The European Union imposed sanctions on the Russian company VK and…
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