Apple has removed ‘VKontakte’ and other Russian apps from its app store
The Russian media were the first to draw attention to this, and ‘Babel’ has confirmed this information.
The apps ‘Zen’, VK Video, ‘VK Messenger’, VK Music and ‘VK Dating’ have also disappeared. They are all owned by the Russian holding company VK.
Apple has not yet officially commented on the decision to remove them from the App Store. The Russian Ministry of Digital Development has reacted to the situation, describing it as a ‘politically motivated decision’ and a ‘manifestation of unfair competition’.
In early June, the ‘Max’ messaging app – which is positioned in Russia as the ‘national messenger’ – disappeared from the App Store in the same way. Apple stated at the time that ‘Max’ had been removed from the App Store ‘in accordance with sanctions compliance rules’.
In Ukraine, ‘VKontakte’, ‘Odnoklassniki’ and a number of other Russian services and websites were banned in 2017. The ban has been extended several times since then.
Follow us on Telegram
