Apple has recently removed 25 applications from various VPN service providers from the App Store in the Russian market. This action was reportedly carried out in response to a request from Roskomnadzor, Russia’s state media watchdog, as reported by Russia’s Interfax news agency. The affected apps include popular service providers such as Hidemy.name, Le VPN, NordVPN, and Proton VPN. Notably, NordVPN ceased operating all servers in Russia in March 2019.
The removal of these apps by Apple coincides with the growing internet control and censorship in Russia, where VPNs are frequently used by citizens to bypass restrictions and access blocked content. Some affected VPN providers, like Le VPN, mentioned that their apps were removed based on Article 15.1 of the Russian Federation’s information law, even before receiving official notification from the government agency.
According to information from Apple, all applications must comply with legal requirements, and developers are responsible for ensuring compliance with local laws. These VPN services were reportedly part of the “consolidated list” of banned internet resources in Russia. In response to the removal, Le VPN introduced an alternative service called Le VPN Give, allowing users to connect to secret servers through open-source software and anonymous VPN connections.
This development is part of a broader trend of censorship moves by the Russian government, which has intensified since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in February 2022. This has led to the blocking of several media and social media applications, including Facebook, Instagram, and others.