Recently, two pivotal applications in Russia with state-supported backgrounds—the social networking platform VKontakte (akin to Facebook in Russia) and the instant messaging service MAX—were abruptly removed from the Apple App Store. This development has significantly disrupted the experience of Russian users, especially since similar platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Signal have already been prohibited in the country. With the removal of VKontakte and MAX, Russian users are now grappling with a substantial void in social and communication services. A multitude of apps under the VKontakte umbrella, encompassing its social network, video platform, and messaging tools, have all been taken down, impacting tens of millions of individuals. The Russian government has voiced its strong disapproval of this situation. Kremlin spokesperson Peskov announced that Russia would initiate discussions with Apple to seek a rationale for the removals and cautioned that, in the absence of a satisfactory explanation, the country would reconsider its collaborative ties with Apple. In the interim, he recommended that affected users transition to Android devices, where VK apps continue to operate seamlessly.