Apple removed a number of virtual private network (VPN) apps in Russia from its App Store on July 4, 2024, following a request from Russia’s state communications agency Roskomnadzor, Russian media reported.
This includes the mobile apps of 25 VPN service providers, including ProtonVPN, Red Shield VPN, NordVPN, and Le VPN. respectively in MediaZona. It should be noted that NordVPN previously closed all its Russian servers in March 2019.
“Apple’s actions, motivated by the desire to preserve revenues from the Russian market, actively support an authoritarian regime,” — Red Shield VPN said in the statement. “This is not just reckless, but a crime against civil society.”
In a similar post, Le VPN said the removal was carried out in accordance with Clause 7 of Article 15.1 of the Federal Law of July 27, 2006 No. 149-FZ “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection” and that his application was removed even before it received an official notification from the observer.
For this purpose, VPN services are included in the “Single Register” of Internet resources prohibited for public distribution in Russia.
“This event marks a significant step in Roskomnadzor’s ongoing efforts to control Internet access and content in Russia,” the report said.
To counter the widespread crackdown, Le VPN has since launched an alternative service called Le VPN Give, which it says “allows you to connect to our secret servers using third-party open source software and obfuscated VPN connections.”
The development is part of a series of censorship moves the Kremlin has announced since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in February 2022, which has led to the blocking of several media outlets as well as social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and X.
