The Russian government has recently ordered Apple to remove 25 VPNs from its App Store in Russia. Roskomnadzor, the country’s watchdog on telecommunications, made the request for removal. The list of prohibited VPNs includes such popular services as NordVPN, Proton, and Red Shield. In accordance with this watchdog, these VPNs open possibilities for Russian citizens to get various illegal content all over the country.
Furthermore, it was reported to have been written by Roskomnadzor to Apple previously in order to notify it that the VPNs violated the App Review Guidelines. Indeed, emails have already been sent out by Apple to the affected VPN vendors notifying them about the removal. This action puts a spotlight once more on Russia’s never-ending attempt at locking down access to the online world for its people.
It’s the latest in a long line of actions against VPN services in Russia. The Russian government has been trying more and more to control the flow of information since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The government is trying to censor content that it considers either harmful or critical of the actions it is undertaking.
That is such a harsh crackdown that now Kaspersky is the only VPN provider connected with the FGIS of Russia. The situation underlines growing restrictions on internet freedom in Russia.
