Russian tech giant VK is suing Apple for blocking its apps and wants
$696,000 a day in compensation

Date:
Mon, 24 Aug 2026 23:35:00 +0000

Description:
VK has sued Apple in Moscow, seeking restored apps and 58 million rubles in daily penalties for continued removals.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter 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. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: 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. You may like Apple
pulls Russia's state-backed MAX app from App Store over sanctions compliance Russians need a VPN to access Google and Apple as unexplained nationwide outages hit FAA and federal workers forced to install $1.4 million White
House app containing Russian-built Elfsight code onto government-issued
mobile devices

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. Are you
a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

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. What to read next Ubiquiti sued by Ukrainian families over claims its tech powered Russian battlefield drones Subscribing to YouTube Premium via Apple's App Store costs an extra $5 per month Apples expensive, inflexible app subscriptions need a total overhaul here's why 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.

Via United24media Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/russian-tech-giant-vk-is-suing-apple-for-blockin g-its-apps-and-wants-usd696-000-a-day-in-compensation


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)