Apple notifies Radio Free Europe of its app’s removal from Russian App Store

Apple has informed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) that its apps are to be removed from the Russian App Store, Current Time TV, a Russian-language RFE/RL project, reported on Friday.

In a letter to the broadcaster, Apple explained that it had decided to remove the company’s apps at the request of Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor.

According to the letter, the app was being removed because it contained “content that is illegal in Russia and does not comply with app verification rules”, an apparent reference to the fact that RFE/RL was added to the Russian government’s list of “undesirable” organisations in February.

RFE/RL is an independent nonprofit media organisation funded by the US Congress that broadcasts in 27 languages to 23 countries where media freedom is restricted.

Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Roskomnadzor blocked the websites of RFE/RL’s Russian-language projects, including those of Radio Liberty and Current Time. RFE/RL announced the suspension of its activities in Russia due to pressure from the authorities on 6 March 2022.

Apple has regularly removed apps from the Russian App Store at the request of the authorities. Between July and September, it deleted more than 60 VPN apps, and has removed 98 VPN apps in total, according to experts.

However, the app for Radio Svoboda, RFE/RL’s Russian-language service, remains available for download in the Russian App Store, with only the Current Time app unavailable to date.