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Russia Threatens Apple Over Deleting VK Apps From App Store
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Russia said it will take measures against Apple following the removal of VK apps from the App Store, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced on June 25, according to The Moscow Times.
Russian authorities intend to contact the American corporation first to determine the exact reasons behind the sudden removal of the applications.
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The Kremlin warned of a potential rupture in relations if the tech giant does not cooperate with the inquiry. “If these explanations are not given, we must further draw conclusions about continuing any interaction with this company,” Peskov stated, according to the news outlet.
He noted that this is not the first time Apple has deleted Russian software without warning, pointing to the June 3 removal of the state messenger Max , which was also developed by VK. Peskov called these decisions “strange.”
Consequently, the Kremlin spokesperson urged citizens to abandon Apple devices entirely in favor of alternative operating systems. “For those who are truly active users of [Russian] services, there is always an immediate solution to the problem—switch to Android, switch to our systems,” Peskov said, as reported by The Moscow Times. The mass removal hit several of VK Holding’s most popular platforms simultaneously, including the social networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, alongside Dzen, VK Video, VK Music, VK Messenger, Mail, and VK Dating.
VK issued a statement clarifying that Apple took unilateral action without any prior notification, calling the move completely unmotivated and unacceptable since the holding itself is not under international sanctions. Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development characterized Apple’s decision as politically motivated and an act of unfair competition, prompting an official complaint to the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS).
The ministry emphasized that the App Store remains the sole official application marketplace within the Apple ecosystem, leaving iOS users without an alternative access point, The Moscow Times wrote.
In its appeal to regulators, the ministry argued that Apple is violating domestic laws that prohibit manufacturers from restricting the installation of RuStore—an alternative Russian app store developed by VK—on mobile devices sold within the country. Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev noted that iOS devices currently account for 25% to 30% of all smartphone users in Russia.
However, The Moscow Times noted that independent technical analyses previously uncovered a hidden user-tracking surveillance module embedded directly inside RuStore, which is legally mandated for pre-installation in Russia. Similar spyware and tracking functions were also discovered during an analysis of the APK file for the state-developed Max messenger app.
This digital fallout follows data showing Russia has become the global leader in forcing applications off Apple’s App Store to restrict internet freedom. According to Apple’s transparency figures, Russian regulator Roskomnadzor ordered the removal of 1,213 apps in 2025 alone—primarily VPNs and privacy tools—up from just 171 the previous year.
This surge in deletions put Russia ahead of both Vietnam and China, highlighting a strict push by the Kremlin to eliminate access to independent platforms and lock citizens into state-controlled networks.
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