After Apple removed VKontakte from the App Store, Russian regulators said it would harm communication among its citizens and demanded an explanation from Apple. VKontakte is the largest social networking app in Russia. After Apple removed the app on Sept. 28, Russian regulator Roskomnadzor disputed the action, calling it “discriminatory.”
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VK, the company behind the app, released a statement on the matter on Monday and said other apps removed included Mail.ru, VK Music and Youla classified. The apps will continue to work on compatible devices, but have only been removed from the App Store, the statement said. However, users may experience issues with features such as notifications and payments.
After removing the VK app, Apple said it was complying with sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, developers owned or controlled by sanctioned parties outside Russia and whose developer accounts were terminated by Apple because of this In an apparent attempt to circumvent international sanctions, Apple users everywhere are affected by the decision, not just customers in Russia.
As noted in a Reuters report on Wednesday, Roskomnadzor is the main regulator for Russia to interface with U.S. tech giants. It previously forced Apple to remove an opposition leader’s app from the App Store, only to restore it after the Russian-Ukrainian war.
In 2015, Roskomnadzor also asked Apple to host iCloud data generated in Russia in the country, and Roskomnadzor imposed similar regulations on Telegram, Microsoft, Google and others.
In February 2022, Apple opened its first corporate office in Russia, and in March, after the Russian government invaded Ukraine, Apple stopped all online sales in the country (only supplying parts needed for repairs), so far Not yet restored.
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