The European Union imposed sanctions on the Russian company VK and… (санкция · мессенджер · макс)
The European Union imposed sanctions on the Russian company VK and its affiliated entity responsible for the domestic messaging app MAX, citing VK's role as a parent company of the developer of MAX and alleged cooperation with Russian authorities. Despite the sanctions, VK stated that its platforms continue to operate normally.
Consensus
- The European Union imposed sanctions on VK and the legal entity responsible for the messaging app MAX.
- VK is the parent company of LLC 'Communication Platform,' which developed the domestic messaging app MAX.
- VK stated that the EU sanctions do not affect the operation of its platforms, including VK and MAX.
- The apps remain accessible to users in normal mode.
Points of divergence
- VK is accused by the EU of providing user data to Russian authorities, supporting repression against civil society and democratic opposition, and enabling surveillance related to military actions in Ukraine. — kommersant
- Apple removed VK's main applications from its App Store in late June due to sanctions, including the MAX messenger; previously downloaded apps still work but cannot be updated or receive push notifications. — kommersant
- On 27 June, a Russian State Duma deputy called for retaliatory measures against Apple after the removal of VK's applications from the App Store. — vm
- The head of Rostelecom labeled Apple as 'enemies' following the removal of MAX from the App Store, though he stated such actions should not automatically prompt similar responses from Russia. — vm
Coverage (4 sources)
- EU imposes sanctions on VK over MAX messenger — РИАМО
- VK Holding commented on the introduction of sanctions by the EU — Вести
- EU imposes sanctions against VK — Коммерсантъ
- EU imposes sanctions against VK — Вечерняя Москва