Google Play removed Russian apps VK, Odnoklassniki, and Mail.ru

The Google Play app store has removed Russian services VK, Odnoklassniki, Zen, Mail.ru, and Max.

Russian media is writing about this.

VK stated that previously installed applications continue to work without restrictions, but they can be downloaded through alternative Android stores.

At the same time, journalists write that VK and the Max messenger, which Russia introduced last March, positioning it as an alternative to Telegram, are also unavailable in the Huawei AppGallery store.

At the end of June , VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Mail.ru, Zen, VK Video, VK Messenger, VK Music, and VK Znakomstva disappeared from the Apple App Store. They all belong to the Russian holding company VK.

The Russian social network VK and the Max messenger were already subject to EU sanctions in July. According to the EU, VK was transferring data of users who criticized the war against Ukraine to the Russian authorities and helping to restrict the use of VPNs.

• In Ukraine, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, and a number of other Russian services and sites were banned in 2017. Since then, the decision has been extended several times.

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