Overview
- Apple removed 16 applications belonging to VK Group on June 25, 2026, making them unavailable for new downloads or updates in the App Store.
- Apple told news outlets the removals were part of its effort to comply with applicable sanctions and laws in the jurisdictions where it operates.
- VK said the apps were taken down without warning, that the company itself is not on Western sanctions lists, and that installed apps will keep working but will lose push notifications and future updates.
- The Kremlin, the Digital Development Ministry and the Federal Antimonopoly Service have demanded explanations, requested investigations and warned they may reassess cooperation with Apple if answers are not provided.
- The removals underline tensions over Russia’s push for a sovereign digital ecosystem, highlight the ambiguous legal status of VK given sanctions on its CEO, and could accelerate moves by users and the state toward Android and home-grown services such as the MAX messenger.