Russia’s Digital Development Ministry drafts bill requiring Apple to permit apps from third-party stores

Russia’s Digital Development Ministry is preparing to submit a bill to Russia’s State Duma which would require Apple to allow the installation of mobile applications from third-party stores, reports Kommersant.

According to Maksut Shadaev, the head of the ministry, the bill is currently being finalized, incorporating input from Putin’s administration, and will be submitted this spring.

If the bill passes, all owners of mobile systems, device manufacturers, and store operators will be subject to regulation and required to ensure all apps are installed on equal terms, wrote Kommersant.

Kommersant compared the bill to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, under which Apple must allow E.U. users to install mobile apps from third-party stores and the Internet.

Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Apple suspended sales in Russia and limited Apple Pay. Many apps from Russian companies subject to sanctions are not available in the App Store, although clones of blocked Russian apps regularly appear in the store.