Russia's Ministry of Digital Development Pulls FAS Into Apple App Dispute
After Apple removed VK apps from the App Store, Russia's digital ministry asked antitrust regulators to intervene, citing unfair competition.
Russia's Ministry of Digital Development has appealed to the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) following the disappearance of VK applications from the local App Store. The ministry argues the removal is a politically motivated act of unfair competition designed to suppress domestic alternatives.
According to the ministry, Apple provided no reasoned justification regarding sanctions. The department stated it consulted American legal firms and concluded no valid grounds existed for the block. Officials also noted that the tech giant has not complied with local legislation requiring a default search engine selection screen and the pre-installation of a Russian app store.
On June 25, 2026, various VK ecosystem apps vanished from the App Store, including VK Music, VK Messenger, VK Video, VK Dating, Skillbox, and Dzen, alongside Odnoklassniki and Mail.ru. The flagship VKontakte app remained briefly before also disappearing. VK stated the removals occurred without warning, leaving installed apps functional but unable to receive updates or push notifications.
Source: habr
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