Apple has notified Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) that its app will be removed from the Russian App Store, Russian-language RFE/RL project Current Time TV reported on Friday. .
In a letter to the broadcaster, Apple said it had decided to remove the app at the request of Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor.
According to the letter, the app was removed because it contained “content that is illegal in Russia and does not comply with the App Verification Regulations,” which is an apparent indication that RFE/RL is the Russian government’s “desirable It refers to the fact that it has been added to the list of “no content”. ” organization was established in February.
RFE/RL is an independent, nonprofit media organization funded by the U.S. Congress that broadcasts in 27 languages to 23 countries with restricted press freedom.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Roskomnadzor blocked the websites of RFE/RL’s Russian-language projects, including Radio Liberty and Current Time. On March 6, 2022, RFE/RL announced the suspension of its operations in Russia following pressure from authorities.
Apple has been regularly removing apps from the Russian App Store at the request of authorities. Experts say they removed more than 60 VPN apps from July to September, for a total of 98 VPN apps.
However, the app for Radio Svoboda, RFE/RL’s Russian-language service, is still available for download on the Russian App Store, only the Current Time app is currently unavailable.
