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AIPROPX ReportTechRadar · 53m ago
Russian tech giant VK is suing Apple for blocking its apps
VK wants Apple to restore its apps or face millions in daily fines
The Russian company is demanding 58 million rubles ($696,000) every day
Apple removed several major VK apps following European Union sanctions
Russian firm VK has filed a lawsuit against Apple in a Moscow arbitration court, seeking restoration of several removed applications from the App Store.
Court records dated August 19 2026 show that the Russian technology company wants its applications restored to the platform without further delay.
Apple removed a range of VK-owned applications recently, including VKontakte, VK Messenger, VK Video, Odnoklassniki, Zen, Mail Cloud, Mail, Skillbox, and Youla, saying it was following sanctions imposed by the European Union against VK and its messaging subsidiary, Communication Platform LLC.
VK demands steep daily penalties for continued app removal
VK is asking the court to impose penalties of 58 million rubles per day, equivalent to roughly $696,000, if Apple fails to comply.
That figure breaks down across three services, with VKontakte accounting for 50 million rubles, or about $600,000, in daily fines.
VK Music would carry a penalty of 5 million rubles, or nearly $60,000, while Odnoklassniki would draw 3 million rubles, close to $36,000 daily.
The lawsuit names three separate Apple entities as defendants, including Apple Rus LLC, Apple Inc., and Apple Distribution International Ltd.
VK has requested that the daily fines begin accruing six days after the court issues its complete and final ruling in this case.
The European Union's sanctions accused VK and its messaging subsidiary of enabling surveillance, censorship, and the identification of government critics inside Russia.
Apple removed the applications from the App Store following that designation, and the same titles later disappeared from Google Play as well.
Kremlin criticism adds to mounting pressure on Apple
The Kremlin responded sharply to Apple's decision, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov publicly demanding a formal explanation from the company itself.
Peskov argued that the removals called into question Apple's "reliability as a provider of commercial services" inside the Russian market.
The dispute unfolds against a broader pattern of legal friction between Western technology companies and Russian government authorities in recent years.
The Tagansky District Court recently fined Apple 500 thousand rubles (~$6,000) for a repeated violation of Russian federal legislation.
Similarly, a Moscow arbitration court ordered Google Ireland Limited to return more than $2.1 billion to Google's bankrupt Russian subsidiary.
That earlier ruling found the payments in question constituted unjust enrichment under Russian commercial law at the time of the case.
VK's case against Apple follows a similar legal strategy, relying on domestic courts to challenge decisions made by foreign firms.
Whether Moscow's arbitration system can meaningfully compel compliance from Apple, given its shrinking footprint in Russia, remains a genuinely open question.
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