Apple removes Russia’s largest social network from the App Store

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

VK, the Russian technology conglomerate behind a social network with hundreds of millions of downloads called VKontakte, says that its apps have been removed from Apple’s App Store.

The translated statement says “some VK applications are blocked by Apple” but that it will “continue to develop and support iOS applications.” The Russian Ministry of Digital Affairs told state-controlled media outlet RT that it was investigating “the reasons for deleting VK applications and developer accounts, underlining the social significance and scale of use of the services provided by the Russian company.” The apps are still available on Google’s Play Store.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, its government has blocked several American social media sites,...

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