Apple has removed 25 virtual private network (VPN) applications from its App Store in Russia, according to the Interfax news agency, as Moscow intensifies its crackdown on services that help users bypass online restrictions.
A Russian lawmaker reported that Apple deleted Red Shield VPN, Le VPN, Proton VPN, and NordVPN in compliance with orders from the communications regulator Roskomnadzor.
VPNs are often used to bypass government censorship and access content banned by authorities.
Reuters reporters in Moscow confirmed that none of the four VPNs were available for download from the App Store.
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has blacklisted numerous opposition media websites and banned several foreign social media platforms in an effort to control information access following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
This has led to a burgeoning industry of freelance programmers and VPN companies developing more robust tools to evade censorship.
