--- title: "Kremlin demands an explanation from Apple after VK apps vanish from the App Store" url: https://daily.dev/posts/kremlin-demands-an-explanation-from-apple-after-vk-apps-vanish-from-the-app-store-hmwk72m3y source_url: https://thenextweb.com/news/kremlin-apple-vk-app-store type: article source: "The Next Web" published: 2026-06-25T13:13:59.965Z updated: 2026-06-25T13:14:22.111Z tags: ["apple", "app-store"] reading_time: 3 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Kremlin demands an explanation from Apple after VK apps vanish from the App Store **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Apple removed a broad suite of Russian tech group VK's apps from the App Store, including VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Mail.ru, and several others, affecting millions of users. VK denied being subject to any sanctions, calling the removal unprompted and without warning. Apple has not publicly explained the wider sweep, though it previously cited sanctions when removing VK's Max messenger. The complication lies in VK's CEO Vladimir Kiriyenko being personally sanctioned by the US, EU, and UK, even though the corporate entity itself is not listed. The Kremlin demanded an explanation from Apple and suggested Russians switch operating systems, fitting into a broader push toward domestic software. A similar removal occurred in 2022 and was reversed within a month, suggesting the current standoff may be temporary. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: --- Tags: [#apple](https://daily.dev/tags/apple), [#app-store](https://daily.dev/tags/app-store) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/kremlin-demands-an-explanation-from-apple-after-vk-apps-vanish-from-the-app-store-hmwk72m3y)