Svyaznoy was Russia's second-largest independent handset retailer, with over 2,900 stores in Russia and Belarus.[1] Its founder and owner is Maksim Nogotkov. As of 2009, the company controls 22,4% of the Russian mobile retail market. Its main rival is Euroset, which Svyaznoy later acquired.
The company was known as Maxus between 1995 and 2002.[2] As of July 2013, Svyaznoy was the only official reseller of iPhones in Russia.[3] Since 2010 Nogotkov has also been developing a banking chain, Svyaznoy Bank.
Svyaznoy company claimed to start bankruptcy process at February 2023.[4] After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a number of equipment manufacturers stopped deliveries to Russia. The last Svyaznoy stores in St. Petersburg