 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: [17] And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. [18] Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
The Lord Of Glory: The Detailed Guide To Who God Is – Available Now!
On one of his missionary journeys, the apostle Paul visited Athens, Greece, where he said he witnessed “the city wholly given to idolatry,” and who were “too superstitious” and worshipped a plurality of gods and deities, though the people acknowledged that there was still one God above all that was a mystery to them. When questioned by the philosophers …
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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And so will ALL Countries adopt such which will later be transferred to the MOTB.
Revelation 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Our Time is Almost UP!!!!!!!!
We will all get caught up in the digital world in one way or another
Not enough people in the world question the good or evil in it
They just go with whatever the govt says