Apple removes largest Russian social media app from App Store

A couple of months ago, Apple exited the Russian market and hasn't made any plans on resuming operations in the country. And starting Monday, some homegrown apps are pulled from the official App Store, including VKontakte - a Russian alternative to Facebook.

In addition to VKontakte, Apple has removed other apps from the same developer - Mail.ru, VK Music and Youla. Users who have already downloaded these apps will still be able to use them without restrictions, but notifications and payments may be affected. Of course, VKontakte is still available through desktop and mobile browsers.

Apple has come forward with a statement explaining the reason behind the ban and it's related to the referendums organized in some parts of Ukraine. The UK government has responded to the referendums with a new wave of sanctions against Russian oligarchs and execs in various state-owned companies. Some of these execs are from VK, so Apple is complying with international law and suspended the developer account behind VKontakte, Mail.ru and VK Music as a result.

Via