Google Play removes Max, Russia’s Kremlin-backed messenger, and VKontakte, VK’s flagship social network — three days after the EU sanctioned VK, their parent company

VK said on July 16 that the Max messenger and the VKontakte social network apps had been removed from the Google Play app store. The Odnoklassniki social network app is also unavailable there.

The apps remain available for download through RuStore, Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Store, Xiaomi GetApps, and other Android app stores, the company said. Apps already installed will continue working without restrictions.

Update: VKontakte users have begun receiving notifications about the social network’s move from the .com domain to .ru. “It’s still the same VKontakte,” the notification reads, “but faster and more reliable than vk.com.”

• On July 13, the European Union imposed sanctions on VK and its subsidiary, the investment company Kommunikatsionnaya Platforma, which developed the Max messenger.
• In late June, the Max messenger, the VK social network app, Mail.ru’s email apps, and several other apps owned by the VK holding company were removed from the App Store. The Odnoklassniki social network app also became unavailable at the time.

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