Apple Reinstates VKontakte, The Russian Equivalent Of Facebook, On App Store

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has reinstated one of Russia's most popular social networking apps on the App Store, a month after removing it due to U.K. sanctions. 

What Happened: VKontakte, a social networking app made by Russian technology group VK, is back on the App Store. Apple said the company has provided sufficient proof that it's not "majority owned or controlled by a sanctioned entity," reported The Verge.  

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"The apps from this developer were removed from the App Store, as required by law, after multiple requests were made to the developer to provide documentation to verify that they were not in violation of UK sanctions. Subsequent to the removal, the developer has provided the requisite information verifying that they are not majority owned or controlled by a sanctioned entity," said Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian, according to the report. 

VKontakte is the Russian equivalent of Meta Platforms Inc.’s (NASDAQ: META) Facebook. In September, Apple removed VKontakte and webmail provider Mail.ru from the App Store in response to U.K. sanctions. 

The sanctions were prompted by the sham Ukraine referendums by Russian authorities, according to MacRumors. 

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