Anton Nemkin, a member of the Policy and Information Technology Committee of the Russian State Duma, declared that the removal of Russian "VK" network applications from the App Store constitutes digital discrimination practiced by Apple against Russian citizens.
“It’s no longer just isolated incidents, but a systematic policy of exerting pressure on the Russian digital space,” Nemkin told RT on the subject. “First, banking applications were targeted, then government services, and now the largest domestic communication platforms,” he noted, adding that “this is like an attempt to use digital dominance as a tool for political influence.”
Nimkin pointed out that Apple, through these actions, is effectively demonstrating its willingness to determine which services Russian citizens can and cannot use. He said, "This is a dangerous precedent, showing how vulnerable users are when foreign companies control vital digital channels, guided not by law but by opportunistic political decisions."
Nimkin concluded by saying: "Under these circumstances, the strategic importance of digital sovereignty is becoming increasingly clear. In recent years, Russia has managed to create a comprehensive system of its own digital services."
In addition to the Russian VK network applications, Apple also removed several other Russian applications from the App Store, such as the Odnoklassniki application, email applications, and the MAX application, stating that "the removal of this application from the App Store was in compliance with the rules of sanctions," while the company did not specify the nature of these sanctions.
