Google Play has removed popular Russian services owned by the VK holding company
The Google Play Store has removed a number of popular Russian services owned by the VK holding company. VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, the Max messenger, Mail.ru, and Zen have disappeared from the platform. The company confirmed the removal of the apps but noted that apps already installed will continue to work for now.
On July 16, Android users discovered that it was no longer possible to download the VK and “Max” apps via Google Play: links from the services’ official websites result in an error, and the apps do not appear in the store’s search results. On the same day, other products from the holding company—“Odnoklassniki,” Mail.ru, and “Zen”—also disappeared from the store.
VK itself confirmed the removal.
“The VK and ‘Max’ apps have disappeared from Google Play. Installed services and apps are functioning normally without restrictions,” the holding company stated in a message.
According to company representatives, users who have already installed the apps will continue to receive push notifications for messages, calls, and other events. To install the apps on new Android devices, the developers are offering alternative platforms—RuStore, Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Xiaomi GetApps.
Earlier, a resident of Kuzbass was fined for sharing a video criticizing Putin on the Max messaging app.
A Russian court upheld the sentence against a 70-year-old doctor for so-called “fake news” about the army.
Khodorkovsky was sentenced in absentia in Russia to 10 years in a penal colony for anti-war posts.
