VK and Max removed from Google Play following European sanctions against Russia

The apps for the Russian social network VK and the messaging service Max have disappeared from the Google Play store, just days after being added to the European Union's sanctions lists. Apple had already removed them in June.

On July 13, the EU added the Russian holding company VK and the company "Communication Platform," the developer of Max, to its sanctions lists. Google followed the same path as Apple, which had removed these two applications from its App Store the previous month. Neither company has officially commented on its decisions, but their European subsidiaries are subject to EU regulations.

The Max messaging app occupies a unique position in the Russian digital ecosystem: pre-installed on all new mobile devices sold in Russia, it is under the control of the Kremlin. The EU Council states in its official press release that the application "is under the control of the Federal Security Service (FSB)" and that it "contains extensive surveillance capabilities, which have subsequently been used to take repressive measures against users criticizing Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine or publishing other content prohibited by the authorities."

The VK Group has confirmed the removal of its apps from Western app stores, while assuring users that already installed services continue to function normally. The apps also remain available for download on RuStore, the Russian app store.

Since the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have blocked access to Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Users circumvent these restrictions using VPNs. The EU has also sanctioned three Russian companies and their executives involved in the development, manufacture, and sale of equipment used for internet blocking and surveillance.

These measures had long been demanded by the Russian opposition, which denounces what it calls the "digital Gulag." The head of international affairs at the Anti-Corruption Foundation described the removal of the VK and Max apps from Google Play as "a direct consequence of EU sanctions and global pressure."