Apple removed the full suite of VK applications from the Russian App Store on 25 June, rendering them unavailable for download or update and disabling push notifications for tens of millions of users. The immediate market reaction was sharp: VK shares fell as much as 5% on the Moscow Exchange, touching an all-time low of 186 roubles, as investors assessed the potential loss of iOS-based engagement and advertising reach.

The company attributed the takedown to compliance with sanctions regimes, a position it had earlier cited when removing the state-backed messenger Max. VK itself is not a designated entity under US, EU or UK sanctions, a point the firm stressed with reference to legal opinions shared with Apple. However, VK’s CEO Vladimir Kiriyenko, son of a senior Kremlin adviser, has been under personal sanctions since 2022, and analysts in Moscow suggest the action may reflect a tightening of enforcement against entities linked to sanctioned individuals, even where the corporate structure is not directly listed.

Viewed from Moscow, the move was met with a cascade of official condemnation. The Kremlin spokesman called the decision a blow to the reliability of Apple’s services and advised active users to switch to Android or domestic platforms. The Ministry of Digital Development labelled the removal a “politically motivated” act of unfair competition, arguing that Apple was protecting foreign platforms being displaced by Russian alternatives while ignoring its own obligations under Russian law, such as pre-installing the RuStore app marketplace. The foreign ministry described it as “digital censorship” and a purge of sovereign competitors, while lawmakers accused Apple of waging an information war and abandoning the user-centric principles of its founder.

VK insisted that previously installed apps would continue to function, though without notifications, and directed users to Android versions available through RuStore, Google Play and other stores. The company called the unilateral action “unmotivated and unacceptable,” noting that it had never been subject to sanctions. The episode follows a pattern: Apple has previously removed apps of sanctioned Russian banks, VPN services at the request of Roskomnadzor, and the national messenger Max, which it said was delisted to comply with sanctions.

Moscow’s antitrust watchdog, the FAS, has been asked to examine whether Apple violated Russian competition law, and the Ministry of Digital Development is pressing for the return of the apps. A Moscow court separately fined Apple 500,000 roubles for a repeat violation of internet data-storage rules, a penalty unrelated to the VK case but indicative of the broader regulatory friction. The next concrete milestone will be the FAS’s preliminary assessment, which could pave the way for mandatory pre-installation requirements or other retaliatory measures that would further strain Apple’s already restricted presence in the Russian market.