Russia calls VK's removal from App Store cynical act of censorship

MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. Removing VK apps from the App Store is a cynical purging of the information space, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Yes, this is another cynical, blatant act of political censorship," she said. "This is not a question of complaints about any real problems. This is a real cleansing of the information and communication space."

The diplomat noted that VK and its services have never been sanctioned or put on the sanctions lists.

"That is, even this explanation, which cannot be considered legitimate, and it does not fit in this case," she continued. "This is an act of purposeful digital cleansing from unwanted, apparently too sovereign competitors. It's a matter of making this platform really mega-popular."

VK earlier said that Apple had removed its apps from its store without explanation. The company said that the installed applications will continue to operate on Apple devices, but users will not receive pushes. VK also said it has never been under sanctions, which is confirmed by numerous conclusions of international and American lawyers.