Apple removed Russia’s largest social media from the App Store  

Sanctions are intensifying

Apple has removed the Russian equivalent of Facebook from the App Store, the application of the tech giant VK, called VKontakte . VK has officially announced that its apps have been blocked by Apple, but emphasizes that it will continue to develop and support its iOS apps.

These applications are distributed by developers the majority of which are owned or controlled by companies that have been sanctioned by the UK government. To comply with these sanctions, Apple has canceled the developer accounts associated with these apps, and the apps are no longer available in any App Store, regardless of location. Users who have already downloaded these apps can continue using them. – Apple representative

On Monday the UK government imposed new sanctions on Russian oligarchs, affecting 23 executives at Gazprombank, a Russian bank linked to VK. Russia’s Ministry of Digital Affairs said it is investigating the reasons for the deletion of VK apps and developer accounts. VK’s apps are still available on Google’s Play Store.