Apple Removes Russian VK Apps From App Store in Response to UK Sanctions

In response to the latest round of UK sanctions on Russians, Apple has removed all of the Russian-owned apps from the App Store.

"These apps are being distributed by developers majority-owned or majority-controlled by one or more parties sanctioned by the UK government," said Apple spokesperson Adam Dema in a statement given to The Verge. "In order to comply with these sanctions, Apple terminated the developer accounts associated with these apps, and the apps cannot be downloaded from any App Store, regardless of location. Users who have already downloaded these apps may continue to use them."

A new package of sanctions was enacted by the UK government on Monday. The sanctions were imposed in response to the sham referenda.

The Russian Ministry of Digital Affairs told the state media outlet that it was looking into the reasons for the deletion of applications and developer accounts. There could be issues with notifications and payments, but the apps may continue to work.

The founder of Telegram also founded and still runs the social media app VK. Durov was dismissed as CEO of the social network in April of last year after he refused to hand over the personal information of users.

Users no longer have access to the app for social media network VK, the fourth most popular website in Russia, as well as Mail.ru and VK Music, as a result of Apple removing the apps from its App Store. Until Apple stopped selling its products in the country, the apps were included in a list of things to do in Russia.

The discussion thread is located in the Political News forum due to the political nature of the discussion. Only forum members with at least 100 posts are allowed to post on the thread.