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Apple has removed VKontakte (VK), one of Russia’s largest social media platforms, from its App Store, the company said on Thursday, prompting the Kremlin to seek an explanation from the US technology giant.
Launched in 2006 as Russia’s answer to Facebook, VK has grown into one of the country’s most popular social media platforms.
“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.
The latest move comes just weeks after Apple removed Max, a state-backed messaging app developed by VK, from its App Store.
Russian authorities have been encouraging citizens to adopt Max, while access to WhatsApp and Telegram — the country’s two most widely used messaging platforms — has been restricted. Government agencies have also been directed to shift their communications to Max.
Reacting to the removal of VKontakte, the Kremlin described Apple’s decision as “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.
