Apple Removes 1,213 Russia-Flagged Apps in 2025 as Takedowns Jump From 171
Updated
Updated · Meduza · May 25
Apple Removes 1,213 Russia-Flagged Apps in 2025 as Takedowns Jump From 171
1 articles · Updated · Meduza · May 25
Summary
Apple’s 2025 transparency report shows it pulled 2,045 apps worldwide at government request, with Russia accounting for 1,213 removals—by far the highest total of any country.
Roskomnadzor drove more than half of all global takedown requests Apple honored, and the removals likely centered on VPN services used to bypass Russian internet blocks, according to iStories.
Russia’s pressure on Apple has accelerated sharply: app removals there rose from 7 in 2022 to 12 in 2023, 171 in 2024 and 1,213 in 2025.
That surge tracks a broader crackdown on circumvention tools after blocks on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram; by mid-April, major Russian platforms had also limited access for users connected through VPNs.