MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. The US corporation Apple has unilaterally taken down VK apps from the App Store without warning, the Russian company announced.

The removal of VK apps from the App Store is yet another act of digital discrimination against Russian citizens by Apple, member of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of Russia's parliament) Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology, and Communications Anton Nemkin told TASS.

Apple has forgotten about human rights, First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Marina Kim told TASS, calling the company an "apple of shame."

TASS has collected the main information known so far.

Removal of VK apps

Apple has unilaterally removed VK apps from the App Store without warning, the Russian company said in a statement.

All VK apps previously installed on Apple smartphones and other devices will continue to function, according to the company.

VK apps for Android users are fully available, the company noted.

Functional limitations

Apple restricts Russian users’ access to popular services through its actions, VK stressed.

Apple’s actions will result in users not receiving push notifications for messages and important events, the company said.

VK’s position

VK has never been subject to sanctions nor appeared on sanctions lists, a fact confirmed by numerous legal opinions from international and US lawyers, the company noted.

It clarified that official legal opinions and all necessary information have long been in Apple’s possession.

VK added that it considers Apple’s actions regarding Russian users to be completely unjustified and unacceptable in nature.

Russian digital development ministry’s statements

The removal of VK apps from the App Store is a politically motivated decision, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media said in a statement.

The ministry has not received a reasoned explanation from Apple regarding the existence of sanctions-related requirements, the ministry noted.

Based on findings received, including those from US law firms, the ministry confirms that there are no grounds for blocking VK apps.

The ministry considers the removal of VK apps from the App Store to be an act of unfair competition aimed at protecting the interests of foreign platforms that are being displaced by Russian applications.

Kremlin’s reaction

Russia is waiting for explanations from Apple regarding the removal of VK apps and its subsidiary services, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing.

Conclusions regarding further interaction with the company will be drawn if no such explanations are provided, he noted.

Those who actively use VK and its services will be forced to switch from Apple to an alternative system, Android, Peskov added.

Apple’s decision to remove VK apps and its subsidiary services is unusual and affects not only Russians but also tens of millions of Russian-speaking users worldwide, he stressed.

Reaction

The removal of a number of Russian applications from the App Store confirms the need to ensure Russia’s digital sovereignty, head of the Russian Znanie (Knowledge) Society Maxim Dreval told TASS.

The removal of VK apps from the App Store is an argument for Russia to accelerate the development of its own internet, First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Marina Kim said.

Apple disregarded human rights by removing VK apps, Kim emphasized.

She also called Apple an "apple of shame."

The removal of VK apps from the App Store is yet another act of digital discrimination against Russian citizens by Apple, member of the Russian State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology, and Communications Anton Nemkin told TASS.