By August 11, Tyumen State University (UTMN) had restored Wi-Fi authentication through the state-run MAX messenger, according to a group of activists who had campaigned for alternative authentication methods.
On August 6, students reported that MAX had been removed as a Wi-Fi authentication method. The New People party later tried to take credit for the change, attributing it to the efforts of its State Duma candidate, Elena Panova.
“Elena Vasilyevna Panova, please help! They brought back the hated MAX. You somehow managed to get rid of it in July. You need to do it again! New People have done it before, right?” the students wrote sarcastically.
In March, some UTMN students refused to install MAX and launched a petition demanding alternative ways to connect to Wi-Fi. More than 7,000 people signed it. The university administration responded that it was not required to provide students with free Wi-Fi at all, but in early August it introduced an option to connect using email instead.