Apple hits delete on Russia’s homegrown social media giant VK

MOSCOW, June 26 — Apple has removed VKontakte, one of Russia’s largest social networks, from its App Store, the Russian company said on Thursday, with the Kremlin calling for an explanation from the California-based tech giant.

VKontakte (VK) was launched in 2006 as Russia’s answer to Facebook and has since grown to become one of the most popular websites and social media platforms in the country.

“Apple has removed VK apps from the App Store without warning or explanation. VK Group apps are no longer available for download or updates on Apple devices,” VKontakte’s parent company, VK, said in a statement.

“Apple is restricting Russian users’ access to popular services used daily by tens of millions of people, including social networks, messaging apps, video platforms, email, and educational products,” the statement added.

Apple told AFP that it complies with the laws of the jurisdictions where it operates and that it removed VK from the App Store to comply with sanctions.

VK said it had never been subject to US sanctions.

The move follows a similar decision from Apple earlier this month to remove the state-backed Max messenger, developed by VK, from the App Store.

Moscow has for months been pushing Russians to install Max and has throttled WhatsApp and Telegram, the country’s two largest messengers, forcing state entities to move their communications onto Max.

The Kremlin called Apple’s decision to remove VKontakte “bizarre”.

“Our relevant authority will contact the service and demand an explanation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP.

“Naturally, this raises questions about the service’s reliability and the extent to which it can be trusted as a service provider,” he added.

Russia’s digital development ministry said in a statement that it considered Apple’s move “a politically motivated decision”.

It said it has not “received a reasoned explanation from Apple regarding any sanctions-related requirements” and said “there are no grounds for blocking the VK apps”. — AFP